Concordia Magazine 2025

Lighting the Fuse Baritone Harrison Robb (2013–2020) on music, Merchant Taylors’ School and finding his voice.

Looking back at his time at Merchant Taylors’, Harrison’s musical highlights are many — from playing Javert in Les Misérables to performing at Birmingham Symphony Hall to mark the centenary of the end of World War I. Yet he recalls it was an early Summer Serenade that lit the fuse. ‘I remember one of the older boys singing Rule Britannia! , with fireworks going up over the Clock Tower, and thinking: what a school to be at! That was an exciting moment.’ Returning to sing Handel’s Messiah at the School in March this year was a full-circle occasion and really special. As a pupil, Harrison had performed alongside Alex Kerley (2012– 2019), singing solos in Durante’s Requiem , and now he was standing on the same podium as a professional soloist.

Whether leading a primary-school choir or persuading teachers to back his idea to raise money for Phab with what would later become the annual ‘24 Hours of Music’, Harrison Robb’s energy is infectious. When we meet during a break between rehearsals for Carmen at the Royal Academy Opera, where he is playing the flamboyant bullfighter Escamillo, that same spark is unmistakable.

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