Iestyn Davies (born 16 September 1979) is a British classical countertenor . Davies was born in York , England and first studied piano and recorder , mentored in his early years by his father Ioan. From the age of eight he sang as a boy treble in the choir of St John's College, Cambridge . He began singing countertenor in his teens, at Wells Cathedral School . He returned to St John's as a choral scholar, graduating in archaeology and anthropology . He gained his DipRAM from, and was later appointed ARAM by, the Royal Academy of Music . In 2004 he won the Audience Prize at the London Handel Singing Competition and in 2010 was named "Young Artist of the Year" by the Royal Philharmonic Society .