Born in England, Podger grew up in
Kassel,
Hesse, Germany. His sister, Rachel Podger, is an acclaimed
violinist. He studied at
Trinity College, Cambridge. He has sung with notable vocal ensembles such as
Gothic Voices, a group for medieval music, and
The Harp Consort. He founded his own ensemble
Trinity Baroque while still studying in Cambridge. On 10 August 1997, he appeared as a soloist at
The Proms with the
Monteverdi Choir and the
Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, conducted by
John Eliot Gardiner, performing vocal works by Schubert and Beethoven. Podger took part, as a soloist and member of the Monteverdi Choir, in the 2000
Bach Cantata Pilgrimage by Gardiner. He sang the role of the
Evangelist in Bach's
St John Passion and
St Matthew Passion several times. In 1998, he recorded the title role in Handel's last oratorio
Jephtha with the
Maulbronner Kammerchor conducted by
Jürgen Budday, alongside
Emma Kirkby as Iphis and
Melinda Paulsen as Storge. A reviewer noted his "well phrased and beautifully rounded performance" but missed the dark emotions of the character. In 2010, he recorded an album
Music for the Peace of Utrecht with
Jos van Veldhoven and the
Netherlands Bach Society, alongside Nicki Kennedy,
William Towers,
Wolfram Lattke and
Peter Harvey, combining Handel's
Utrecht Te Deum and Jubilate, HWV 279, and
William Croft's
Ode for the Peace of Utrecht (With Noise of Cannon), which was recorded for the first time. == References ==