Gareth Malone on the hunt for a new choir
By Nick Bond
Award-winning choirmaster Gareth Malone is about to embark on a new mission to find the UK’s next big choir or singing group.
Following on from previous TV successes like Sing While You Work and The Choir: Military Wives, Malone is working on a new BBC2 series with the working title of The Naked Choir. Eight groups will face a series of challenges and, under Gareth’s guidance, sing it out for the chance to be crowned the nation’s most impressive vocal harmony group.
Of course, first he has to find the groups first – and applications are now open. We had a chat to Gareth to find out what he’s looking for:
Is The Naked Choir in a similar vein to previous shows like Sing While You Work and Military Wives?
I’m looking for a cappella groups of up to fifteen people. They need to be motivated and musical. I’m hoping to find groups that can put their own performances together. Think Pentatonix, Voces8, Naturally 7 or The Swingle Singers: it’s going to be a lot of fun. This is a contest show and will feature stand out performances from groups that have performed together before. In that respect it’s very different from my previous shows: I won’t be starting any choirs. I’ll be mentoring all the singing groups and challenging them to improve. Along the way I hope they’ll create some very special performances. It’s about inspiring people to create music themselves.
Are you specifically putting the call out there to LGBT choirs that might want to get involved?
I want the word to get to as many people as possible. I’d like to have a broad a range of groups. I’m not specifically looking for an LGBT group but I’d be delighted if we found one that was good.
You’re after choirs ‘from all backgrounds and walks of life’. Do you find there’s something about choral singing that can bridge those gaps and bring people together?
Within all sorts of communities, singing brings people together. Anyone who is singing regularly will have experienced that. I’m looking for amateur groups who live, eat and breathe singing together and have a passion for performing.
And how about the skill levels you’re seeking? What would you say to singers or groups out there who might not feel they’re at that polished professional level yet?
Ideally the groups will have been singing together for a while and undertaken some successful performances. It is amateur but I’ll be expecting people to sing well in harmony and have a good blend with the other singers – that, and entertain me!
The deadline for applications is 10th April 2015. Anyone interested in applying should send their contact info and, if at all possible, a weblink to a clip of their group performing to sing@twentytwenty.tv or call 0207 424 7758.