Gareth Malone | |
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Born | London, England | 9 November 1975
Education | Bournemouth School University of East Anglia Royal Academy of Music |
Occupation(s) | Choirmaster and television presenter |
Known for | The Choir , The Big Performance |
Spouse | Becky Malone |
Children | 3 |
Awards | 2007: BAFTA Television Award – Best Feature (The Choir) 2009: BAFTA Television Award – Best Feature (The Choir: Boys Don't Sing) Contents
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Website | www |
Gareth Edmund Malone OBE (born 9 November 1975 [2] [3] ) is an English choirmaster and broadcaster, self-described as an "animateur, presenter and populariser of choral singing". He is best known for his television appearances in programmes such as The Choir , which focus on singing and introducing choral music to new participants. [3] Malone was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours, for services to music. [4] [5]
Gareth Malone was born into a family of Irish descent as the only child of James and Sian Malone, who had met at their local Gilbert and Sullivan society. [6] His father, James Malone, grew up in Parkhead in Scotland in an Irish family, [7] and was a bank manager. His English mother of Irish descent, Sian, [8] worked in the civil service. [9] Gareth was educated at Bournemouth School. [9] He sang with the Symphony Chorus of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra (BSO) [10] and he studied drama at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, where he was in the university choir and composed music for theatre productions. After graduating he gave private tuition and then applied for a postgraduate vocal studies course at the Royal Academy of Music; he passed with distinction in 2005.
Until December 2009, Malone worked for the London Symphony Orchestra at LSO St Luke's where he ran their youth choir and community choir. Whilst working at the L.S.O., Malone was awarded the position of Edward Heath Assistant Animateur in 2001. He entered television work when approached by 20/20, a production company which wanted to make a series about singing in schools. Without knowing who could front the programme they had researched the term "community choirmasters" and discovered Malone's name. The Choir was the result and won two BAFTAs [11] [12] and a Broadcast award. [13]
On 31 December 2009, Malone conducted the first New Year's Eve Twitter Community Choir performance of Auld Lang Syne. He asked his followers on Twitter, and friends on Facebook, to join in with the event.
A later project was The Knight Crew , a youth opera based on a book written by Nicky Singer and performed at Glyndebourne. After choosing approximately 50 cast out of over 400 applicants between the ages of 14 and 20 through workshops and auditions, and months of rehearsals, The Knight Crew was performed at Glyndebourne between 3 and 6 March 2010. The project was filmed for a television series, Gareth Malone Goes to Glyndebourne and aired on the BBC on 1 July 2010.
In May 2010, Malone was awarded the Freedom of the City of London by Nick Anstee, Lord Mayor of the City of London (not to be confused with the Mayor of London) in recognition of his music education work in that city. [14]
In 2013, Malone recruited 16 singers aged from 18 to 27 for his Gareth Malone Voices choir. They recorded a CD album and gave concerts at 14 locations throughout Britain in 2014. [15] [16]
In October 2023, Malone became the patron of the Canterbury Choral Society. [17]
Gareth Malone's television appearances began in 2007 with his reality television series The Choir , broadcast on BBC Two. The series focused on teaching choral singing to teenagers with no such experience, the first programme being set in Northolt High School, a comprehensive school in the west London suburbs. Subsequent programmes continued the theme by taking choral music to challenging situations: Boys Don't Sing (2008) featured pupils at Lancaster School, Leicester, an all-boys school where there was reluctance to sing; the third series, entitled Unsung Town, featured the formation of a community choir in South Oxhey, a suburban town where singing was not a common activity.
In 2010 Malone presented a children's programme for CBBC, The Big Performance in which ten keen, but extremely shy, young singers took the opportunity to overcome their fears. They sang for a larger audience each week, taking it in turns to be the soloist, and in the final week they performed for BBC Proms in the Park. A second series was broadcast in 2011 with the final week taking the form of a performance of a choral arrangement of the song "Keep Holding On" for the BBC charity telethon Children in Need 2011. The ten singers led a live choir in the studio along with children's choirs nationwide, linked by satellite. [18]
For the BBC Two programme The Choir: Military Wives, first broadcast in November 2011, Malone went to Chivenor Barracks in Devon, creating a choir from wives and partners of military personnel deployed to Afghanistan. The culmination of the programme was the opening performance for the Royal British Legion's Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on 12 November 2011. The three-minute piece performed by the Military Wives Choir was the song Wherever You Are , a love poem compiled from letters written between the women and their absent husbands and partners and set to music by composer Paul Mealor. [19]
A successful campaign was launched to promote sales of the CD single, with the aim of it becoming the 2011 Christmas number one in the UK Singles Chart, which was supported by BBC Radio 2 DJ Chris Evans. [20] First day sales, which included all pre-orders, indicated that they were outselling their closest rivals, Little Mix, by a hundred singles to one, causing Ladbrokes to close betting for the Christmas number one, and Simon Cowell to admit defeat in the race. The pre-order sales caused the single to become one of the top 20 best-selling music products of all-time at Amazon.co.uk.
In 2011, Malone's show Gareth Malone Goes to Glyndebourne won an International Emmy Award in the Best Arts Programme category. [21]
On 16 November 2014, it was announced that Malone and a group of celebrities he had mentored had reached the UK number 1 with their Children in Need charity single "Wake Me Up", a cover of the song originally recorded by Swedish dance act Avicii.
On 10 September 2015, Malone appeared on the BBC One programme Who Do You Think You Are? [22]
In 2017, Malone presented Pitch Battle on BBC One, which The Guardian described as a "new Saturday teatime singing contest". [23] The review continued: "His Pitch Battle entrance – following the sort of VT explainer that Celebrity Big Brother contestants tend to receive – was excruciating. As the crowd roared, he opened his jacket and showed off his shirt, like a professional wrestler would if he was doing double duty as an usher at his cousin’s wedding." [23] The show was axed after one series, although Malone defended the series in a Radio Times interview, saying: "I thought it was good". [24]
In March 2020, Malone announced an initiative titled the Great British Home Chorus, a new home choir for people internationally whilst everyone was stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. He also revealed he had been in talks with the BBC about making another television programme. In the first week over 100,000 people viewed the first session on YouTube. [25] In July 2020, as a finale to the Great British Home Chorus, Malone orchestrated a choral version of You Are My Sunshine with over 11,000 singers taking part, accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra. The song was released as a single, with all the profits being donated to NHS Charities Together. [26]
In August 2022, Malone appeared on Celebrity Masterchef. He was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the competition. [27]
In September 2022, Malone appeared in series 2 of The Masked Dancer as Cactus.
Malone is married to Becky, an English teacher. [28] They live in North London with their three children. Their eldest daughter, Esther, was born in 2010. Their son, Gilbert, was born in 2013. [29] They also have a younger daughter, Dvora, who was born in 2019. [30]
Gareth Malone has written two books on the subject of choral singing. His most recent title, Choir: Gareth Malone, is an account of the production of his television series The Choir.
Malone's television appearances include to date: [33]
Date | Title | Broadcaster | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2007 | The Choir | BBC Two | |
2008 | The Choir: Boys Don't Sing [34] | BBC Two | |
2009 | The Choir: Unsung Town [35] | BBC Two | Broadcast by NHK Educational TV and NHK BS1 (NHK衛星第1テレビジョン, NHK Ēsē Dai-ichi Terebijon) (NHK Broadcasting Satellite Television 1) in Japan in 2010 |
2009 | How a Choir Works [36] | BBC Four | Single documentary |
2009 | Never Mind the Buzzcocks | BBC Two | Appeared as a guest on panel game show |
2010 | Sport Relief 2010 | BBC One | Appeared as a guest conducting the Olympic Choir |
2010 | Shanties and Sea Songs with Gareth Malone [37] | BBC Four | Single documentary as part of BBC Sea Fever season |
2010 | Gareth Malone Goes to Glyndebourne [38] | BBC Two | Example |
2010 | Extraordinary School for Boys [39] | BBC Two | Example |
2010 | The Big Performance | CBBC | Series aimed at children |
2011 | The Choir Does Comic Relief 2011 | BBC One | Guest appearance on BBC Red Nose Day 2011 training a choir of celebrity chefs |
2011 | The Big Performance | CBBC | Series aimed at children |
2011 | Children in Need | BBC One | Guest appearance leading a choir of children |
2011 | The Choir: Military Wives [40] | BBC Two | Spin-off single "Wherever You Are" released on 18 December 2011 |
2012 | Sing While You Work [41] | BBC Two | Four workplace choirs are formed and compete over six episodes |
2012 | Never Mind the Buzzcocks | BBC Two | Appeared as a guest on panel game show |
2013 | It Takes A Choir | USA | US version of The Choir |
2013 | Sing While You Work | BBC Two | Five workplace choirs are formed and compete over eight episodes |
2013 | Mr. Blue Sky (Jeff Lynne) | BBC Four | Choirs for a "The XX century Mozart, Jeff Lynne" |
2014 | Would I Lie To You? | BBC One | Appeared as a guest on the panel game show |
2014 | Gareth's All Star Choir | BBC One | A choir of celebrities create a recording of Avicii's Wake Me Up for Children in Need |
2014 | The Choir: New Military Wives | BBC Two | New military wives choir for the World War One Prom [42] |
2015 | Who Do You Think You Are? [22] | BBC One | |
2015 | The Naked Choir with Gareth Malone | BBC Two | A cappella groups compete in a competition |
2015 | Gareth Malone's Big Choir Reunion | BBC Two | |
2016 | Gareth's Invictus Choir | BBC Two | In association with the Invictus Games |
2016 | The Choir: Gareth's Best in Britain | BBC Two | |
2017 | Pitch Battle | BBC One | Judge |
2019 | Britain's Christmas Story | BBC One | Co-presenter (with Karen Gibson) |
2020 | The Choir: Singing for Britain | BBC Two | |
2022 | The Great Celebrity Bake Off for SU2C | Channel 4 | Series 5; Episode 2 |
2022 | Celebrity Masterchef | BBC One | Series 17; Episodes 4-6 |
2022 | The Masked Dancer | ITV | |
2023 | Sing for the King: The Search for the Coronation Choir [43] | BBC One | With Amanda Holden, Motsi Mabuse & Rose Ayling-Ellis |
2024 | Gareth Malone's Easter Passion [44] | BBC One | Three-part series |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | |
---|---|---|---|
UK [45] | UK Classical [46] [47] [48] | ||
Voices |
| 23 | 17 |
A Great British Christmas |
| 45 | 2 |
Music for Healing |
| 75 | 3 |
Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Sales |
---|---|---|---|
UK [45] | |||
"Wherever You Are" (with Military Wives) | 2011 | 1 |
|
"Wake Me Up" (with All Star Choir) | 2014 | 1 |
|
"Flesh and Blood" (with the Invictus Games choir) | 2016 | 29 | |
Royal Marines Barracks Chivenor is a British military base used primarily by 3 Commando Brigade. It is situated on the northern shore of the River Taw estuary, adjacent to the South West Coast Path, on the north coast of Devon, England. The nearest towns are Barnstaple and Braunton.
Howard Lindsay Goodall is an English composer of musicals, choral music and music for television. He also presents music-based programmes for television and radio, for which he has won many awards. In May 2008, he was named as a presenter and "Composer-in-Residence" with the UK radio channel Classic FM. In May 2009, he was named "Composer of the Year" at the Classic BRIT Awards.
Linda Patricia Mary Robson Dunford (néeRobson; is an English actress and television presenter. She is best known for playing Tracey Stubbs in the sitcom Birds of a Feather and her appearances as a weekly panellist on the ITV series Loose Women.
Paul Mealor CLJ FLSW is a Welsh composer. A large proportion of his output is for chorus, both a cappella and accompanied. He came to wider notice when his motet Ubi Caritas et Amor was performed at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in 2011. He later composed the song "Wherever You Are", which became the 2011 Christmas number one in the UK Singles Chart. He has also composed two operas, four symphonies, concerti and chamber music.
Yvie Burnett, is a Scottish mezzo-soprano and vocal coach, best known for her work with Simon Cowell on television shows The X Factor and Britain's Got Talent, The Big ReunionThe Voice UK and BBC's Let It Shine.
The Choir may refer to:
The Choir is a BAFTA award-winning TV series following Gareth Malone as he tackles the task of teaching choral singing to people who have never had the chance, or experience to sing before.
Ken Burton is a British choral and orchestral conductor, composer, performer, producer, presenter, arranger and judge, widely known for his work and appearances on UK television programmes, particularly BBC1 Songs Of Praise, on which he appears regularly as a conductor, musical director, arranger, singer, judge, music producer, and music consultant. He has conducted and directed choirs for major films, including the multi Oscar winning and Grammy winning Marvel film Black Panther,Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever, Candy Cane Lane (Amazon) Holiday Road (Hallmark), is one of the credited choral conductors on the film Jingle Jangle and has also contributed as a conductor, contractor, and singer to a number of other films including Amazing Grace, and Ugly Dolls.
"Wherever You Are" is a song written by Paul Mealor and performed by the Military Wives Choir, sung by ladies from Chivenor and Plymouth under the direction of Gareth Malone. It is a spin-off of the BBC Two television series The Choir: Military Wives. It was released on 19 December 2011 following a campaign to make it the 2011 UK Christmas number one. The song entered the UK Singles Chart at number 1, claiming the Christmas number 1 – selling more than 556,000 copies in the week, more than the rest of the Top 12 combined. The song also claimed the status of the biggest first week sales since "A Moment Like This" by Leona Lewis sold over 571,000 copies in its first week in 2006. The song was included on their debut studio album In My Dreams.
The Military Wives Choir is a registered charity and network of 75 choirs in British military bases across the UK and overseas, bringing women in the military community closer together through singing. With over 2,200 members, the MWC network is tri-service and any woman with a military connection can join including those currently serving, veterans, mothers, sisters, and daughters, empowering women from across the military community. The organisation is also a subsidiary charity of SSAFA.
In My Dreams is the debut album released by the Military Wives, originally a choir of women who rose to public prominence in 2011 when they featured in the fourth series of the BBC TV series The Choir, presented by choirmaster Gareth Malone.
"Sing" is a song written by British singer-songwriter Gary Barlow, of Take That, and British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, and performed by a number of artists assembled by Barlow from across The Commonwealth, to commemorate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. The track was released via digital download and CD single on 28 May 2012, and was performed as part of the Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee Concert celebrations on 4 June 2012.
The Bristol Royal Mail Choir is an amateur choral ensemble made up of employees of Royal Mail. The choir was founded in April 2012 by choirmaster Gareth Malone as part of the BBC Two television series The Choir: Sing While You Work. At the time of founding, the choir was made up of employees drawn from Bristol and its surrounding area of South West England. The choir is conducted by David Ogden.
The Choir: Sing While You Work is a British television show broadcast on BBC Two, a spinoff of the 2006 series The Choir. In Sing While You Work choirmaster Gareth Malone creates and trains amateur workplace-based choirs, ultimately to compete against one another. The series first aired in 2012 and began a second series in November 2013.
Alexander Richard William L'Estrange is an English composer of choral music and music for television and an arranger for vocal ensembles. He is also a jazz musician, choral workshop leader, presenter of children's concerts and was a jazz examiner and trainer for ABRSM.
The Naked Choir is a BBC Two television series broadcast from 22 September to 27 October 2015. Presented by choirmaster Gareth Malone, the show featured eight a cappella groups competing to be chosen as the UK's best.
John Raymond Craven is an English journalist and television presenter, best known for presenting the BBC programmes Newsround, Countryfile and Beat the Brain.
Julian Philips is a British composer. Philips' works have been performed at major music festivals, including The Proms, Tanglewood, Three Choirs Festival, at the Wigmore Hall, South Bank Centre and Berlin Philharmonic Chamber Music Hall and by international artists such as Gerald Finley, Dawn Upshaw, Sir Thomas Allen, the Vertavo String Quartet, the Tanglewood Festival Orchestra, the BBC orchestras and the Aurora Orchestra.
A virtual choir, online choir or home choir is a choir whose members do not meet physically but who work together online from separate places. Some choirs just sing for the joy of the shared experience, while others record their parts alone and send their digital recordings, sometimes including video, to be collated into a choral performance. There may be a series of rehearsals which singers can watch online, and their performance recordings may be made while watching a video of the conductor, and in some cases listening to a backing track, to ensure unanimity of timing. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 inspired a large growth in the number of virtual choirs, although the idea was not new.
"Flesh & Blood" is a song by the Invictus Games Choir and Gareth Malone. It was released as a single in 2016 and peaked at number 29 on the UK Singles Chart.