2012 Choir of the Year

It's an early start, isn't it?

If we could win, it would just mean everything.

Very excited. I THINK they're all in good voice.

We are here to win.

Come on, ladies!

A lot of people are going to be watching us, so quite scared.

My life would be complete if we won.

We're the best choir in the world! THEY CHEER

APPLAUSE

Hello, and a very warm welcome to London's Royal Festival Hall

and the Final of Choir of the Year 2012.

-My name is Tim Rhys Evans.

-And I'm Josie D'Arby.

Now, the journey to this Final started earlier in the year,

when 138 choirs, involving over 5,000 singers,

entered the regional stages of the competition.

That number has been whittled down to six Grand Finalists

and tonight, one will leave as Choir Of The Year, 2012.

Tasked with making today's all-important decision

are three distinguished musicians,

and what they don't know about singing isn't worth knowing, let me tell you.

Let's meet the Choir Of The Year jury.

What I'm looking for is precision,

accuracy,

passion,

and commitment.

It's going to be a really tough job for the judges this year, I think.

We have to stick to our base principles about looking at

technique, looking at musicality,

looking at communication.

What I want to see is people loving what they do.

I will definitely be judging them much more from the heart

than the technical side of things,

because, for me, that's what music is all about.

APPLAUSE

We'll be hearing the thoughts of the jury throughout this Grand Final.

But now, it's time to meet the six choirs hoping to be named

the UK's best amateur choir.

This year, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland

and Wales are all represented, and we have a wide range

of performance styles to look forward to.

Let's take a look at the line-up.

Our first choir is the Methodist College Girls' Choir

from Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Founded in 2005, are the 29-strong Surrey Hills Chamber Choir.

Les Sirenes, from Glasgow, are students and graduates

of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

From the University of Oxford, a jazz a cappella group,

the Oxford Gargoyles.

Our youngest Grand Finalists

are the Lindley Junior School Choir from Huddersfield.

And finally, from Gwynedd, North Wales,

Ysgol Glanaethwy Senior Choir.

Our six Grand Final choirs.

APPLAUSE

In just a moment, the first of our six choirs will perform,

so it's time for me to head backstage, where I'll be

waiting to talk to them as they come off.

I'll leave you now in the very warm hands of Tim.

LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE

Thank you, Josie.

So, everyone, here we go!

The first choir hoping to make an impression on the jury

is Methodist College Girls' Choir from Belfast.

Now, this choir has quite a pedigree in this competition,

having won the overall title twice, first back in 1998,

and then in 2002.

This year, they arrive as Youth Choir Of The Year,

a title they won at the Category Finals in October.

It's made up of 65 girls, aged between 14 and 18.

-I'm Rachel.

-And I'm Lalana.

And we're all very proud members of...

ALL: Methodist College Girls' Choir!

THEY CHEER

The college has a huge musical tradition.

We're just one of the five choirs the college has.

We must be choir-mad!

We rehearse at least three times a week

with our conductor, Lynda Rolston.

She works us very hard,

but we do want to work for her,

because she's just lovely!

Don't tell her I said that.

If I loved someone, which I do...

-THEY LAUGH

-..I wouldn't go, "I love you."

I really would..."I LOVE YOU!" Here we go.

We always seem to be rushing off to one competition or another.

Have you all got nice, tidy uniforms?

ALL: Yes!

It's a week before the final of Choir Of The Year,

and we're off to yet another competition, in Ballymena.

The All-Ireland Choir Of The Year.

All go!

We're quite a competitive choir, I'd say, wouldn't we, guys?

We've got a lot of fighting spirit, so when we're up on stage,

in that Royal Festival Hall,

as they say in Northern Ireland, we'll be giving it stacks.

-THEY CHEER AND CLAP

-Give it stacks!

APPLAUSE

# Hey, hey, you, you

# I love you! I love you!

# A lot

# I love you, I love you

# A whole lot

# I love you, I love you a lot

# A whole lot

# I love you lots and lots and lots

# I love you lots and lots and lots and lots

# Hey, hey, you

# I love you, I love you

# I love you very much

# I love you very, very much

-# I love you

-Very, very much

-# I love you

-Very, very, very, very much

# Very, very, very, very much

# A whole bunch

# Very, very, very, very, very much

# A lot - very much

# I love you, I love you

# A lot

# I love you very, very, very, very much

# I love you a whole bunch

# For ever, ever, ever, ever, ever

# Ever, ever, ever, ever

# I love you, I love you

# Hey, hey, you, you! #

APPLAUSE

# May the road rise to meet you

# May the wind be ever at your back

# May the sun shine warm upon your face

# May the rains fall soft upon your fields

# And until we meet again

# And until we meet again

# May God hold in you in the palm

# Of his hand

# May the sun make your days bright

# May the stars illuminate your nights

# May the flowers bloom along your path

# Your house stand firm against the storm

# And until we meet again

# And until we meet again

# May God hold you in the palm

# Of his hand

# Amen

# Amen

# Ooh. #

APPLAUSE

Founded in 1865, Methodist College, Belfast

has produced an impressive share

of notable past pupils.

Ernest Walton, Irish physicist and Nobel Prize winner.

Renowned for being the first person to split the atom.

Barry Douglas, the international concert pianist,

practiced on this piano.

I better get practicing myself.

Not forgetting John Herivel,

the World War II code breaker at Bletchley Park.

Not too bad a selection, coming from just one school.

But between you and us,

our Girls' School has a pretty impressive mix of people, too.

My name's Laura and I'm a soprano,

but I also play netball for Northern Ireland.

I'm Catherine, and in my spare time, I enjoy playing the organ...

which is a rather peculiar instrument,

especially for girls.

My aim is to make it more popular.

To be or not to be the winners of the competition?

That is the question.

I'm Eleanor. I'm the drama queen of the Girls' Choir.

Well... I AM in the National Youth Theatre Of Great Britain.

In amongst all that girl power...

we have our very own 13-year-old accompanist.

Come on over, Doonal!

THEY CHEER

# If you wish me to leap joyfully

# If you wish me to leap joyfully

# If you wish me, wish me

# If you, if you wish me to leap

# Joyfully

# Joyfully, joyfully

# Joy-oy-oy-oy-oy-fully!

# Let me see you dance and sing

# Let me see you dance and sing

# And sing... #

PIANO INTERLUDE

# Then I will leap into love

# Then I will leap into love

# Then I will leap into love

# And from love into knowledge

# And from knowledge into the harvest

# That sweetest fruit

# Beyond human sense

# Then I will leap into love

# Leap into love

# Leap into love, into love

# I will leap into love

# There will I stay

# With you!

# I will stay with you!

# Whirling! Whirling!

# Whirling!

# I cannot dance, O Lord

# I cannot dance, O Lord

# Unless you lead me

# Unless you lead me

# I cannot dance, O Lord

# I cannot dance, O Lord

# Dance, O Lord

# Dance, O Lord

# I can not dance, O Lord

# Lest you lead me. #

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Well, Methodist College Girls' Choir - fantastic.

And thank you for getting

this 2012 Choir Of The Year Grand Final off to such a great start.

Mary, it's difficult going first, isn't it?

What did you make of that performance?

Have they set the standard for the other five, this afternoon?

I'm so excited! LAUGHTER

I really do think you are a fabulous choir.

and what I love most

is that, though some of the things you do are very difficult,

you wear these difficulties really easily,

and I congratulate you for that.

One thing I'd like to see a little bit better done -

that last piece, I think,

it's very hard to balance all four parts.

I would say sometimes the sopranos got a little enthusiastic

with their top parts,

and didn't quite let the younger voices with lower sounds

come through to balance those chords.

But, other than that, I would say that was a completely splendid

and thoroughly enjoyable performance - well done.

APPLAUSE

Thank you, Mary.

Now, Greg - what did you think of the choir's choice of programme?

I really liked it. We're in competition here,

and the choirs need to be bringing

a balance of repertoire that shows off all these different facets

of their ability.

I found all three pieces really interesting.

I thought they really took us on a little journey

of what you can do as a choir,

and how you communicate in the manner of your music-making,

which I'm totally transfixed by.

Congratulations - I thought it was fantastic.

APPLAUSE

Thank you, judges. Some fantastic comments there.

Ladies and gentlemen - the Methodist College Girls' Choir.

APPLAUSE

So we've heard the first choir in this 2020 final. Five more still to come,

including the winners of the Children's Open and Adult categories.

But first, let's go to Josie to find out

what the Methodist College Girls' Choir thought of their own performance.

-Josie, are you there?

-Thanks, Tim. I am.

Now, Linda, Mary said that you made the difficult look easy. That's high praise, isn't it?

That's very high praise indeed. I'm very pleased with that comment, because it was difficult.

-Did it feel as easy as you guys made it look?

-No, definitely not.

Especially the last piece, it's very, very challenging.

And we've worked so hard on it, so I'm glad we just got from start to finish.

Well done. To get to the final, it's so much hard work.

Are you able to let that go, Rachel, and just enjoy it when you perform?

Yeah, definitely, it is a lot of hard work.

We've rehearsed so much for it.

But I know, personally, I really enjoyed their performance.

We were all but nervous before we went on, but I felt that everyone did enjoy it, yes.

Greg seem to love it as well. What was going through your mind

when the judges were passing their deliberation?

It was just amazing to think of all the work we've put in

and then to get such great comments,

it was just a testament to our hard work, really, and we just loved it. It was really enjoyable.

I know your choir are no stranger to winning competitions,

but can you take this one? We'll find out. Tim.

Thank you very much, Josie.

The second choir we're going to hear are the winners of the 2012 Choir of the Year Adult category.

From an initial membership of only eight, they have grown to 30-strong.

Let's meet the Surrey Hills Chamber Choir.

-Hi, I'm Darren.

-And I'm Sally.

And this is the Surrey Hills Chamber Choir.

We're not professional musicians. We're not music graduates.

There's an amazing variety of people in this choir, including...

-Bookkeeper.

-Software developer.

-Radiographer.

-IT.

-Teacher.

-Engineer.

-Mother of four.

-CAB manager.

-Teacher.

-Company director.

-Accountant.

-Retired.

-Engineer.

-GP.

-Software.

-Writer.

-Lawyer.

-Executive coach.

-Accountant.

-Mum.

But we all have one thing in common -

a love of singing to a really high standard.

Our conductor is Debbie Walton, a musical perfectionist.

My whole philosophy about singing is about telling a story.

Everybody is arriving from a different place

and we're not arriving at a perfect chord.

Yes, we want it to be musically brilliant and technical,

but the story's got to be there.

There is an age difference of 50 years in the choir.

Luckily, we're all old enough to go to the pub.

The older people in the choir, they have a lot more experience,

and I've learned so much from that.

We do get on extremely well. We enjoy a beer after rehearsals, and that's a big part of it as well.

I never thought the choir would get as far as this.

It's just an absolute dream come true for everybody.

The Surrey Hills Chamber Choir!

CHEERING

APPLAUSE

THEY SING IN LATIN

APPLAUSE

# My young love said to me

# My mother won't mind

# And my father won't slight you

# For your lack of kine

# As she stepped away from me

# And this she did say

# It will not be long, love

# Till our wedding day

# She stepped away from me

-# Stepped away from me

-And she went through the fair

# And fondly

# I watched her move here and move there

# I watched her

-# And then she

-Watched her

# Went her way with one star awake

# Watched her

# As the swan in the evening

# Moved over the lake

# Last night she came to me

# She so softly came

# So softly she came

# That her feet made no din

# As she laid her hand on me

# And this she did say

# It will not be long, love

# Till our wedding day

# Day...

# Ah... #

APPLAUSE

Ah...!

I'm Linda Britton

and I sing second alto in the Surrey Hills Chamber Choir.

Running around after my three girls is quite hectic.

There's the Brownies and there's the ballet

and there's the ice skating.

I do feel sometimes like a taxi service, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

She's always doing stuff for us and she's really supportive.

Aw...!

It's a full-time job, looking after the three girls,

so singing in the choir has been fantastic for me,

as something completely different.

She's always singing, and it's really nice listening to her.

# Ah ah-ah... #

She's just my idol. I'd like to be like her.

'I look forward to rehearsals on a Wednesday evening.

'It is nice to go to the choir

'and to forget about the logistics of the day, and who needs to be where'

and at what time, and immerse myself in that music.

So I thoroughly enjoy that.

# Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble

# Fillet of a fenny snake

# In the cauldron boil and bake

# Eye of newt and toe of frog

# Wool of bat and tongue of dog

# Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting

# Lizard's leg and owlet's wing

# For a charm of powerful trouble

# Like a hell-broth boil and bubble

# Boil and bubble

# Ah...

# Boil and bubble

# Ah...

# For a charm of powerful trouble

# Like a hell-broth boil and bubble

# Double, double toil and trouble

# Fire burn and cauldron bubble

# Double, double toil and trouble

# Ah...

# Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf

# Witches' mummy Maw and gulf

# Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark

# Root of hemlock digg'd i' the dark

# Liver of blaspheming Jew

# Gall of goat and slips of yew

# Sliver'd in the moon's eclipse

# Nose of Turk and Tartar's lips

# Finger of birth-strangled babe

# Ditch-deliver'd by a drab

# Make the gruel thick and slab

# Make the gruel thick and slab

# Add thereto a tiger's chaudron

# For the ingredients of our cauldron

# For the ingredients of our cauldron

# Double, double toil and trouble

# Fire burn and cauldron bubble

# Double, double toil and trouble

# Fire burn and cauldron bubble

# By the pricking of my thumbs

# Something wicked this way comes

# Something wicked this way comes

# Something wicked this way comes

# Open, locks Whoever knocks!

# Open, open, open, open

# Open, locks Whoever knocks! #

APPLAUSE

The Surrey Hills Chamber Choir,

a varied but entirely a cappella programme there.

What did you make of that performance, Ruthie?

I thought it was stunning. You really knocked me out.

I was there with you from the moment that you started,

and you had me and you did not let me go.

And each piece was so different from the other,

that I thought you showed so much versatility.

The wealth of experience on that stage,

and I don't just mean singing,

I mean, of life and your jobs AND singing,

just brought together this actors' company that I thoroughly enjoyed.

-Wonderful.

-APPLAUSE

Greg, did they impress you this afternoon?

Yeah, they did. LAUGHTER

The commitment that was coming out of you,

in terms of not one of you wanted to be the person that we were commenting on,

saying, "Yeah, that person in the second row was not quite feeling it,"

which there always is in a choir...until today.

I thought it was fantastic, so congratulations.

APPLAUSE

I think it's going to be quite a tight one this afternoon.

More fantastic comments.

Ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it once again for the Surrey Hills Chamber Choir.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Still to come, four more choirs,

all hoping to impress the jury in this 2012 Grand Final of Choir of the Year.

But first, let's hear from the Surrey Hills Chamber Choir who are backstage with Josie.

Thanks, Tim. And all set to cast a spell on me, by the looks of it,

-Debbie, wonderful.

-Thank you very much.

-Great reaction from the judges.

Yes, wonderful reaction. Really pleased with it.

And really pleased that they appreciated our diversity of programme as well.

Yes, that went down very well.

One thing that we say to all the choirs in the competition is, do what you do best.

-Do you feel, Simon, you achieve that?

-I think so, yes. One of the things we pride ourselves on

is the teamwork and the camaraderie in the choir,

so the comments Greg made about us pulling together as a team were wonderful to hear,

because I think we did that on the night.

Wonderful, and thank you for making me finally feel underdressed. Tim.

Thank you, Josie.

Next, to the first of two choirs who have reached this final

as the wild-card picks of the category finals jury.

Now, it's worth pointing out that the 2010 Choir of the Year winners, the Wellensian Consort,

also reached the final as wild cards,

so it just proves that, on the day, it really is anyone's game.

Les Sirenes are a Glasgow-based female chamber choir of 22 voices,

founded by musical director Andrew Nunn, in 2007.

I'm Andrew Nunn and I'm the conductor of Les Sirenes.

MUSIC: Theme to "Charlie's Angels"

-ALL:

-Hi, Andrew!

-Get down here!

The choir started five years ago in 2007.

There were just so many talented female singers at the Conservatoire.

I love choral music and I thought, "Let's start a choir!"

How do I keep control of 22 ladies? Well, it's not an easy job.

Thank you, Louisa.

I think firm but fair is the approach that I like to take.

This isn't good enough. This is not good enough, mezzos. I'm sorry. It's an F sharp! It's not like that.

I don't like this. Could you read what's in front of you? Thank you.

He's very strict on us, and we let him think he's in control.

That's the way to get around Andrew.

CHOIR: # O soldier... #

Is that funny? 'The girls want to have fun,

'as do I, but at the heart of it, as well, is the music.'

When we were told that we were the wild card, we couldn't believe it.

We were absolutely ecstatic and we're going to nail it!

THEY CHEER AND LAUGH

# Dum-bru-ba-dum Dubba-dubba-dum

# Dum-bru-ba-dum, dubba-dubba-dum

# Do do do do do do do doo

# Bru-ba-dum, dubba-dubba-dum

# O soldier, soldier Won't you marry me

# With your musket fife and drum?

# O no sweet maid I cannot marry you For I have no coat to put on

# And so she went to her grandfather's chest

# And brought him a coat of the very, very best

# She brought him a coat of the very, very best

# And the soldier put it on

# Do do doo Do do do do do-doo

# O soldier, soldier won't you marry me

# With your musket fife and drum?

# O no sweet maid I cannot marry you

# For I have no hat to put on

-# And so she went to her grandfather's chest

-To her chest

# And brought him a hat of the very, very best

-# She brought him a hat of the very, very best

-A hat of the very, very best

# O soldier, soldier

# Won't you marry me

# With your musket fife and drum?

# O no sweet maid

-# I cannot marry you

-Dubba-dum, dubba dum

# For I have no gloves to put on

# Then up she went to her grandfather's chest

# And brought him a pair of the very, very best

# She brought him a pair of the very, very best

# And the soldier

# Put them on

CHOIR HUMS

# Soldier

# Soldier

# Won't you marry me

# With your musket fife and drum?

# O no sweet maid I cannot marry you For I have no boots to put on

# Oh oh oh oh ohh

# And up she went to her grandfather's chest

# And brought him a pair of the very, very best

# She brought him a pair Of the very, very, very best

# Now soldier put them on!

# O soldier, soldier won't you marry me

# Soldier, soldier won't you marry me

# soldier, soldier, soldier, soldier Won't you marry me

# With your musket fife and drum?

# Drum-drum-drum Drum-drum-drum-drum-drum

# Drum-drum-drum Drum-drum-drum-drum-drum

# Drum-drum-drum Drum-drum-drum-drum-drum

# O no sweet maid

# I cannot marry you

# For I have a wife of my own

-# Soldier

-Dubba-dubba-dum, dub-dub-dum

-# Soldier

-Dubba-dubba-dum, dub-dub-dum

# Dubba-dubba-dum Dubba-dubba-dum

# Dum-dum-dum # Dubba-dubba-dum. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

My name's Aileen, I'm a founding member of Les Sirenes,

and I teach music to pre-school children.

I didn't come from a musical background myself

and I look at the difference that music made to my life,

and I'd like to think that I'd be able to do that for some more children all over Glasgow.

Today is a typical day for me.

I'm off to one of my favourite nurseries.

Hi, it's Aileen.

What's this instrument called?

CHILDREN SHOUT OUT

'Giving children the opportunity to express themselves through music,

'to come together as a group,'

to make friends, to grow in confidence -

it's a really rewarding job

and I couldn't see myself doing anything else.

One more time... # Can you hear the rain drop? #

'Obviously, I'm exhausted. It's hard sometimes'

to go to choir practice when you've been working all day.

But then, I love it so much that I could never walk away from it.

I always have to go.

I always enjoy being part of

something as wonderful as Les Sirenes.

# In every heart there is a room

# A sanctuary safe and strong

# To heal the wounds from lovers past

# Until a new one comes along

# I spoke to you in cautious tones

# You answered me with no pretence

# And still I feel I said too much

# My silence is my self-defence

# And every time I've held a rose

# It seems I only felt the thorns

-# And so it goes

-And so it goes

# And so it goes

# And so will you soon I suppose

# But if my silence made you leave

# Then that would be my worst mistake

# So I will share this room with you

# And you can have this heart to break

-# And this is why my eyes are closed

-This is why my eyes are closed

# It's just as well for all I've seen

-# And so it goes

-And so it goes

# And so it goes

# And you're the only one who knows

# So I would choose to be with you

# That's if the choice were mine to make

# But you can make decisions too

# And you can have this heart to break

-# And so it goes

-And so it goes

# And so it goes

# And you're the only one

# Who knows. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Les Sirenes and their conductor, Andrew Nunn.

Two contrasting pieces from Les Sirenes, there, Mary.

What did you make of the choice of repertoire?

Well, I thought it was completely compelling, I have to say.

I feel a little bit... Um, wobbly.

Very, very good.

We had fantastic, warm-toned,

professionally skilled individual voices.

It was the best legato singing of full-toned piano I've ever heard.

It was fantastic. Well done, girls.

APPLAUSE

Thank you, Mary. Ruthie, I can see you're moved yourself. How did you feel about the performance?

I felt exactly the same. I felt you had me on a soul level.

You literally went into my core and I felt choked up.

The second song, particularly, because the blend of your voices

was so beautiful that I just was totally yours.

The first piece had so much humour and was a wonderful acting piece.

I thought you chose perfectly for these fantastic women.

Fabulous. Thank you, Ruthie.

APPLAUSE

Let's hear it for Les Sirenes!

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Well, we're already halfway through this Grand Final of Choir Of The Year 2012.

Three choirs down and three still to perform,

including the winners of the Children's and the Open categories.

First, let's hear from Les Sirenes, who are backstage with Josie.

-Andrew.

-Hi.

-Ruthie and Mary touched on a soul level.

-Is there higher praise for a choir?

-I don't think so.

We had every intention of doing that.

We wanted to really reach inside every member of the audience in the Festival Hall this evening

and really touch a heartstring

and tell them the story that we are telling.

And you looked like you were having a whale of a time.

Yeah, we did. Absolutely, I think that's important.

Aileen, you came in here as the wild card.

Does that affect the attitude you came with?

Oh, no, we're all wild girls, so I guess wild card suits us well.

No, we're all about the fun and the music, so, we've put our all

into everything we've done tonight, so hopefully it will pay off.

I'm really pleased with the comments we got

and I'm so proud of Andrew and the other girls.

We've had so much fun and we've worked really hard.

-That's all we can do.

-Beautiful singing, beautiful ladies.

-Over to you, Tim.

-Thank you, Josie.

We move on now to the smallest choir competing here today,

but that didn't stop them winning the Open title at this year's Category Finals.

They're a jazz a cappella group

and all students at Oxford University.

-Hi, I'm Euan.

-Hi, I'm Anjali, and we are...

-BOTH: The Oxford Gargoyles!

ALL SING IN HARMONY: # Hello! #

We are a jazz a cappella group from Oxford University.

# Do-be-do-ah A-diddly do-ah... #

-It's just so much fun. We all get on really well.

-We love each other!

It's a welcome distraction from the pressure of academic work.

Here we have the historic box of arrangements which has been

passed down from years and years of The Gargoyles, and here we have

the first song that everyone always learns in The Gargoyles,

My Baby Just Cares For Me.

It's been in the group since...

Probably since its inception, so 1998.

The Times described us as "charm personified",

and in 2010, we won the Voice Festival UK.

It's been one of the main things about my first year

that I've enjoyed the most.

I'll never forget it.

Being in this group is a real privilege.

But we've got to make the most of it, because it can't last for ever.

Six of us have got finals

-so we're going to be leaving the group this year.

-OTHERS: Aww!

But we're determined to go out with a bang at Choir Of The Year.

ALL: Woo!

# What good is melody

# What good is music

# If it ain't possessing something sweet

# Oooh

# Oooh

# It ain't the melody

# It ain't the music

# There's something else

# That makes the tune complete

# It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing

# Do-ap-do-ap-do-ap-do-ap-do-ap-do-ah

# It don't mean a thing All you got to do is sing

# Do-ap-do-ap-do-ap-do-ap-do-ap-do-ah

# It doesn't matter if it's sweet or hot

# Just give that rhythm everything you can

# Don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing

# Do-ap-do-ap-do-ap-do-ap-do-ap Do-ah-do-ah-do-be-do-bop-ba-da-ba

# Bap-bap-ba-da-doobidy-bop-bop Shoo-bop

SCATTING

SCATTING

# Don't mean a thing

# Don't mean a thing

# Don't mean a thing

# Don't mean a thing

# You've got to sing, all you've got to do to make it

# You've got to sing, all you've got to do to make it

# Give it, just give it everything...

# Give it, just give it everything...

# You've got to swing, all you've got to do to make it

# You've got to swing, all you've got to do to make it

# It doesn't matter if it's sweet or hot

# No, just give that rhythm everything you

# Give it everything you got!

# It don't mean a thing...

# If it ain't got that swing

# Do-ap-do-ap-do-ap-do-ap-do-ap-do-ah

# Wah-unh-wah-unh-wah-unh-wah-unh-wow

# Do-ap-do-ap-do-ap-do-ap-do-ap-do-ah

# It don't mean a thing

# If it ain't got that swing. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

I'm Henry de Berker and I sing tenor in the Oxford Gargoyles.

# One, two, three, four, here we go Whoa, whoa. #

Singing and rugby are two main focuses of my attention

away from the work here at Oxford.

I was just making a tackle in a game and the person

I was tackling tried to throw me off with their forearm and it just went

into my throat and forced my windpipe closed, I think, essentially.

It was a very unpleasant feeling.

Playing scrum half I do a lot of shouting,

so I started shouting at people again and it didn't really

come out at all and what did come out sounded very strange

and I thought I should probably take myself to a hospital.

It revealed that there was a small haemorrhage on my right vocal cord

and I realised at that point there was a chance

I was going to miss the Grand Final of The Choir Of The Year

and I said, "You know, I've got to sing in two and a half weeks.

"What do you think my chances are, basically, of being able to do that?"

And she looked pretty worried.

Obviously I'd really love to be rehearsing right now,

but I think the best thing is for me to rest my voice

and on the day I'll be there on the stage just giving everything I have.

There's eight minutes of singing. I'll be there.

I'll give it my all and hopefully it will be absolutely fine.

# Ain't no mountain high enough

# Ain't no valley low enough

# Ain't no river wide enough

# To keep me from you

# Ain't no mountain high enough

# Ain't no valley low enough

# Ain't no river wide enough

# To keep me from you

# Ain't no mountain high enough

# Ain't no valley low enough

# Ain't no river wide enough

# To keep me from getting to you, babe

# He walks away

# Sun goes down

# He takes the day but I am grown

# And in your way in this blue shade

# My tears dry on their own, yeah

# Ba-doom-ba-doom

# Ba-doom-ba-doom

# Ba-doom-ba-doom

# Ba-doom-ba-doom

# Do-da-day, ba-do-da

# Can't explain all the feelings that you're making me feel

# Do-da-day-ba-do-da

# My heart's in overdrive and you're behind the steering wheel

# Do-da-day-ba-do-da

# Touching you...

# You're touching me...

# I'm touching you, ah

# While you're touching me

# We need to sing, oh, no

# I believe in a thing called love

# Listen to the rhythm of my heart

# There's a chance we could make it now

# We'll be rocking till the sun goes down

# I believe in a thing called love

# I believe in a thing called love

# I believe in a thing called love

# Listen to the rhythm of my heart

# There's a chance we can make it now

# We'll be rocking till the sun goes down

# I believe in a thing called love

# Oh, we'll fight for this love

# Just know that you're not in this thing alone

# There's a place in me that you can call home

# Whenever you feel like we're growing apart

# Let's just go back, back, back Back, back to the start

# Yeah, we'll fight for this love

# Let's just go back, back, back Back, back, back

# Back, back, back

# Right back to the...

# Back to the start. #

One, two, three, four!

# Dancing in the moonlight

# Everybody's feeling warm and bright

# It's such a fine and natural sight

# Everybody's dancing in the moonlight

# Ain't no mountain high enough

# We were feeling warm and bright

# Ain't no river wide enough

# Everybody was dancing in the moonlight

# Ain't no mountain high enough

# We got to fight, fight, fight Fight, fight for this love

# Ain't no river wide enough

# Fight, fight, fight, fight Fight for this love

# Ain't no mountain high enough

# He takes the day but I am grown

# And in your way in this blue shade

# My tears dry on their...

# Everybody's dancing in the moon...

# In the moonlight! #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

The Oxford Gargoyles and their musical director Euan Campbell.

Ruthie, quite a different programme to what we've seen already

this afternoon.

-Did it deliver for you?

-Yes, it did.

I thought it was young and infectious.

I loved the fact that everybody had a chance to shine.

I loved that you had really gone to town with choreography as well.

-That pleased me greatly.

-Thank you, Ruthie.

Greg, speaking of that movement and choreography,

they used a lot of it in their programme.

What about the vocal quality?

Everyone should join a choir and do that kind of rep in that way.

I just need to impress upon the audience

how difficult it is, especially for drum and bass singers

in this kind of room, to be able to communicate

with that clarity and that kind of volume, which he did so well

without the use of microphones, I was really impressed. I love it.

Thank you, judges. And once again,

please show your appreciation for the Oxford Gargoyles.

CHEERING

I think some members of the Oxford Gargoyles have joined Josie,

so let's go backstage for their thoughts.

Normally I ask the choir if they enjoyed their performance,

but I think we can see the all had a blast.

We felt like we were at a party.

You're the smallest choir in this competition.

-Do you feel you have a David and Goliath style advantage?

-I think so.

We do a lot of tight harmonies, really technical stuff,

and I think we tried to show that in both styles today.

It was so much fun.

It was actually the last time we're going to sing together as a group.

-But, yeah, so much fun.

-I could sense that you took advantage

of the size and I was going to say that, obviously,

because you're in a university choir, the turnover is regular.

Yeah, it happens every year.

There's actually a new batch of Gargoyles waiting in the wings

to take over, so like Euan said,

it's the last time we're going to sing together.

But I don't think I could've found a better way to go out, to be honest.

How did it feel, Henry, knowing that was your last time together?

These guys are leaving and it's going to be really sad.

I'm staying for another year and we're going to have a fantastic year,

but like Ang said, you couldn't really pick a better setting

in which to have your final memories of being in a group.

Absolutely. I'm sure it's been a privilege singing together.

Thank you, because we really enjoyed that. It was infectious. Tim.

Thank you, Josie, and thanks to the Oxford Gargoyles.

The fifth choir to perform this evening

is the Lindley Junior School Choir from Huddersfield.

Very popular in the hall.

CHEERING

They won the Children's category final at the beginning

of October and they've been working very hard

on their preparations for this grand final.

Let's find out a bit more about them.

-Hi, I'm Lucy.

-And I'm Thomas.

This is Lindley Junior School near Huddersfield.

And in here is the totally amazing Lindley Junior School Choir.

THEY SCREAM

THEY SING

It makes me feel really happy inside cos I love singing.

You can hang out with your friends.

We're all just like a big family.

This is Ms Binns, our deputy head. She plays for us beautifully.

This is Ms Thompson, our head teacher.

She comes to every single rehearsal.

This is Mrs North. She's the boss.

I think the choir's success can be put down to high expectations

in that the choir seem to raise their game to anything

I put in front of them. The harder it is, the better they do.

What do you think of the Lindley Junior School Choir?

I think they're absolutely fantastic.

Absolutely wonderful.

They've just done a really good job of advertising school choirs

and the Lindley Junior School.

-We can't wait to get to the Royal Festival Hall.

-So, let's rock!

THEY SCREAM

# Praise ye

# Praise ye

# Praise ye

# Praise ye my Lord

# Praise ye the Lord

# Praise God in his sanctuary

# Praise him in the firmament of his power

# Praise ye the lord

# Praise him for his mighty acts

# Praise ye, my Lord according to his excellent greatness

# Praise ye

# Praise ye

# Praise ye

# Praise ye the Lord

# Praise him with the sound of the trumpets

# Praise him with the psaltery and harp

# Praise him with the timbrel and dance

# Praise him with stringed instruments and organs

# Praise him upon the loud cymbals

# Praise him upon the high-sounding cymbals

# Oh, let everything that have breath

# Oh, let everything that have breath

# Oh, let everything that have breath

# Praise the Lord

# Praise ye the Lord

# Praise God in his sanctuary

# Praise him in the firmament of his power

# Praise ye the Lord

# Praise him for his mighty acts

# Praise him according to his excellent greatness

# Praise ye

# Praise ye

# Praise ye

# Praise ye the Lord. #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

My name's Emma Binns.

I'm the school's deputy head

and I accompany the Lindley Junior School Choir.

Breathing ready? One, two.

THEY SING

I guess I've worked with Alison for about ten years.

-Was this the last time we were in the Festival Hall then?

-Yeah, 2003.

And this is obviously in Gorton Monastery.

Particularly cold that day, I remember.

Just took my coat off for the photographs.

It's almost as if Alison and I have really quite a spooky chemistry.

Just stop there. It was very...

You could almost describe it as telepathic.

She doesn't need to say, "We're going to start at bar 22,"

because I'll just know.

We've worked very closely together for many years,

so she knows exactly what I'm thinking.

It's kind of an instinctive thing now. I don't have to worry about her

at all. I just do my thing and she's there with me every step of the way.

# And then the power of the clouds

# Carries me far above the people

# My adornments loudly resound

# And make melody And really sing... #

# ..When I am not in touch

# With the water

# Butterflying spirit...

# Flying spirit

# Spirit... #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# Gentle breezes cross the sky

# Whistling winds blowing by

# Freedom freely flying

# Smooth, relaxing, peaceful winds

# Twirling, swirling, dancing breeze

# Drifting, shifting spreading wings

# Freedom freely flying

# Smooth, relaxing Peaceful winds... #

# Blowing winds

# Fierce wind Tearing wind

# Roaring through the night

# Tossing and turning with all its might

# Thunder crashing Lightning flashing

# Drip drop, drip drop Rain

# Pattered rain Scattered flash

# Crash...

# ..Lessening

# Easing

# Drip drop

# Teasing

# Wind now breezy...

# Gentle breezes cross the sky

# Whistling winds flowing by

# Freedom freely flying

# Smooth, relaxing, peaceful winds

# Ooh ooh ooh ooh Ooh-ooh-ooh... #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

The Lindley Junior School Choir there, and well done to all of you

for a fantastic job. Mary, this is our youngest choir tonight.

How did the programme work for you?

I thought the programme was fantastic and it's completely

irrelevant in a sense that they are our youngest choir, because I think

they can hold their heads up high.

I think there was no compromise about the difficulty of the music.

There was some very complicated rhythmic stuff. I thought

you were fantastic, really delicate, really sensitive and what

I liked most is that this is a huge space and it's incredibly

tempting to force the sound into this great big hall.

And you resisted, and it was so delicate and you drew us to you.

Really, really well done. Thank you.

APPLAUSE

Greg, if I can come to you.

This is a big choir of young voices, 60 in all,

a challenge to keep all of those together and to blend the sound.

How do you feel they did?

They did fantastically well and, to be honest,

that's testament to their musical leadership, so I think we should

give another round of applause to your conductor and your accompanist.

APPLAUSE

As Mary was saying,

it's so tempting for you to force your voices,

especially at your young age.

I have worked with a lot of children's choirs and often times

that time is spent actually pulling back from bad habits

that have already occurred, and I just love the fact that such good

technical grounding is happening in this choir at such a young age.

Let's hope that spreads all the way through the UK.

I thought it was a wonderful performance

and I think you should be incredibly proud of yourselves.

Fantastic. Let's hear it once again for the Lindley Junior School choir.

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

Josie, loads of good comments from our judges there,

but what do the Lindley Junior School Choir

and the conductor think of their performance?

Well, let's find out.

Alison, Greg recognising there how important what YOU do is.

It must be very gratifying on a day like today.

Extremely gratifying. Thanks, Greg.

It's really good to have your work recognised.

Obviously, I work with very talented children,

but to have my part acknowledged in it is just lovely.

Tom, how did your performance go for you?

I think it went really, really well and I'm really proud of all of us

because we put in a lot of work.

Lucy, do you enjoy being in a choir?

Would you recommend it to all children?

Yes, I would recommend it to all children because

it's a wonderful thing to do and everybody gets into it really well.

And when we sing something like this,

it's amazing the opportunity we get.

Wonderful! And on top of all of that, you give us all a thrill as well.

Nicely done. Thank you very much. Tim.

Thanks, Josie, and well done Lindley Junior School Choir.

Well, we've come to the last act in this Grand Final of Choir Of The Year 2012.

They reached this stage of the competition as one of two

wild-card picks and let me tell you, they've got some form.

They've won many awards at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod

and four years ago were the runners up in BBC One's Last Choir Standing.

Ysgol Glanaethwy Senior Choir is the largest group in this final,

and let's find out a bit more about them.

We both sing with...

Ysgol Glanaethwy Senior Choir. Whoo!

Based in Bangor, North Wales,

we are a performing arts school that meet outside school hours.

And the vision behind it all, our artistic directors

Cefin and Rhian Roberts.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Rhian and I had a vision to start a performing arts school here

to give the children of North Wales the opportunity to be

involved in the performing arts.

Whatever their background or experience, it didn't matter.

We don't audition, everybody comes in if they want to be involved.

Ysgol Glanaethwy has given past and present members

some fantastic experiences.

In 2008, the senior choir came runners-up in the BBC show

Last Choir Standing.

We just can't wait to perform in The Royal Festival Hall.

And believe me, we're going to sing with plenty of Welsh heart,

fire and passion!

# The world...

# Turns...

# Turns...

# On its dark...

# Side

# The world...

# Turns...

# Turns...

# On its dark...

# Side

# Steal away...

# Steal away...

# Steal away to Jesus

# Steal away

# Steal away home

# I ain't got long

# To stay here

# My Lord he calls me

# He calls me by the thunder

# The trumpets sound within my soul

# I ain't got long

# To stay here

# Steal away

# Steal away

# Steal away to Jesus...

# Steal away

# Steal away home...

# I ain't got long

# To stay here... #

CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

# W-w-w

# W-w-w

# W-w-w-w w-w

# Pam mae dewiniaeth

# Pam y mae dyn

# Pam mae nhw'n troi pob diferyn o ddwr

# Bob gafael i'w melin eu hun?

# Chwarae a'r moroedd

# Plymio pob craig

# Rheibio ysbrydion y fforest

# A throi'r holl elfennau yn wraig

# Rheibio y caeau

# Troi pob un ton

# Codi pob carreg a mynnu cael byw

# Er mwyn y funud hon

# Wnes di feddwl unwaith, ddewin

# Roist ti eiliad bach ryw bryd

# I ystyried y gwastraff mae'r dynion yn greu

# A'u gadael mewn tyllau'n ein byd?

# Aha-a-a-a-a

# Aha-a-a-a-a-a

# O-o-o o-o-o-o-o-o-o

# Beth am y llynoedd?

# Beth am y coed?

# Beth am yr awyr a'r tir

# Fu yma i bob un erioed?

# Eriod, llosgi a chwalu

# Dyffryn a dol

# A gofyn a wnant mewn cenhedlaeth neu ddwy

# "A fydd yna rywbeth ar ol?"

# Beth am afonydd?

# Beth am y byd?

# Beth am y gwellt?

# Beth am y byd

# Beth am y mynydd?

# Beth am y byd?

# Beth am y mellt?

# Beth am y byd?

# Beth am y blodau?

# Beth am y byd?

# Beth am yr ardd?

# Beth am y byd?

# Beth am gyndeidiau?

# Beth am y byd?

# Beth am y taer?

# Beth am y byd?

# Wnaeth o daro arnat unwaith

# Fod yna rywun 'blaw tydi?

# Mor hawdd oedd taflu'r baich i gyd

# A phwyntio dy fys ata i!

# Ah-a-a-aaaaa!

# Ah-a-a-a-a!

# O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

# Pam mae dewiniaeth?

# Pam y mae dyn?

# Pam mae dewiniaeth?

# Pam y mae dyn? #

APPLAUSE

My name is Ian Hywell, and I am a tenor in Ysgol Glanaethwy.

I am 17, and this is my last day at school and Glanaethwy.

I've been here since I was ten that I have never had no-one making me go,

I always enjoy the chance to go every week.

It's the experiences you get.

I like the buzz that I get when I perform in front of people.

Between my last day at school and Glanaethwy, my timetable is quite busy.

I still get the chance to farm.

It gives me a chance to be in the peace and quiet and relax.

Part of the farm is here between the sea and the mountains,

you can see Snowdon behind me over there and I feel very lucky to be

able to live in this part of the world.

I hope we can live here for ever.

Farming is in my blood,

but thanks to Kevin I think singing is in my blood now as well.

# Mi a glywais fod cornchwiglan

# Yn ei ddychryn ffwrdd o'r siglan

# Ac na chaiff, er dianc rhagddi

# Wedi rhusio o dan y drysni

# Ond aderyn y bawn i'w boeni

# Mi a glywais gan y wennol

# Fod y tylwyth teg yn 'morol

# Am arch i'r 'hedydd bach o risial

# Ac am amdo o'r pren afal

# Piti fai dwyn pob petal

# Cans er dod a byddin arfog

# Ac ar codi braw ar yr hebog

# Ac er grisial ac er blodau

# Er yr holl dylwyth teg a'u doniau

# Ni ddaw can yr 'hedydd adre

# Ni ddaw can yr 'hedydd adre

# Ni ddaw can yr 'hedydd adre

# Ni ddaw can yr 'hedydd adre. #

APPLAUSE

Thank you, or should I say "diolch i chi gyd"?

Ysgol Glanaethwy Senior Choir.

Four pieces in their programme and a variety of styles. Now, Ruthie,

as a West End star yourself, you're used to combining drama and music.

What did you make of that very theatrical performance from Ysgol Glanaethwy?

I think it is wonderful that you took something so simple

as coloured gloves and you have given your whole piece something

very, very dynamic which is wonderful to watch.

But it did not take away from the vocals, which was great.

Each and every one of you was so committed that you had this sense

of, you created your magic in your space

and I could not look down to write my notes

because you were defying me to look down, you know, you had my gaze

and I thought it was a fierce and strong and powerful performance.

Really wonderful.

APPLAUSE

Greg, a 70-strong choir who were all obviously enjoying time on stage.

-Did you enjoy?

-I did, it was a new sound for us, wasn't it?

We had six very distinctive sounds and this was one,

and what a great one to finish on.

It was bright and vibrant and elemental at points.

It was really moving.

There were times when I just wrote down one or two technical things.

As with all the six choirs, we have been very positive with our

immediate comments up here, but I thought some of the Tippett,

although really nicely structured, it kind of drew attention to certain technical inadequacies

in the choir, but these are tiny things and I am only

daring to say that because I want you to know how much I love you.

I thought it was a fantastic performance

and what a way to finish.

Thank you very much.

APPLAUSE

Thank you to Ysgol Glanaethwy and Kevin Roberts there.

Before we go to Josie,

Mary, this would be a great opportunity to get some more feedback from you.

Could you sum up your impressions of the six choirs in the final for us tonight?

I think it has been a fantastic competition and I cannot remember

a time when the musical standard was so high and yet the musical variety

was so great and I think that is fantastic for choral singing.

It is wonderful to feel that people are breaking out of what

I think used to be restraints and constraints in their singing,

and it is wonderful to see people with total physical commitment,

because of course with that physical commitment comes much better singing.

I find it absolutely fantastic.

APPLAUSE

Thank you, Mary. And thank you, judges.

I feel you have a difficult task ahead of you.

Thank you, too, of course to our last finalists this evening.

-Josie, do you have some Ysgol Glanaethwy people with you?

-Glad to say I do, Tim.

Kevin, Ruthie could not make notes because she could not take her

eyes off you, was that part of your game plan?

It is such a positive comment to have because musical theatre

needs that kind of reaction from the audience as well, so we had

a really good time up there.

Sometimes with a competition you be worried when you are on last,

but they had great fun and that came over.

You are a performance school so it was always going to be about the showmanship.

Yes, we just love performing and showing everybody

what we can do and dancing and singing.

Does that ability in all of the disciplines that go along with

performing help you to have the boldness to sing in Welsh

and convey that meaning to non-Welsh speakers?

We believe as a choir that singing in Welsh is a big part

of our tradition, we try and bring as much of that as we can.

It was absolutely brilliant. Back to you, Tim.

You seems to have a ball back there this evening. What has the atmosphere been like?

It has been just brilliant.

I think everybody has had a really good time today

and I think that has come across in their performance

and the chats I have had with them backstage. And that is what stood out for me this year.

Everyone upped the ante in terms of the performance,

it was all very theatrical.

There was something to remember in all of their performances,

as well as the musicianship really being there.

It is a thrilling competition time after time

and I am glad, everybody says this, but I am glad I am not on the jury

because I would not know who to choose.

Absolutely, I could not agree with you more.

Josie will be joining me on stage for the announcement

of the winner of Choir Of The Year 2012 very shortly.

While we await the jury's decision we have a treat in store for you.

Our guest artists tonight are an internationally claimed vocal group

who are legendary in the world of a cappella singing.

For almost five decades they have been setting the standard of vocal agility

and pushing the boundaries of musical innovation.

The line-up has changed many times over the years,

but the latest group of talented young voices continue to

uphold the tradition of the original 1960s group.

They are of course, and I'm very excited, the Swingle Singers.

# Do-do do do-do Do do-do do do-do, do do-do do do-do

# Do-do, do, do-do, do do-do Do, do-do, do do-do do, do-do

# Do do-do, do do-do Do do-do, do, do-do, do

# Do-do do do-do do-do Do-do do do-do do-do

# Do-do do do-do do-do Do-do do do-do do-do

# Do-do do do-do do-do Do-do do do-do do-do

# Do-do do do-do do-do Do-do do do-do do-do

# Do-do do do-do do-do Do-do do do-do do-do

# Do-do do do-do do-do Do-do do do-do do-do

# Do-do do do-do do-do Do-do do do-do do-do

# Do-do do do-do do-do Do-do do do-do do-do

# Aahh, da-bada-bada

# Aahh, da-bada-bada

# Ba-da ba-da

# Ba-da-da da-da

# Ba-ba-da, la, la, la, la, la

# Ba, da-da da-da da

# Ba, da-da da-da da

# Ba-da ba-da

# Da-da da-da da

# Ba-da ba, la, la, la, la, la

# Baaa, da-ba-da da-daaaa

# Ba-da-ba-daaaa Da-ba-da-ba-da

# Baaaa, da-ba-da-ba-daaa

# Baaaa, da-ba-da-ba-daaa

# Do-do do-do do-do do

# Do-do do-do do-do do-do do

# Do-do do-do do-do do-do do

# Do-do do-do do-do do-do do-do do

-# Ahhhh, ahhh

-Do-do do-do do-do do-do do-do-do

# Do-do-do do-do-do-do do-do-do do

# Do-do-do do-do do-do do-do do-do do-do do-dooo

# Do-do-do-do-do-do Aahhh, ahhh, ahhhh

# Do-do do-do do-do do

# Do-do do-do do-do do

# Do-do do-do do-do do

# Do-do do-do do-do do

# Do-do do-do do-do do

# Do-do do-do do-do do

# Do-do do-do do-do do Du-du-du-du-du-du

# Aaahhh, da-da-da-da da-da-daaa

# Aaahhh, da-da-da-da

# Da-da-da-da

# Aaahhh, da-da-da-da da-da-daaa

# Aaahhh, da-da-da-da da-da-daaa! #

APPLAUSE

Choirs, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we have a decision.

AUDIENCE: Oooh!

I know! Please welcome to the stage

Bill Callaway, chairman of Choir Of The Year, and our jury,

Ruthie Henshall, Greg Beardsell and Mary King, who will announce the winner of Choir Of The Year 2012.

APPLAUSE

We had...robust discussions. But we are now in total agreement.