Alfie Boe Songs of Praise

Now then, listen to this rags-to-riches story.

A few years ago, a young man painted sports cars in a factory in his home town.

Whilst he worked, he sang.

A customer overheard and suggested he should audition for a world-class opera company.

They took him on, and so began the journey that would lead to the West End and Broadway.

Well, that singer is my guest on this week's Songs Of Praise.

His name - Alfie Boe.

-# If I die... #

-Alfie has had

a wonderfully varied career.

He performs not just in operas, but musicals such as Les Miserables,

and he's recorded hymns and pop songs.

Alfie refuses to be pigeonholed

and is driven by a passion for good music.

In this special Songs Of Praise,

Alfie talks about the importance to him of faith and family.

He learns more about the power of music through the work of a special charity

and, together with an invited congregation,

Alfie performs some of his favourite songs and hymns.

I'm here at the world-renowned AIR recording studios in North London,

which, incidentally, used to be a church.

We have our congregation ready and eager to sing.

But there's one person missing from the party, and that's our special guest.

Ladies and gentlemen, the one and only Alfie Boe!

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

-First, congratulations on a glittering career.

-Thank you.

-You're riding high.

-It's going really well.

-Enjoying life, then?

-Absolutely.

Have you recorded in these studios before?

I have. Recently, actually.

It's a wonderful place, with a lot of history.

Usually recording studios are quite sterile, aren't they?

They are, yeah. And very lonely, as well.

You're normally in a vocal booth on your own,

drinking lots of tea and eating honey.

-Ah, that's the secret! Not lonely today, though.

-No! Absolutely.

-Are you looking forward to it?

-Very much so.

-Are you going to lead us in our first hymn?

-Yes, I chose Guide Me O Thou Great Redeemer.

-That good Welsh hymn.

-Absolutely. In honour of you, Aled!

Thank you very much, Alfie. The stage is yours.

-Hey. Well done.

-Hey, thanks, Aled.

-Sung like a true Welshman!

-Bless you, thank you.

-You enjoyed that.

-I did, I did.

-It's one of my favourite hymns.

-You were born in Blackpool.

-Yes.

-Alfred Giovanni Roncalli Boe.

-Thanks for that(!) Cheers.

It just trips off the tongue, it really does!

Alfie for short.

-Named after a Pope?

-Yes, Pope John XXIII, I was named after.

There's no Italian in the family at all,

I was just named after the Pope, so I suppose recording star,

West End, Broadway...

Vatican is the next place for me, I suppose.

-You haven't sung there yet?

-I haven't yet, no.

That's one for the list!

You're from a Catholic family.

-One of nine children.

-Yeah, the youngest of nine.

I have five sisters and three brothers.

-What was that like growing up?

-Wonderful.

Lots of music around the house. The house was never empty.

It was just a noisy place. It was wonderful though, really nice.

And how important was the Catholicism side of growing up?

Very important, you know. It still is to me now.

I mean, my faith is something that's very strong to me.

As a performer, Aled, you must know that you need a lot of faith

to get up and do what we have to do, to believe it's going to go well,

believe that you're on the right path.

-What's it like when you're up there? When I'm on stage...

-Scary!

-Apart from scary!

When you're in darkness with one light on you, do you feel that's your connection with God?

For me, that's more powerful than even going to church.

No, I do feel that, very much so.

'It's very difficult to explain to somebody who's not a performer

'the little journey you go through to produce a song

'and produce an emotion. But no, you're right.

'When the light hits you and you're on that stage on your own,

'that's your world and that's a very spiritual place.'

-Lots in your career has happened by chance. Do you believe in a guiding hand?

-I do, I do.

I remember the day that it happened, I got this impulse to perform.

It was just like somebody had switched a light on

or lit a flame inside me that I wanted to perform.

It was a very strange feeling

and I haven't stopped pursuing my ultimate goal from that day onwards.

-Do you think what you've got is a God-given gift?

-Absolutely.

I mean, all our talents are God-given, you know,

and I believe that it's just what you do with them that matters.

You have to use them to the best of your ability to help others.

-So in a way, you're singing to glorify God.

-Exactly, yeah. Without a doubt.

Well, thank you very much for now, Alfie.

There'll be more from Alfred Roncalli - no, Giovanni Roncalli Boe... Confusing me!

..in a short while.

When this building was a church,

I'm sure this next hymn was sung here on numerous occasions.

It's great that our congregation are giving it an airing now. It's To God Be The Glory.

Although fame has changed Alfie's life,

he's still keen to support causes close to his heart,

especially those connected to music.

This event is a fundraiser for the charity Nordoff Robbins,

who help ill and disabled children and adults through music therapy.

He's here to collect an award from his friend,

the comedian Matt Lucas.

He's a fantastic artist, he's really broken through this year,

and he definitely deserves this award.

Please welcome the UK's leading tenor,

Mr Alfie Boe, ladies and gentlemen.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

Thank you so much and thank you for that wonderful introduction, Matt.

I also want to speak on behalf of all the artists in the room

to thank Nordoff Robbins

for giving us the opportunity to become therapists,

in a sense, for such a worthy cause,

and to help these children and adults get through their trials in life.

God bless you, and keep up the good work. Thank you.

APPLAUSE

Keen to see the work of the charity in action,

Alfie heads to North London to help at one of their music therapy sessions.

Music is a way of communicating that doesn't need words,

so it is particularly effective for people

who can't use words to communicate.

Music makes sense to them.

It makes sense to somebody, for example, who has autism,

or an old person with dementia

and they suddenly find that they can communicate again with the people around them.

# Listen to everyone

# Listen to everyone

# Listen to everyone... #

That was very special.

It was a real special moment to be a part of.

#...and Alfie play Listen to... #

You can watch so many videos

and footage of sessions,

but actually being a part of one and having them hold your hand

and make contact with you while they're making music

was something else. Really special.

# What you are

# Twinkle, twinkle

# Little star

# How I wonder... #

'Music is a very spiritual thing.

'It's inside us all and it just takes a tune'

to ignite the fire inside us, to make us dance, make us sing,

make us play music and clap our hands, whatever it is.

But that's the power of music.

-I enjoyed that. Thanks for singing with me.

-Pleasure!

Now, what's this about being discovered spray-painting cars?

-It's almost too good to be true.

-It really happened, actually.

I used to get a lot of encouragement from my work colleagues

to sing and to pursue it,

but then I used to get a lot of encouragement from customers as well,

who used to overhear me.

One guy in particular was buying a car from the factory

and I was working on it. I was at the end of the line, polishing it, making it look good.

This gentleman was involved in the business in some form

and told me about an audition that was taking place in London

with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company.

He said, "You'd be really good to go along and sing.

"Why don't you have a shot?"

So I did. I came down to London, took the day off work,

surrounded by lots of classical singers and it wasn't my world.

They were all there in their suits and their scarves.

I sang my heart out as best I could and got the job.

-I got taken on in the ensemble.

-It's a great story, isn't it?

-It is.

Do you ever think back and imagine,

"What would have happened if I hadn't got that job?"

I do sometimes, yeah, but I never really try and look back.

I'm always looking ahead.

Life's changed for you now as well because you're a father.

Yes, yes I am. Very happy.

-My little girl, Gracie.

-Are you bringing her up through a faith at all?

Yeah, we're a Catholic family so we're going to be taking her

through the teaching, so that'll be good.

Have you learnt any parenting skills from your father?

I can change a nappy in two minutes now.

In two minutes! That's good.

I know that your dad was a massive influence on your life, wasn't he?

-Yes, he was.

-Not just musically.

No, no, my father was a great friend as well as a father.

He was a lovely guy, and sadly missed, but he taught me a lot.

-And you were with your dad to the very end?

-Yes, I was.

I was lucky enough to be able to be there at his side

and holding him while he passed away,

which is a very special, very spiritual moment,

and it is a blessing to be able to do that.

The sadness comes along, but that's only our selfish needs.

I am blessed that I got to see my father die,

and blessed that I got to see my daughter born.

It's two ends of the scale. It's a wonderful thing.

Now, I want you to picture the scene, OK?

At home, wherever you'll be. Gracie comes up to you and says,

"Dad, I really, really want to follow in your footsteps."

What does Alfie Boe say to her?

Don't do it. No, no...

I would be absolutely thrilled.

She's already dancing and singing like crazy. She builds her own stages.

She gets a suitcase and puts it, she says, "This is my stage,"

and she'll stand on a suitcase and perform.

-I wonder where she gets it from!

-I haven't got a clue.

-Well, she's lucky to have you as a dad.

-Thank you.

You're going to sing for us now. What are you going to sing?

It's a beautiful song called In My Daughter's Eyes.

-If you want to make your way to the stage...

-Thank you.

Thanks for now, Alfie.

Well, what a treat. This is going to be brilliant, I assure you.

Alfie Boe singing In My Daughter's Eyes.

# In my daughter's eyes

# I am a hero

# I am strong and wise

# And I know no fear

# But the truth is plain to see

# She was sent to rescue me

# I see who I want to be

# In my daughter's eyes

# In my daughter's eyes

# Everyone is equal

# Darkness turns to light

# And the world's at peace

# This miracle God gave to me

# Gives me strength when I am weak

# I find reason to believe

# In my daughter's eyes

# And when she wraps her hand around my finger

# Oh, it puts a smile in my heart

# Everything becomes a little clearer

# I realise what life is all about

# It's hanging on when your heart has had enough

# It's giving more when you feel like giving up

# I've seen the light

# In my daughter's eyes

# In my daughter's eyes

# I can see the future

# A reflection of who I am

# And what will be

# Though she'll grow and some day leave

# Maybe raise a family

# When I'm gone, I hope you'll see

# How happy she made me

# For I'll be there

# In my daughter's eyes. #

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

What did I tell you? Just beautiful.

In My Daughter's Eyes, poignantly sung there by Alfie Boe.

Whilst he takes a well-deserved break,

it's time for you to do some singing,

and we're going to carry on with the idea of God-given miracles.

This is the nation's favourite hymn, How Great Thou Art.

It's a couple of hours before curtain up,

and Alfie has arrived at the West End theatre

where he's appearing as Jean Valjean in Les Miserables.

This is my little den,

my little dressing room.

This is home for the next five months.

It's cosy, it's nice.

I get myself together here. Put the lights on.

This is it.

Welcome to my dressing room.

There's one particular song of Jean Valjean's

that has a special significance for Alfie.

Without a doubt, for me the emotional highlight is Bring Him Home,

which in the show is called The Prayer.

It's such a beautiful song, but it's also such a beautiful prayer.

He's praying to God for the protection of Marius,

who is a student revolutionary

who has fallen in love with his daughter Cosette.

It's a very strange feeling that I get whenever I sing it.

I'm actually praying.

It is a prayer, and I do pray, even if I do this every single night.

The audience reaction is incredible.

I think it can really tug at the heartstrings of every listener.

They seem to really be drawn in by it.

# God on high

# Hear my prayer

# In my need

# You have always been there

# He is young

# He's afraid

# Let him rest

# Heaven blessed

# Bring him home

# Bring him home

# Bring him home

# He's like the son I might have known

# If God had granted me a son

# The summers die

# One by one

# How soon they fly

# On and on

# And I am old

# And will be gone

# Bring him peace

# Bring him joy

# He is young

# He is only a boy

# You can take

# You can give

# Let him be

# Let him live

# If I die

# Let me die

# Let him live

# Bring him home

# Bring him home

# Bring him home. #

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

-That was fantastic.

-Thank you.

On stage, do you ever pinch yourself that this is actually happening to you?

Absolutely, every day. I'm a lucky man, very much so.

-You make a lot of people happy. Doesn't he?

-AUDIENCE: Yes!

Thank you so much for your company today,

and all the best in your fantastic career.

-Many thanks for that, Aled.

-Alfie Boe, ladies and gentlemen.

APPLAUSE AND CHEERING

And we're going to end with another stirring hymn,

Love Divine, All Loves Excelling.

From Alfie, myself and all of us here at AIR Studios in London,

till next time, bye-bye.

Next week, I'm in Halifax in West Yorkshire,

where I discover the power and the passion of two-wheeled transport.

There are wonderful hymns from one of Britain's newest minsters,

and an exclusive chat

and performance from country music legend Glen Campbell.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd

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