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| The Choirboys are back for Christmas. The faces may have changed, but the voices are as pure as ever. Three new boys singing a collection of carols and Christmas favourites that will melt mothers' hearts and fill stockings for years to come So what are The Choirboys? They are cute. They are commercial. And they are an integral part of our cultural heritage... given a 21st Century twist. At first glance William, AJ and Bill look more like a stylish boy band \ Latino heartthrobs Menudo or a clean cut junior Busted spring to mind. They might sing like angels but they have discarded their traditional uniform of cassocks and surplices for Gap chinos, designer suits and trendy haircuts. "We auditioned literally hundreds of boys and these are the three best singers we could find in the whole country," said Dickon Stainer, general manager of Universal Classics and Jazz. "Unlike a pop group, where looks, style and personality are given as much priority as musical ability, these boys have been picked on one criterion alone - their voices. It has to be more than excellent, we cannot get away with second best." The Carols Album is a gorgeous collection of seasonal favourites - including Silent Night, In the Bleak Midwinter, Away in a Manger, O Come All Ye Faithful, Hark the Herald Angels Sing - with a few unusual takes. In Dulce Jubilo sits somewhere between the traditional arrangement and Mike Oldfield's 1975 hit. The evergreen Have Yourself a Merry little Christmas, originally sung by Judy Garland in the movie "Meet Me in St. Louis" and subsequently covered by everyone from Frank Sinatra to James Taylor and the Jackson 5, has never sounded as good. Another highlight is the duet with girl choristers All Angels on O Holy Night, which while not technically a carol it is consistently voted Classic FM's number one Christmas track. Three is better than one - or that's the conclusion Steve Abbott (the man behind the early careers of Moby and The Stereophonics and now the manager of Hayley Westenra and Aled Jones), Dickon Stainer and Mark Wilkinson from Universal Classics and Jazz first came to in 2005 following a nationwide search that took talent scouts to nearly 50 cathedrals and churches all over the country. "Originally we were looking for just one choirboy," says Mark, "Steve, Dickon and I had an idea what we were looking for but there we were in a studio down in Chiswick and we couldn't make up our minds between the final three boys - they were individually brilliant and each was a little bit different. We just said ‘why don't we create a group and call them the Choirboys.' It was a spur of the moment thing but from that moment we intuitively knew it was a good idea." The first Choirboys album, featuring Ben Inman, Patrick Aspbury and CJ Porter-Thaw, was released in the autumn of 2005. It was a stunning mixture of traditional choral music - Allegri's Miserere, Bach's Ave Maria and Cesar Franck's Panis Angelicus - mixed with the TV themes from Mr Bean and The Vicar Of Dibley, and pop classics like Tears In Heaven and He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother. The album certainly struck a chord with the public selling 100,000 copies in the first week of release, making it the fastest-selling classical debut album ever in the UK. It hit platinum in the UK with worldwide sales topping 400,000, was a number one classical album, a top 10 pop hit while Eric Clapton's Tears In Heaven was a Top 20 Christmas single. The boys toured Japan, sang on TV and performed with stars like Bryn Terfel. The appeal of the Choirboys brand is about more than nostalgia for it captures a fleeting moment in time. The life of a boy treble is so limited. It takes years to train a voice to the level that they can be a jaw droppingly beautiful soloist and from then on it is a race against time and nature. There is no guarantee that a choirboy will have a second voice and even if he does it can never be the same. Two years later nature has taken its course. Ben and Patrick's voices have now broken and they are continuing their education, whilst CJ is head Chorister at Ely Cathedral 2007's search followed the same process of elimination with Steve Abbott criss-crossing the country visiting choir and cathedral schools, all the places he knew were dealing with good young boy trebles. He first saw both Andrew "AJ" Swait from Gloucestershire and William Dutton, from Harrogate in Yorkshire, sing at Westminster Abbey in Radio 2's Young Choristers of the year competition which William won. The trio is completed by Ben Goss, who was coincidentally William's friend, a fellow chorister at their primary school. While one expects the singing to be great it is the blend and harmonies of the three individual voices that makes the Choirboys special. Although they were all used to singing in much bigger ensembles the trio clicked together immediately. "It was apparent very early on how well our voices blend together, says Andrew. Bill explains how, "William has a very powerful voice. Andrew has a very harmonic voice and I've got a cross between the two so I link them together." Recording "The Carols Album" at Metropolis studios with the English Chamber Ensemble was, they all agree, an amazing experience. The album was produced by Ian Tilley, while the arrangements were by Martin Neary, the former choirmaster, music director and organist of Westminster Abbey. The Choirboys were once again photographed by Simon Fowler and styled by Marina Olivati. Their look is cool but casual, Italian designer suits with waistcoats and open necked white shirts, or a more casual Gap image - combats, chinos striped shirts and Ralph Lauren jumpers. William, Andrew and Bill are normal 12 year old boys who need to be kept busy, whether it's singing, playing a game or simply kicking a ball around. "It's rubbish that choirboys are no good at sports," says William indignantly, who supports Arsenal. He's good at cricket, badminton and football. "I love playing in goal though sometimes I'm not allowed to because of my violin playing. I can control my defence really well as I can whistle really loudly." Bill plays hooker in rugby as well as tennis, hockey, cricket, badminton and athletics and likes target shooting with his air rifle. He supports Manchester United and the Leeds Tykes. Andrew, in contrast, isn't much for supporting teams though he's a cricketer and a keen squash player. Andrew and Bill are both obsessed with aeroplanes and love making Airfix models. Andrew's favourite is the Spitfire while Bill prefers the Halifax bomber. He also flies a remote control plane while Andrew would like to be a pilot. Perhaps their strangest bond is their favourite movie is that World War Two classic The Great Escape. To pass the time they do impressions - Little Britain's Andy Pipkin and Ting Tong are spot on. And then there are the differences. William has a major thing for Hermione Granger in Harry Potter while Bill is a Simpsons fanatic who has no time for "silly wizard stuff." Andrew hardly watches TV and can't stand pop music. "In classical music you are expected to stand in front of an audience and sing without anything to help no synthesizers, no lights - just your voice. I think it is a more truthful way to putting across what you are doing." Bill is an admirer of Freddie Mercury, Tina Turner and Jamie Cullum Bill reckons he'll become either a lawyer or a doctor ("I am a bit of a boffin" he admits). Andrew who plays cello, piano and organ likes the idea of a career in music while William, isn't that keen on school and enjoys the time he has off singing. (He also has the part of First Boy in Kenneth Branagh's film of Mozart's the Magic Flute which is also released this Christmas) All three know that their time in the spotlight is limited and relish the opportunity they have been given. They are doing things they have never done before and may not do again, finding out how a record company works, spending time in a studio, meeting composers, doing record signings, being at the heart of promoting a record. It is they all agree "great fun" though William would love to record another album for Mothers Day. His mum's favourite song is What Sweeter Music. That may well happen because the Choirboys aren't going anywhere. "We have come back with the Choirboys brand intact and revitalised" says Mark Wilkinson. "There is no reason why we can't visit it again in the future when we can give another three choirboys the opportunity to capture in 21st century sound a musical moment in time that can never be repeated." |
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