Only Men Aloud!
Encyclopedia
Only Men Aloud! is a male voice choir
from Wales
. The choir came to national prominence in the UK when they won the Last Choir Standing
competition run by BBC
television during 2008.
, a classically trained singer and former musical director of Welsh National Youth Opera. It has 14 members and is based in Cardiff
.
Following Last Choir Standing, the choir signed a five-record deal with Universal Music and released their first album. They performed with Josh Groban
at The Royal Variety Performance in 2008.
The choir embarked on their first UK tour in April/May 2009 with singer and soap star Amy Nuttall
joining them as a special guest. The performance at the Cardiff International Arena featured a one-off performance with Bonnie Tyler
.
In October 2009, the choir held auditions at the Wales Millennium Centre
, Cardiff to find two new members to join them. Later that month the choir's second album, Band of Brothers, went straight to number one in the UK Classical Charts, where it remained for three weeks. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8313370.stm The album went on to win the NS&I Album of the Year 2010 at the Classical Brit awards.
The choir embarked on their second UK tour in December 2009. Their special guest was Welsh soprano Gwawr Edwards. In 2010, the choir was given its own Welsh-language television series, Only Men Aloud, on S4C.
In May 2010 Tim Rhys Evans embarked on a new project, to revive the male voice choir tradition, by forming Only Boys Aloud. The boys made their first public appearance at the Ebbw Vale Eisteddfod in Ebbw Vale and received three standing ovations for their renditions of Calon Lan, Sosban Fach and Don't Stop Believing.
Only Men Aloud! completed a 16-date UK Christmas Tour in December 2010. Their special guest was West End singer, Katy Treharne. The show at the CIA in Cardiff also featured Only Boys Aloud who sang "Don't Stop Believing" and "You Raise me Up" with Only Men Aloud!
Only Men Aloud! were also the musical guests on the Christmas Day 2010 edition of BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing
. They sang a specially-arranged version of "Silent Night" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas".
Choir:
Tenor 1:
Wyn Davies,
David Fortey,
Paul Rothwell,
Ben Smith.
Tenor 2:
Nick Bristow,
David Mahoney,
Dan Phillips,
Hugh Strathern,
Nick Wayland-Evans,
Baritone:
Niall Allen,
Cian Brennan Gavin,
Rob Garland,
Craig Yates.
Bass:
Huw Euron,
Stephen Hamnett,
Andy Mulligan.
Previous members include David Thaxton
(Les Misérables
, Passion
), Alan Winner (Gone with the Wind
), Noel Sullivan
(Hear'Say
), and Jon Robyns
(Avenue Q
, Les Misérables
).
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
from Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The choir came to national prominence in the UK when they won the Last Choir Standing
Last Choir Standing
Last Choir Standing was a 2008 talent show-themed television series produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom. Broadcast on BBC One in July and August 2008, the series saw amateur choirs competing each week to be the 'last choir standing'....
competition run by BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television during 2008.
Overview
The choir was formed by Tim Rhys-EvansTim Rhys-Evans
Tim Rhys-Evans is a Welsh singer, musician, conductor and arranger, best known as the founder and musical director of the choir Only Men Aloud!....
, a classically trained singer and former musical director of Welsh National Youth Opera. It has 14 members and is based in Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
.
Following Last Choir Standing, the choir signed a five-record deal with Universal Music and released their first album. They performed with Josh Groban
Josh Groban
Joshua Winslow "Josh" Groban is an American singer-songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer. His four solo albums have been certified at least multi-platinum, and in 2007, he was charted as the number-one best selling artist in the United States with over 21 million records in that country...
at The Royal Variety Performance in 2008.
The choir embarked on their first UK tour in April/May 2009 with singer and soap star Amy Nuttall
Amy Nuttall
Amy Nuttall is an English actress and singer most notable for playing the role of Chloe Atkinson in the long-running ITV soap opera Emmerdale from 2000 until 2005.-Early life:...
joining them as a special guest. The performance at the Cardiff International Arena featured a one-off performance with Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler
Bonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:...
.
In October 2009, the choir held auditions at the Wales Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre
Wales Millennium Centre is an arts centre located in the Cardiff Bay area of Cardiff, Wales. The site covers a total area of . Phase 1 of the building was opened during the weekend of the 26–28 November 2004 and phase 2 opened on 22 January 2009 with an inaugural concert...
, Cardiff to find two new members to join them. Later that month the choir's second album, Band of Brothers, went straight to number one in the UK Classical Charts, where it remained for three weeks. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/8313370.stm The album went on to win the NS&I Album of the Year 2010 at the Classical Brit awards.
The choir embarked on their second UK tour in December 2009. Their special guest was Welsh soprano Gwawr Edwards. In 2010, the choir was given its own Welsh-language television series, Only Men Aloud, on S4C.
In May 2010 Tim Rhys Evans embarked on a new project, to revive the male voice choir tradition, by forming Only Boys Aloud. The boys made their first public appearance at the Ebbw Vale Eisteddfod in Ebbw Vale and received three standing ovations for their renditions of Calon Lan, Sosban Fach and Don't Stop Believing.
Only Men Aloud! completed a 16-date UK Christmas Tour in December 2010. Their special guest was West End singer, Katy Treharne. The show at the CIA in Cardiff also featured Only Boys Aloud who sang "Don't Stop Believing" and "You Raise me Up" with Only Men Aloud!
Only Men Aloud! were also the musical guests on the Christmas Day 2010 edition of BBC One's Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...
. They sang a specially-arranged version of "Silent Night" and "I'll Be Home For Christmas".
Line-up
Conductor: Tim Rhys-EvansChoir:
Tenor 1:
Wyn Davies,
David Fortey,
Paul Rothwell,
Ben Smith.
Tenor 2:
Nick Bristow,
David Mahoney,
Dan Phillips,
Hugh Strathern,
Nick Wayland-Evans,
Baritone:
Niall Allen,
Cian Brennan Gavin,
Rob Garland,
Craig Yates.
Bass:
Huw Euron,
Stephen Hamnett,
Andy Mulligan.
Previous members include David Thaxton
David Thaxton
David Thaxton is a British musical theatre and opera performer. He recently starred in the Donmar Warehouse's Passion, for which he won the 2011 Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He previously appeared as Enjolras in the West End production of Les Misérables...
(Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
, Passion
Passion (musical)
Passion is a musical adapted from Ettore Scola's film Passione d'Amore . The book is by James Lapine, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Central subjects include obsession, beauty, power, manipulation, passion, illness, and love...
), Alan Winner (Gone with the Wind
Gone With The Wind (musical)
Gone with the Wind is a musical based on the Margaret Mitchell's novel of the same name and its 1939 film adaptation, with music and lyrics by Margaret Martin, and a book by Martin, adapted by Sir Trevor Nunn....
), Noel Sullivan
Noel Sullivan
Noel Sullivan , is a Welsh singer and actor. He was a member of the British pop group Hear'Say. Like the other members of the group, he won his part through the talent show Popstars.-Early life and career:...
(Hear'Say
Hear'Say
Hear'Say were a British manufactured pop group created in February 2001 from the winners of Popstars, an ITV reality TV show based on a New Zealand show of the same name. They enjoyed huge success with their debut single "Pure and Simple", helped by the publicity surrounding Popstars, the first of...
), and Jon Robyns
Jon Robyns
Jon Robyns is a British stage actor, who is perhaps best known for playing the roles of Princeton and Rod in Avenue Q the musical in London's West End. He left the show in December 2007, and appeared as Marius in the London production of Les Misérables.-Early life:Robyns grew up in Liverpool,...
(Avenue Q
Avenue Q
Avenue Q is a musical in two acts, conceived by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who wrote the music and lyrics. The book was written by Jeff Whitty and the show was directed by Jason Moore and produced by Kevin McCollum, Robyn Goodman, and Jeffrey Seller...
, Les Misérables
Les Misérables (musical)
Les Misérables , colloquially known as Les Mis or Les Miz , is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg, based on the novel of the same name by Victor Hugo....
).
Albums
| Year | Album details | Chart peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| UK UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
||
| 2008 | Only Men Aloud! Only Men Aloud! (album) - Track listing :-Charts:...
|
16 |
| 2009 | Band Of Brothers Band of Brothers (album) Band of Brothers is the second studio album by the choir Only Men Aloud!. Unlike their self-titled debut, it featured several traditional Welsh songs, the album closing with a version of "Land Of My Fathers"... Universal Music Group Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations... , Decca Records Decca Records Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades.... |
21 |
Singles
| Year | Single | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | "All By Myself All by Myself "All by Myself" is a power ballad written and performed by Eric Carmen in 1975.The verse is based on the second movement of Sergei Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Opus 18... " |
Only Men Aloud! |
| 2009 | "Total Eclipse of the Heart Total Eclipse of the Heart "Total Eclipse of the Heart" is a song written and produced by Jim Steinman and recorded by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler for her fifth studio album, Faster Than the Speed of Night... " |
Band of Brothers |