Choirmaster sings praises of parents

CHOIRMASTER Gareth Malone was thrilled to be given an OBE and said he was indebted to his long-suffering parents for putting up with his hours of piano practice.

By The Newsroom

Published 16th Jun 2012, 07:00 BST

He has become familiar to TV viewers for his many BBC shows in which he turns raw recruits into concert performers.

He said: “This a great honour and one I’m thrilled about. It is extra special to receive an OBE during the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations, having just performed at the Jubilee concert.”

He was approached by TV producers while working with choirs at the London Symphony Orchestra. The resulting series, The Choir, was seen by more than three million viewers and he has gone on to work on five more choir TV projects, as well as children’s programmes. Father-of-one Malone took his Military Wives choir – assembled for a BBC2 show last year – to number one. He then guided them on Gary Barlow’s Diamond Jubilee anthem Sing.

BBC