[MUSIC PLAYING]
[MUSIC - "THIS LITTLE LIGHT OF
 MINE"]
SPEAKER: Yeah!
[APPLAUSE, CHEERING]
NICK MICELI: Hello.
EDWARD BUTTON: Hey.
NICK ASHBY: How's it going?
NICK MICELI: Thank you,
everyone, for coming.
Thank you to the King's Singers.
JONATHAN HOWARD: Thank you.
NICK MICELI: Welcome.
I would love to get a chance for
interview to introduce herself.
Maybe give us your
name, your part,
and how long you've been
in the King's Singers.
PATRICK DUNACHIE: Hi, guys.
I'm called Pat.
And I sing high
countertenor, so sort
of the equivalent of soprano
if you're in a normal chorus.
And I've been in
the group-- this
is my fourth year
as a King's Singer.
EDWARD BUTTON: My name's Eddie.
And I'm the second countertenor.
And I have been in the group
since January 2019, so just
over a year.
JULIAN GREGORY: Hey, guys.
I'm Julian.
I'm the tenor,
slightly higher voice.
And this is my sixth year now.
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON: Hey, guys.
I'm Chris.
And I've been in the group
for about eight years.
I'm first baritone
or tenor with a cold.
[LAUGHTER]
NICK ASHBY: Hello, I'm Nick.
I sing second baritone,
so between the tenor
with a cold and
Jonny's luscious bass.
I've been in the group
also just over a year.
I joined at the
same time as Eddie.
JONATHAN HOWARD: I'm Jonny.
I'm the luscious bass.
And I've been in the group
for just under 10 years.
NICK MICELI: Awesome.
Thank you so much for joining.
The-- if you don't
know, the King's Singers
was founded in 1968 and has
had now 26 different members
over those 52 years.
It's earned Grammys.
It's earned an Emmy.
It's performed in countless live
performances around the globe.
It's just an incredible group.
So my first question is, since
we have a few members here
who are in their
first year, what is it
like joining such
a historic group?
Because I kind of
imagine it's a little bit
like you come in
on your first day,
and there's this big
repertoire that they just--
please memorize that
by Tuesday, right?
EDWARD BUTTON: It is a
little bit like that.
But thankfully, my colleagues
helped prepare me in the three
or four months beforehand.
We had have a few rehearsals.
And I actually shadowed the
group in Estonia and also
when we were in the UK, which
was a wonderful opportunity
to kind of learn directly.
Because a lot of
the singing we do
here is very specific
to the group.
And it requires quite
a flexible voice.
And those few months before I
joined officially, in January
last year, were
invaluable to help learn
those skills to start with.
But ultimately, it was an
absolutely wonderful process
because you were all so
supportive and lovely.
And we have such fun
traveling the world together.
NICK ASHBY: Eddie.
EDWARD BUTTON: So that happens.
It carries on.
NICK ASHBY: There's
also something
really amazing about
joining, as you
say, this group with
an incredible heritage
of nearly 52 years now.
The group started,
as it May the 2nd--
May the 1st in 1968.
So if anyone does the
Google Doodle thing here,
then, you know, you've
something coming up.
[LAUGHTER]
But everywhere we
travel in the world,
we meet choirs and
singers who say, you know,
when I was a kid, I used to
love singing the King's Singers
arrangements.
And there's-- just as
a little stat for you,
there's over 2 and 1/2 million
copies of King's Singers
arrangements in
circulation in the world.
NICK MICELI: That's awesome.
NICK ASHBY: Which is incredible.
So yeah, to see the inspiration
that the group has provided
throughout the world
of classical music
and choral music, I should
say, is really awesome
to become a part of that.
NICK MICELI: It's kind of
fascinating seeing the--
you watch older interviews.
I saw one where you
were just the nascent
and new to the group.
And now, you're one of the more
senior members of the group.
So there's a lot of history.
There's a lot of, I imagine,
cultural patterns and norms
of the group.
How much of that do you feel
you all want to keep alive
and keep the same?
Or how much do you say,
nope, new people, the culture
changes, we're a
new group today?
What does that
balance look like?
JONATHAN HOWARD: I think it
varies from lineup to lineup.
I would say in the
group right now,
there is a strong
respect and love
for the things that made the
King's Singers famous when
they started.
And I think that
that was bringing
both a humor and
lightness to choral music
but also kind of bringing
the world of just sung music
together.
It wasn't just classical.
It wasn't just kind of collared
jacket [INAUDIBLE] stuff.
It was kind of
everything together.
And those principles
we really stand by.
People need to have a good time.
They need to be engaged by us.
We want to show
the world of music
that you can sing
is really broad,
and we can enjoy
it all together.
In terms of the specifics,
I think that's guided by us.
And it's not us kind of
rehashing the same projects.
It's saying, what do
we feel moved to do?
It's one of the great joys
of being a partnership.
Like, this is a professional
business partnership.
We are in charge.
And so we say, we
want to do this.
We will make this happen.
And so yeah, I think
we get to decide
what it is that we are moved to
give to the world at any given
time.
And sometimes that
might be something
that's happened before.
And sometimes, it might
be wildly different.
NICK MICELI: Given the King's
Singers being founded in 1968,
that was the height of
8-track's popularity.
It was before CDs.
It was certainly before Spotify,
or YouTube, or any of those.
So I mean, just in
terms of the culture
that drives musicality
has changed,
and where these
things are published,
and how people get
access to music,
I'm curious if you have
any thoughts on how
these new forces influence what
the King's Singers is today.
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON: I was
just going to say, I mean,
the LP, I don't think, has
ever been out of fashion.
And I think it's time for us
to have our first LP in about
30-odd years.
[LAUGHTER]
But we are constantly
looking at the music scene,
and how people are
engaging with music,
and how they're consuming music.
And so we had a recent
chat with our record label.
And now, it's gone from
a smaller percentage
to basically 50/50 in terms
of streaming and CD sales.
So we are constantly
thinking, right,
how do we engage with the
streaming services in a way?
Because you've got
about 10, 20, 30 seconds
to engage someone before
they click Next, you know?
So you have to think
a bit differently.
It's not necessarily
the concept album,
where people listen
to track 1 to the end.
And that's the journey
you want to take them on.
It's all shuffle play.
And so we have to
think a bit more
creatively about our projects
and things like that.
And I mean, Pat's
the guy in our group
who deals with social
media and things like that.
So he's got a few
more stats and things
on our streaming
services and things.
But that's an exciting part
of our business as well.
PATRICK DUNACHIE: Well, I
think one artistic challenge
to the move towards streaming
is a particularly-- quite
a recent one is the
playlist phenomenon, which
means that, somehow,
we've got to maintain
our artistic integrity, even
though the thing which really
pays bills now is being included
on a editorial playlist,
by say, Apple Music, or Spotify,
or your Google equivalent,
whatever it might be.
The danger is, therefore, that
everything becomes oh, we've
got to fit to that market,
and therefore, just
do sort of relaxing
bath music, essentially.
[LAUGHTER]
And I think there is
an element of that
because people associate
choral singing with relaxation
and reflectiveness.
And that's absolutely fine.
But I think there is a
challenge in the marketplace
at the moment of not all running
towards the chillout vibe
constantly and
trying to maintain
a sense of who you are
despite what playlists
do to people's art.
JONATHAN HOWARD:
Do you know what?
We should actually probably
sing the next track.
Because it's, like, a great
example of a piece, which--
you said that we
could just jump in.
So I would--
NICK MICELI: Do it.
That's what you're here for.
JONATHAN HOWARD:
But the next one
is a great example
of a track, which
is on our latest album,
"Finding Harmony," which
I know we'll talk about.
But it's a song which
fits so perfectly
with the message of the album.
And in terms of the
musical content,
it fits very nicely as well.
And yet, it's exactly
the kind of music
which also fits into kind
of like a choral, chill
relaxation, without having to
be shoehorned in in any way.
That's quite nice.
Anyway, I hope I
haven't oversold it now.
And you-- now what?
PATRICK DUNACHIE: It's
a song in Estonian.
And it is written by a
guy called Urmas Sisask.
And he grew up in
the '60s and '70s
while Estonia was fighting
for its independence
from the Soviet Union.
And choral music was
a huge part of that.
And you know, the Estonian
singing culture is huge.
So he grew up with these
huge protests and rallies
in Tallinn, where people
would sing together.
And that was part of
their way of expressing
their national identity.
And so this is in a mixture
of Latin and Estonian.
And it's a prayer called
"Helisab valjadel."
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON:
[BLOWS PITCH PIPE]
[MUSIC - "HELISAB VALJADEL"]
[APPLAUSE]
NICK MICELI: I think the
best thing about a capella
is the fact that you can just
stand up and just perform it.
That's it.
I don't have to
bring instruments on.
That's amazing.
JONATHAN HOWARD: It's quite
weird for us to have mics,
actually.
We're usually always acoustic.
So even this is kind of a piece
of apparatus we're not used to.
NICK MICELI: So I would love to
talk about "Finding Harmony."
That track was from
your newest album.
Tell me a little bit about it.
Because it is a fascinating
collection of music.
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON:
So this is an album
that was curated in a
restaurant in Austria,
where Pat brought this amazing
idea to us about the fact
that when we were
traveling around the world
on our 2018 50th
anniversary Gold Tour,
the world seemed to
be-- well, it still is.
But it certainly, a lot
of the places we were
sort of geopolitical hotspots.
We traveled in that year-- gosh.
Help me out here.
We went to--
JONATHAN HOWARD: Seoul, Beijing,
Taipei, Moscow, DC, London,
Paris, yeah.
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON: Where
a lot of things and the news
were sort of happening.
And we were going there.
And yet we were finding
that perhaps people
on both ends of the
political spectrum
were coming to our concerts.
And for two hours, they could
at least sit side by side
and enjoy the show.
And that kind of gave
us this amazing idea
of how music has brought people
together across the centuries
to help them in times of
oppression and whatnot.
And so then it was
a case of right,
let's go out and
do some research.
So Pat and Jonny
said, right, we're
going to look at different
periods of history.
And we each had a role.
I think Jules and I
did a bit of Georgia,
the country, not the state.
And I did Australia
and New Zealand.
Pat, you did--
PATRICK DUNACHIE: I did
the 1500s in Germany.
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON:
He loved it.
Jonny--
JONATHAN HOWARD: I
did everything else.
[LAUGHTER]
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON: So you
did Civil Rights America?
JONATHAN HOWARD: Yes,
civil rights in America.
We had apartheid South Africa.
And then lots of periods
from the last 100 years.
Whether that's the Holocaust,
or the Manchester bombings,
or the Time's Up
movement, there's
music that's been at
the heart of all of them
in one way or another,
whether we realize it or not.
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON:
And so we kind of each
had our field of expertise.
And we had to go
out and find people
who were real
leaders in that area
because we're not going to
just come in and say, hey,
we know all that there is
to know about such and such.
So that was a really
interesting conversation,
to develop these relationships
across a period of probably 18
months and continuing to this
day of experts in the field.
And they were language coaches.
They were arrangers.
They were musicologists,
all sorts of people.
And so that's been a fascinating
kind of personal journey,
to really learn a lot
more about these episodes
in history that
have created some
of the most beautiful
music or some of the most
poignant music, or some
of the most joyous music
to help them get over these
incredibly tough times.
So yeah, it's been a
voyage of discovery.
And to this day, it
wasn't that long ago
that we were on the
BBC News channel
and watching people in Wuhan
singing from their high rise
buildings songs of--
what's the word--
solidarity at this sort
of complete shutdown of
their city, which is amazing.
So "Finding Harmony"
is something
that's very much alive
and with us at the moment.
And that's kind of part
of the joy of this album
and our mission to bring a
bit of love to the world.
PATRICK DUNACHIE: And I think
we're not saying anything
through it that
people haven't said
before in some way or other.
It's often said music is a
common language that people--
that can bring people together
because you don't need
to know anything to feel
something when you hear or make
music.
But it's a question
for us of choosing
when-- when we're
giving performances,
we are essentially storytellers.
And it was, for us, about
choosing, in this year,
at this point in
history, what stories
do we want to tell through our
songs, through what we choose
to sing?
And we will always sing
music that we enjoy
and that we think is
beautiful and interesting.
But it was about saying, there
are some fascinating stories
from throughout history,
including some pretty niche
little bits of
history from countries
that don't often get
much of a looking,
and finding out how
music, for them,
has had such an
incredible impact
on their history, on their
culture, and their identity.
EDWARD BUTTON: It's been a
wonderful experience learning
all about these
different things.
The album has, I
think, 19 tracks
in 11 different languages.
And it covers more than-- is it
1,000 years of history roughly?
And it's just been
absolutely wonderful
learning such a sort
of variety of music.
I guess the King's
Singers has always been
known for eclectic repertoire.
And certainly, with this
album, we have continued that.
And it's been such a joy.
And thank you to my colleagues
who set the project up
before I arrived.
But it was a lot of
learning right at the start.
PATRICK DUNACHIE:
Although you guys
will be really pleased to
know that when Eddie came,
we had a fairly
disparate file management
system within the group.
And he insisted, nay,
dragged us onto Google Drive.
So you'll be very
pleased to know--
[CHEERING]
JONATHAN HOWARD: I forgot that.
PATRICK DUNACHIE: Me too.
Should we sing--
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON:
That was wonderful.
Well done.
PATRICK DUNACHIE:
We could sing you
another song now in a language
you probably don't speak
and you might not
even ever have heard,
which is the Scottish
Gaelic language.
JONATHAN HOWARD: Anyone
want to introduce this?
NICK ASHBY: Yeah, this
is a beautiful song
from the time of the
Highland Clearances
in Scotland, a pretty violent
period in their history, where
rebels fighting
against the crown,
trying to keep Scottish sort
of independence, if you will
were--
suffered pretty badly at the
hands of the English crown.
And here's a beautiful song
written by a guy called
John Cameron.
It's called, "O chi, chi mi
na morbheanna," which means,
"how I long for the
misty mountains."
So it's all about
yearning for the way
that life used to be before
the pretty tough times they
went through.
It was also sung
at JFK's funeral.
So yeah, here it is, arranged
by the great Scottish composer,
Sir James MacMillan.
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON:
[BLOWS PITCH PIPE]
[MUSIC - "O, CHI, CHI MI NA
 MORBHEANNA"]
[APPLAUSE]
NICK MICELI: It really
is fantastic to see
the diverse set
of stuff that you
put on to "Finding Harmony,"
from Xhosa to Gaelic to Kesha.
I would love to
hear a little bit
about how you came
up with that set list
and what that
process looked like.
JONATHAN HOWARD: That is a
challenging one because there
was so much more music that
we could have included that we
didn't.
Right?
And I think that the
key point here was to--
I always think about it--
when you're putting together
a program or an album,
it's like curating an
exhibition at a museum,
if you're in an art museum
like the Whitney or something.
And one of the joys
you have is you
get to decide how
the pieces of art
are arranged so that you can
get the maximum impact out
of each one.
So if you get loads of things
that are really similar
next to each other, it may not
have the same immediate effect
on someone who's receiving
it as if they see, like,
five different things.
And suddenly, the
particulars of each one
stand out more strongly.
NICK MICELI: The juxtaposition.
JONATHAN HOWARD: Exactly, those
juxtapositions are really key.
And so I think, for us,
it was like saying, look,
there is music from
over 1,000 years.
Let's take music from
across 1,000 years.
There's music in a way
more languages than this.
But let's take a huge
number of languages
and still doing so in a way
that makes sense in a concert.
You don't have to explain
the story between each piece.
So we'll have a section about
the Civil Rights movement
and a section about
the Reformation
so people can get slightly more
invested in how music really
made a difference.
But it was saying,
OK, what can we
do just to have maximum
impact and lots of variety?
So it was that predominantly.
And then it was
just what moves us.
We live in England.
And Ariana Grande,
one, doesn't normally
appear on a King's
Singers album.
Two, she doesn't normally
appear on an album
with the 16th century English
renaissance composer William
Byrd, let alone next to it.
That was Kesha, I think.
But the thing with that song
is that "One Last Time" was
the song that all of the artists
came on stage to sing together
at One Love Manchester, which
was the benefit concert that
was put on after the
Manchester bombings
during her concert at
the Manchester Arena,
as it was a kind of
sign of solidarity
of all of the
artists she'd invited
to come to help support
this cause to say,
we want to stand up
against terrorism,
and we want to show our love
for the city of Manchester.
So that's like a beautiful,
modern-day example
of how "Finding Harmony"
is happening today
in our own country.
And so that spoke to us a lot,
which is why it's on there.
Yeah.
NICK MICELI: I think
that's an excellent segue.
I would love to hear
a little bit more
about the King's Singers
Global Foundation
because that's very much tied
into this "Finding Harmony"
mission, isn't it?
So I would love to hear a
little bit about this charity
and what it means to
each of you, what it is.
EDWARD BUTTON: So the King's
Singers Global Foundation
has two branches, in
the UK and in the US.
And the main purpose
of it is really
to do "Finding Harmony"
in real time now.
We wanted not just
to have an album
but also to be able
to help with the world
through the power of music now.
And we're not promising
to change the world.
But clearly, there is a lot
to be said for healing divides
within societies through
the power of music.
It's a universal language.
And that really is
at the heart of what
we're trying to do with
the King's Singers Global
Foundation.
We have some really exciting
projects, outreach projects
for underprivileged people, who
normally wouldn't get teaching.
And we go in and give them
workshops and masterclasses.
And I'll tell you what.
When we do those, we leave them
with such a wonderful sense
of the power of music.
And I certainly feel
that one of my highlights
has been-- in the group so far,
in this first year and a half,
has been on those occasions
where we have done work
with our Global Foundation.
And it's such a joy.
If you'd like to find
out more about it,
you can go on to our website.
And if you would be
able to support us,
we would be so grateful.
JONATHAN HOWARD: Yeah, it's--
I think what's magical is
that these kind of ways
in which music brings
people joy and harmony,
manifests itself in
very different ways.
So we have a project in
the UK at the moment.
It's called Finding
Harmony Live.
And it's happening in May.
And in it, we've got three
Finding Harmony ambassador
choirs that we've chosen.
One is the Prison
Choir Project so it's
inmates in prison who are being
brought together through song.
One is called Sound
About, which is
for people, predominantly
young people
with severe either
learning difficulties,
or disabilities, or
mental disabilities.
And they are brought
together through song
and are taught how to interact
with each other through it
and to function
as part of a team.
And the other one
is called-- well,
the larger company's called
Together Productions.
And within it, there's something
called the Mixed Up Chorus,
which is designed as a choir
for people who don't necessarily
feel like they belong anywhere.
So the number of
nationalities is vast.
Some people are nationless.
The number of languages
spoken is enormous.
And yet, it's specifically
designed that song
will bring them together.
So we are bringing
those three choirs.
We're going to work
with them for free.
And then we're bringing those
three choirs together-- so
already people that
wouldn't normally
be together coming together.
And we're going to be making
music with all of them,
getting them to
sing to each other,
getting to meet each
other, and showing them
that music just has this
incredible binding power.
And they will hopefully
leave very happy, as will we,
I think.
But that's just
one example of us
trying to really put into
practice what we're saying.
If we believe this, and we
have a platform to do it,
then we want to try and do it.
So that's it.
NICK MICELI: That's fantastic.
Tell me a little bit about
what this schedule is like,
between running a
global foundation now,
between the UK and the US, and
doing 120 concerts a year round
about.
How?
When?
JULIAN GREGORY: Well, it's
funny you should ask, actually,
because one of the sort
of common questions we
get after concerts is, so are
you guys doing this full time?
Which we always find slightly
amusing because it feels
like, certainly from
what we're doing,
that we're working pretty hard.
[LAUGHTER]
I mean, it's very
much a full-time job.
I guess we're just all
really, really motivated.
As soon as you get--
as we've mentioned, this
group is 52 years old now.
And as soon as you get
the option to audition,
and then if you're lucky
enough to be chosen--
we all feel very, very lucky
to be a part of this group.
And so, you know,
particularly we're generally
recruited quite young, straight
out of college normally,
not always.
And so at that stage,
you're 22, 23 years old.
You've just joined,
you know, purportedly
a pretty good a capella group
that's pretty well-known.
And so the first feeling
is, oh, my goodness.
I can't believe this happening.
This is a dream job.
And then, I think you become--
after a year or two, you start
to realize, OK, this is insane.
I'm really enjoying this now.
I want to give something back.
I don't deserve this.
You know?
Why are there so many people out
there who don't have this job?
And so we make time to
do what we've got to do,
which is perform
and do all that.
But to really-- this global
foundation, the Finding
Harmony, has felt very
natural, and indeed,
right to all of us, which
sounds like a really weird thing
to say.
And we don't-- I don't think
we really think about--
we don't clock up the hours.
We're not in the office
from 9:00 to 5:30.
We are constantly sort
of online, doing our bit.
We've all got our
own individual jobs.
The way in which we can manage
the amount of time we put out
is by having individual
roles within the group.
So, as I think Jonny mentioned
earlier, we are a partnership.
So we can really work
together as a team.
But it's-- the motivation is
really just from that of trying
to help people and giving back
this kind of amazing musical
kind of position that we have.
EDWARD BUTTON: We
should probably
say that Jules actually
keeps us on the straight
and narrow from day
to day because he's
the one who manages our schedule
when we're on tour, which
is an extremely important job.
But I would just like to
add that I think what makes
it possible is our friendship.
And we make each other laugh
many, many, many times a day.
JULIAN GREGORY: Too much.
EDWARD BUTTON: Yeah,
probably too much.
And that really
means that this job,
where we're away from
family and loved ones
for long, long periods of time--
thank goodness we have
video calls nowadays.
But it makes it
possible and wonderful
to spend time with these people.
And I mean, I think the skills
in my colleagues are just--
I'm in awe of all the
abilities that they have.
JULIAN GREGORY: Thank you.
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON:
We thank you.
[LAUGHTER]
EDWARD BUTTON: Which does
mean that we can work really,
really well as a high performing
team, which is wonderful.
NICK MICELI: That's fantastic.
Do you want to?
JONATHAN HOWARD:
[INAUDIBLE] shall we-- yeah,
shall sing something?
Apparently, we're a
high performing team.
So let's see if we
can perform highly.
PATRICK DUNACHIE:
Highly performing, yes.
JONATHAN HOWARD: Let's
put that word to the test.
PATRICK DUNACHIE: I
was going to say--
is there anyone here
from Scalability?
Yes.
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON:
Hey, [INAUDIBLE]..
NICK MICELI: Nice.
PATRICK DUNACHIE: This is--
you're an a capella group,
I understand, with the best
name in the history of names.
[LAUGHTER]
NICK MICELI: The New York one.
We're not going to throw
shade at the other offices,
but we're kind of the best.
PATRICK DUNACHIE:
I'm sure you are.
I'm sure you are.
I thought-- maybe for those--
particularly those of you
who are in a capella
groups, or maybe you've
come because you're
interested in music,
we could talk a little bit
about the sounds that we make.
As well as, you know, what's
going on behind the scenes,
let's talk a little bit
about the way we create
a sort of signature
sound because there
are thousands and thousands
of a capella groups around.
And it's quite hard to
define your own USP.
We're lucky that it
started so long ago
that there's a sort of
DNA in our sound, which
we can sort of carry on.
But this next song that
we're going to sing
is a really good example of the
sort of quintessential King's
Singers sound, which is--
maybe someone else
should describe it.
I'll shut up for a bit.
NICK ASHBY: No, no, go ahead.
PATRICK DUNACHIE: It's--
JONATHAN HOWARD: Do it.
PATRICK DUNACHIE: It's some--
it should be sort of
inviting and warm.
None of us sings hugely
loudly from within the group.
We sing sort of at
a medium dynamic.
But the effect of
our voices combined,
blended is such that it
should feel really warm
and like you're getting
into a warm bath
is what people have often said.
And so this next
song is a folk song
where, for lots of
the piece, we're
all singing exactly the
same words at the same time.
And we sing them in
quite a delicate way,
with quite clear diction
at the front of the mouth.
And we use quite a
soft type of tone
because, within
your voice, you can
sing really harsh and
stridently through to something
really fluffy.
Think Billie Eilish.
JONATHAN HOWARD: Why
don't demonstrate just--
PATRICK DUNACHIE: No, not today.
JONATHAN HOWARD: You'll hear.
PATRICK DUNACHIE:
Yeah, you will hear it.
And for this, we
try and make a sort
of a blended, corporate sound
by taking some of the edges
off, taking a little bit of the
personality out of each voice
to make it sound like one
instrument while we're singing.
I don't know.
Maybe you can give
us some feedback
after we finish because it's
scary setting up like that.
But there we go.
This one is-- do you
want to introduce it.
EDWARD BUTTON: Yes, this is
called "Dance Ti Thy Daddy."
And it's an English folk
song, which is a big part
of the King's
Singers' repertoire.
And we really, really
love singing folk songs.
And it paints life in an
English fishing village
in the 19th century.
And there's a lot of
dancing, a lot of drinking,
and a lot of fish.
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON:
[BLOWS PITCH PIPE]
[MUSIC - "DANCE TI THY DADDY"]
[APPLAUSE]
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON: I hope
that felt like a warm bath
with some bubbles on top.
NICK ASHBY: And a rubber
ducky, maybe, somewhere.
NICK MICELI: Since
you invited, there
are microphones in
the aisles if people
would like to come up and ask
questions, or get feedback,
since they asked for feedback.
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON: Hey.
NICK MICELI: In
the meantime, I do
want to say there is a lot
of similarities in the way
you describe both the way
you come together as a team,
the way you support each
other out on the road,
and the way you bring
the culture of the group
as it was as well as your new,
fresh perspectives to, I think,
of the way we think
of teamwork at Google.
On an engineering team, you
have a culture that extends.
You have people that leave,
new people that come in,
new ideas that come and go.
And certainly, there's
challenges too,
as you bring in new
personalities, new perspectives
that always don't align well
with the culture as it was.
So I'd love to hear
your perspectives
on some of the challenges
and strengths of having
a team where people
come and go and change
and keeping the core of
what the King's Singers are.
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON:
Yeah, well, I
think one of the first
things that I was encouraged
to think about was that
I was not a replacement,
I was a successor.
So I brought different skills
from my predecessor, who
had been in the job
for 18 years and had
left a vast body of
arrangements behind,
as well as all sorts
of other things.
And I sort of thought,
wow, actually, there's
four of us who have
come in from people
who had been doing
the job for anywhere
between 17 and 26 years,
which is a huge legacy.
And so certainly, I
felt a little bit--
at the beginning, a little
bit burdened by the thought
of, wow, 18 years.
How can I ever live up to what
people's expectations have
been?
Because over 18 years,
there's a whole lot
of people who have
come into the group
as a fan, who would only know
him in that lineup, you know?
And so what do you do if you're
the new kid on the block?
So I was encouraged to be
myself and to bring my Kiwiness.
I will say, I'm a
proud New Zealander.
But with-- my mother
was from England, so
I have dual citizenship.
And I'm proud to be both.
But when it comes to
rugby and cricket,
it's very much New Zealand.
You probably don't
know what cricket is.
NICK ASHBY: How'd that go
for you in the World Cup,
[INAUDIBLE]?
CHRISTOPHER
BRUERTON: Yeah, let's
not talk about the World Cup.
One of [INAUDIBLE]----
moving swiftly along.
But yeah, so for me,
it's a kind of a case of,
what can I bring, which
is not Phil Lawson,
as much as I love him.
But it's what's Chris Bruerton
and how can I find my place?
And eight years in, I'm
feeling a lot more comfortable
as to where I fit in and
as a kind of caretaker
of the baritone 1 role before
I hand it on to the next person
to bring their sort of
thoughts to the job.
PATRICK DUNACHIE: There's
one interesting thing,
I think, which we talked
about when we were celebrating
our 50th anniversary
a few years ago,
which is about how
to preserve some
of the spirit of
the original guys.
Because when they
started out in 1968,
there was generally nothing
really quite like this.
And they were-- they almost
sort of created a new genre
in choral music in doing this.
And so inherent in
what they set up
was something original, and
innovative, and new, and fresh.
And so there's always that
juxtaposition, or sort
of balance to be had between
preserving the traditions that
got passed down
from those people
through to us versus maintaining
the spirit that started
it, which is innovative,
fresh, new, dynamic.
And so I think that's
an interesting one
is trying to remain
creative and remain
at the front of our industry,
like those original guys were,
whilst not disrespecting
the thing that they set up.
The two sides of the coin are
a real interesting balance
for us.
NICK MICELI: I think
that's wonderfully said.
EDWARD BUTTON: I
think also what helps
is that King's Singers
have tended to stay
for long periods of time.
People have been very
loyal to the group.
And that's quite rare, I
think, in the industry.
And it means that we can
pass those traditions
down and those styles of singing
down much more effectively.
I think the average length
tenure is about 10 years.
Is that right?
10--
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON: 12.
PATRICK DUNACHIE: 12 years, OK.
So people tend to stay
between 10 and 15 years.
And the longest,
I think you said,
is 26, which is completely
amazing, really.
So it's wonderful
to feel at the newer
end of that body of
knowledge, to learn so much.
JONATHAN HOWARD:
We have a question.
AUDIENCE: Yeah, I had
a couple questions.
NICK ASHBY: Sure.
AUDIENCE: One,
sort of playing off
that, I was wondering how
active the alumni are.
I know for a lot
of singing groups,
there's a lot of alumni
reunions and things.
I didn't know whether that
was something that happened
or whether that would
be too intimidating
on the current members.
And then my other question
was, you have such great blend
and intonation and all that.
And I didn't know.
Is that just because they
picked really great singers
that sing well together?
Or do you have particular
exercises or things
you do to make sure that you
blend well and all of that?
PATRICK DUNACHIE:
Great questions.
JULIAN GREGORY: So
with the alumni,
we have a really good
relationship with them,
actually.
Particularly-- which is
something more applicable
to the current lineup--
around the 50th
anniversary, just before
Nick and Eddie's time.
But we decided that
was a great opportunity
to invite all the alumni back.
We had a large reunion
event at the spiritual home
of King's College,
Cambridge, which
is where the original guys
in '68 were all students.
So we had a dinner there.
And we invited everyone.
And most of them made it,
and even from America.
And since then, it's really
kind of rejuvenated a wonderful
connection with them.
And we've been reflecting
on this recently, actually.
But the connection
to the originals
and the former members
is really important.
It's like a family, really.
They are-- the originals are
basically our grandparents,
the King's Singers'
grand-daddies, if you like.
And they've got a whole wealth
of experience and knowledge.
The stories are amazing.
But also, they've gone on after
they've finished in the group
to do amazing things
and start new choirs.
Simon Carrington spent
a good number of years
at Yale, doing awesome
things there, all sorts--
all the guys have gone on to do
interesting, different things,
generally within
the world of music.
some in broadcasting as well.
So yeah, we can learn
a lot from that.
And we're very grateful to them.
I'll pass on the second
question to someone else.
PATRICK DUNACHIE: I think
the key thing in answer
to your blend-balance-intonation
thing is, we are--
I hope we are decent singers.
No one's got a horrible
voice at least.
But we're not the
world's best six sing--
oh, that's a dangerous
one to get wrong.
The best six singers in
the world, by any stretch.
The thing that we are able to
do is to listen to each other
really well.
And more key to
making our sound,
I think particularly in
the realms of intonation
and balance and
blend, is that we
are willing to lend
our ears to the project
as much as our voices, and in
the purpose of trying to create
this one-instrument
sound is not project
our own musical or vocal
egos into the mix too much
and be willing to ride the
way that the group goes.
And I think it wouldn't
be unfair to say
that, through the
course of a concert,
not every piece stays
immaculately in tune
every time.
And it might drift up,
or it might drift down.
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON:
Don't tell them that.
[LAUGHTER]
PATRICK DUNACHIE:
But the secret is--
JONATHAN HOWARD: That's
what auto tune's for.
[LAUGHTER]
PATRICK DUNACHIE:
But the secret is
that we stay in
tune with ourselves,
like a swarm of birds.
They don't fly in
a straight line,
but they follow each
other really neatly,
and they stay as a pack.
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON: But our
pitch doesn't waver that much.
[LAUGHTER]
NICK ASHBY: Speak for yourself.
PATRICK DUNACHIE: I
hope that answers it.
NICK ASHBY: We have
another question.
PATRICK DUNACHIE: Yeah.
AUDIENCE: Hey, guys.
Thanks for being here.
You talked about
how you're using--
you know, whether it's
Spotify, or YouTube,
or social media to engage with
audiences, which is fantastic.
I'm glad to hear that.
And we just talk
about auto tuning.
So I was actually
curious whether or not
you actually are using
software or tech in ways
to produce music,
or whether it's
learning music, or
recording an album,
and how to strike the delicate
balance of not overdoing it,
which we know can
happen as well.
NICK ASHBY: Yeah,
well, the group is--
I think it's fair to
say-- a couple of decades
ago were, again,
at the forefront
of the sort of recording
technology for a capella music.
They would often
multitrack themselves
to give this sort of awesome
sort of choral reverb effect.
And since then, lots
of amazing a capella
groups around the world have
been doing that as well.
So recently, we've decided
to sort of like scale back
to like one of our
USPs, which is hopefully
being able to do that live.
So we record everything in a
room, all six of us together
round microphones.
Not one at a time and
then micro-tuning.
And we take the best
takes that we've recorded.
In terms of yeah,
learning repertoire,
we tend to just do it from
our own a capella recordings.
I think that's a
nice sort of-- you
connect to a heart of
the music through that.
And I think once you get
too far down the rabbit
hole of melodyne or
micro-tuning things,
you can risk losing a bit of
the soul, I personally think.
EDWARD BUTTON: Yeah, [INAUDIBLE]
One cool project that
I wasn't part of--
and one of my colleagues
can maybe explain it
in more detail-- is actually
the cover of our album,
"Finding Harmony," is actually
a visual representation
of our sound.
So we recorded One"
Day," which is-- is it
the first track on the album?
JONATHAN HOWARD: It is.
EDWARD BUTTON: The opening
track on the album.
And then we sent it to
a collaborator of ours,
who I'll let Jonny talk
a bit more about it.
And he created a whole
sort of song of artwork
that goes alongside it.
So that's actually a visual
representation of our singing.
JONATHAN HOWARD: It's funny
because that actually links me
back to Google.
I had a big conversation
with your Google
[INAUDIBLE] out in
California a while ago
because we were doing this
project about the intersection
of music and art and
technology, and working
with a guy who was
an artist/coder
called Felix [INAUDIBLE],,
based in the UK.
And he has done a lot to try
and visually represent sound.
He's worked with Imogen Heap
and various other people.
And we wanted to see
could we do something
where we could kind
of create live art out
of live performance.
And so on our actual
50th birthday on the 1st
of May, 19--
2018, sorry.
We did this project in
a church crypt in London
with this big gauze
hanging in front of us.
And as we were singing,
dependent on diction,
and pitch, and dynamic,
things which are really,
really specifically
attuned to voices, not just
like when you see
symphony orchestras,
and it's about sort
of notes, and volume--
this was really about
the human voice.
For different pieces, it was
represented in different ways.
But there was sort of live
art happening directly
in front of us on this kind of
completely transparent gauze
while we were singing.
So it's kind of a
two-layered thing.
Anyway, it's very much in the
vein of "Finding Harmony."
"Finding Harmony" isn't just
about bringing people together,
but for us, also about bringing
kind of cultural disciplines
together.
So what better than the front
than to take the final cord
from the very first
track on the album.
It's a song by Michel Legrand.
It's called "One Day."
And it's a song about hope.
And give that to
Felix, and see, can
you make something
which kind of visually
shows kind of the voices coming
together, so that it kind of--
"Finding Harmony," on
a single-layered thing,
could sounded quite a trite
title for a capella album.
But actually, there
are lots of layers
here, where it shows
that it's really
about seeing all the ways
in which harmony can be made
manifest, from everything
from the cover,
to the track listing,
to the way we sing it.
There we are.
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON:
One more question.
AUDIENCE: Yeah, my question
is about your place
in the choral community.
You guys are obviously
pretty well known.
And I wonder if you do
any sort of outreach
to kind of spread
lessons that you've
learned over 50-plus
years of working together
as such a close team and
how you try to spread
those lessons to other people.
PATRICK DUNACHIE: Yes.
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON:
Yeah, well, I agree.
As a former teacher myself, one
of the great joys in this job
is to give back.
And I miss teaching in
the classroom a lot.
But I get so many opportunities
each year with these guys
to teach with.
And it's an
hour-long masterclass
like we did last night in Ithaca
before we drove and arrived
here after midnight sometime.
Or that could be as long as
a six-day residential summer
school, where we're teaching
after breakfast until dinner
every day.
So if any of you are interested
in joining us and spending
six days eating breakfast,
lunch, and dinner
and having some fun
together, that'll
be in Princeton at
the end of June.
So I wasn't planning
on doing a plug.
But here we go,
because you asked.
And that's really amazing
because the last summer school
we did in Cambridge
last year had
the most different nationalities
that we'd ever had--
21 nationalities.
So that was really cool.
And we put individuals
together into an ensemble.
And then we teach them.
And it's amazing that
these people who have never
met before can
somehow find a way
to work through some of
our guiding principles
in terms of how to be an
a capella ensemble, how
to listen, essentially,
that by the end of the week,
they are a fully
functioning ensemble, making
amazing music, and
all unconducted,
and just listening.
And it's pretty
inspiring to see.
People, I think, they
surprise themselves
at how it can be done because
they are in their own choirs,
in their own places
slogging away every week.
And here they are, in six
days, making incredible music.
EDWARD BUTTON:
Some of the people
that we worked with in
Cambridge told us afterwards
how it was kind of quite
life-changing for them,
in a way.
Some of them are going
through difficult times.
And coming together
in a safe space
to sing together and
be-- and learn and open
their hearts to
this discipline was
something that was very, very
powerful for them and for us.
I mean, it's definitely one of
my most wonderful experiences.
I was terrified
of doing teaching
before I joined this job.
But the week in Cambridge
last year-- and I'm
so looking forward to Princeton.
It's going to be wonderful.
JULIAN GREGORY: Can I
just make a small point,
which kind refers
back to a question
you asked earlier,
Nick, which is,
you talked about the
partnership element
and how it's similar to you
guys at Google and your teams.
But I think, actually,
funny enough,
if we can work on those
guiding principles
that we've learned from the
last 52 years of King's Singers
being around, through the
musical aspect of that,
I think--
which is to say--
Pat was saying earlier, almost
listening more than you're
giving your own voice.
Musically, we're
working together
as such a tight team on
the stage that offstage,
those same principles manifest
themselves through our work
that we're doing, so
our individual jobs
within the team.
And as long as we're
getting on with those--
at the end of day,
it's kind of the team--
the overall effect
which is so powerful.
So it's kind of--
I think if we stick to--
it goes to show how doing
music, singing together,
can be really great, not
just for music making,
but actually for life and
for kind of social things
and [INAUDIBLE] I think.
NICK MICELI: That's fantastic.
PATRICK DUNACHIE: We've
got another question.
Would you mind if we
sang a song first?
AUDIENCE: No.
PATRICK DUNACHIE:
We've got a time limit,
and I'd love to
hear your question.
But should we just sing
our penultimate tune?
CHRISTOPHER
BRUERTON: Yeah, yeah.
PATRICK DUNACHIE: Yeah.
We were going to sing one more
very famous folk song that
doesn't need introducing.
So we won't introduce it.
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON:
[BLOWS PITCH PIPE]
[MUSIC - "O DANNY BOY"]
[APPLAUSE]
NICK ASHBY: Please.
AUDIENCE: That was beautiful.
Thank you.
I was just wondering if you
could talk a little about how
you rehearse and when you learn
a new song, how much time you
spend rehearsing it.
NICK ASHBY: Great question.
We probably, over
the course of a year,
probably offer about
10 different programs,
so that'll be 10 two-hour-long
shows, which is obviously quite
a lot of repertoire.
As we're on the road lots of
the time, we have about a couple
of days, maybe, a term--
a couple days per term
rehearsing for the upcoming
tours and shows.
And then when we're
on the road, we'll
have up to two hours
a day to rehearse
for that night's show
and then any music that's
coming up in the future.
So sometimes, we'll be seeing
an awesome show of love songs,
and we have to be rehearsing
some obscure, Georgian 10th
century repertoire.
And it is quite amazing,
disparate musical existence
at times.
But it's great.
It sort of keeps us
trickling along like that.
[INAUDIBLE] we see each
other so much of the time.
And it's nice to
rehearse on the road.
Yeah.
I hope that answers
your question.
AUDIENCE: I just wondered
how much of your music
do you arrange yourselves.
And of that, are there are
certain individuals who
do the arrangements?
Do you work together?
How does that work?
PATRICK DUNACHIE: Yeah, we
do a little bit of that.
That's quite an important
part of our institution's DNA.
Thanks for your question.
It is-- yeah, ever
since the early days,
as people within the group with
the interest and the skills
to do it have been
writing arrangements
because no one knows how we
work and our voices better
than the people in the
team at any given time.
So quite often, we do
ask external composers
and arrangers to help us out.
And we ask them to
arrange a certain song.
But where we have the
time and the willingness,
we do do it ourselves.
And I think in the
current team, Nick, Chris,
and I are the three who
probably do the most of it.
And on the last
couple of albums,
there's been arrangements
by the three of us in there.
But I mean, it's also
a joy to collaborate
with other arrangers.
And they often bring a
new and interesting voice.
And I think, for example,
the final song that we're
going to sing in a bit,
whenever that may be,
is by someone we've never
had an arrangement from
before, a Mexican
guy called Jorge.
And he did something
incredible with the song.
And I think if we had chosen
to arrange that song in-house,
we would never have got
to the incredible place
that he got to with
the fresh perspective.
So there's sort of
two sides to it.
But it's definitely
something we enjoy doing.
And it's valuable to us.
NICK MICELI: I will
say, unfortunately,
we're about out of time.
So I want to make sure
I get a chance to plug.
And then if you want to
give that final number,
you can feel free.
Please, KingsSingers.com.
King's Singers on Twitter,
Instagram, and Facebook,
Spotify, and Apple Music.
And you can go on
to KingsSingers.com
for your upcoming tour dates.
These guys are around the world.
So please check them out.
And please give them
another round of applause
Thank you, again, for
coming and performing.
[APPLAUSE, CHEERING]
PATRICK DUNACHIE: [INAUDIBLE]?
NICK MICELI: If you'd love
to close us out, please.
Feel free.
PATRICK DUNACHIE: Yeah,
well, just on that note,
if you go onto our website and
click on the Concerts page,
you'll find out that
the next concert is
tomorrow in New York City.
So we may as well tell you now.
We are doing a show called
Audience for the King's Singers
at St. Thomas
Church, 5th Avenue.
And there's still
tickets available.
I don't know if you
guys have been in there.
But it's a very,
very beautiful space
with an incredible
musical tradition
going on there all the time.
So if any of you
happen to be around,
we'd love to see you there.
And please, introduce
yourself afterwards.
We'd love to say hi.
Final song?
Someone else talk
about that one.
JONATHAN HOWARD: Go on, right.
So this is also from
"Finding Harmony."
It's a song from Mexico.
And it's a song that was
written in the 19th century
and is now basically a Mexican
second national anthem.
And what we love
about it is that it's
a song that kind of works in
so many different occasions.
It's a song that works
in times of triumph.
We all heard it-- like when
during the soccer World Cup
in 2018, Mexico kind of like--
I think was it unexpectedly
beat Sweden, I think was--
PATRICK DUNACHIE: Germany.
JONATHAN HOWARD:
Germany, Germany.
That's right.
We unexpectedly beat Sweden.
That's right.
Germany.
Yeah.
Good to remember.
And this came up
from the stadium.
And then likewise,
during the earthquake
in 2017 in Mexico
City, this song
was heard kind of
coming from the streets
as people searched for
bodies in the rubble.
So it's an example of finding
harmony kind of happening
in so many different contexts.
And some of you may know it.
It's called "Cielito lindo."
CHRISTOPHER BRUERTON:
[BLOWS PITCH PIPE]
[MUSIC - "CIELITO LINDO"]
[APPLAUSE, CHEERING]
