Only Boys Aloud | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Wales |
| Genres | Choral music |
| Occupation(s) | Youth choir |
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Labels | Relentless UK |
| Members | Choral members |
| Website | www |
Only Boys Aloud is a Wales-based boys' choir founded by choral director Tim Rhys-Evans. Only Boys Aloud finished third in the Britain's Got Talent competition in May 2012 and released their debut album in November 2012.
Only Boys Aloud was founded in May 2010 by Tim Rhys-Evans. [1] Rhys-Evans, who founded Only Men Aloud in 2000, brought 144 boys onstage to sing with Only Men Aloud at the opening of the National Eisteddfod in Ebbw Vale in 2010. According to Rhys-Evans, he intended to use this one-time event to gauge the level of interest in a Welsh boys' choir. The event led to the formation of an organization, the Aloud Charity, [2] which funds Only Boys Aloud. [3] Rhys-Evans "'noticed choirs were getting older and older, which went hand in hand with a breakdown in the traditional sense of community in South Wales'", and he desired to "'inject some new blood into the Welsh tradition of choir singing'". [1] According to Rhys-Evans, he also wanted to help boys in economically depressed areas of Wales: "'Choral singing is a stronghold of the Valleys and I wanted to use it as a way of getting teenage boys doing something positive'". [4]
In December 2011, Only Boys Aloud joined forces with its father company, Only Men Aloud, to perform on the final night of Only Men Aloud's arena tour at the Motorpoint Arena Cardiff and also featured on their Christmas CD.[ citation needed ] They have been the subject of two TV documentaries[ citation needed ] and appeared on BBC's Songs of Praise . [5] Only Boys Aloud have appeared at many events, including at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff with Dame Shirley Bassey and Catherine Zeta-Jones in the "Ryder Cup Welcome to Wales" concert. [6]
The choir gained publicity when they auditioned for the ITV talent show Britain's Got Talent . They performed " Calon Lân " in their audition, [7] which was aired on the first audition episode on 24 March 2012. With support of all judges, they progressed to the semi-finals.[ citation needed ] In the semi-final, they performed " Gwahoddiad ". After a split decision of the judges, the public vote sent them to the finals. [7] In the final, on 12 May, they again performed "Calon Lân" and finished third in the competition. [1] According to Wales Online, Only Boys Aloud "won over the nation when they took third place on ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent". [8]
In August 2012, it was announced that Only Boys Aloud had signed a record deal with Relentless Records–Sony Music. The news was announced at the opening concert of the National Eisteddfod in the Vale of Glamorgan. [8] The choir's self-titled debut album was released in November 2012. [8] [9] "Calon Lân" went into the number one position on the iTunes classical singles chart[ citation needed ] and the choir developed a list of TV and radio credits, including This Morning , Songs of Praise , Who Wants To Be A Millionaire: Christmas Special, All Star Christmas Presents, and Stepping Out with Katherine Jenkins .[ citation needed ]
In 2018, Only Boys Aloud released an album entitled A New Generation. [10]
As of September 2019, the Aloud Charity sponsored 14 choirs throughout Wales. Only Boys Aloud choirs do not require auditions and do not charge fees to members. [11]
Ioan Gruffudd is a Welsh actor. He first came to public attention as Fifth Officer Harold Lowe in Titanic (1997), and then for his portrayal of Horatio Hornblower in the Hornblower series of television films (1998–2003). Subsequent roles have included Lancelot in King Arthur (2004), Reed Richards / Mister Fantastic in Fantastic Four (2005) and its 2007 sequel, William Wilberforce in Amazing Grace (2006), and Tony Blair in W. (2008).
Cerys Matthews is a Welsh singer, songwriter, author, and broadcaster. She was a founding member of Welsh rock band Catatonia and a leading figure in the "Cool Cymru" movement of the late 1990s.
"Calon Lân" is a Welsh hymn, the words of which were written in the 1890s by Daniel James (Gwyrosydd) and sung to a tune by John Hughes. The song was originally written as a hymn, but has become firmly established as a rugby anthem, associated with the Welsh rugby union, being sung before almost every Test match involving the Welsh national team – though more likely to be heard sung at matches involving the Welsh football team in recent years. In 2007 the song was one of the traditional Welsh songs to make it to the screen in an S4C television series Codi Canu, an attempt to bring traditional four-part harmony choral singing back to the Welsh rugby terraces.
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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.
This article is about the particular significance of the year 2010 to Wales and its people.
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Sophie Gwen Jenkins is a Welsh singer and actress, who played Glinda in the West End production of Wicked (2017), and Dorothy in the 2011 musical The Wizard of Oz.
Timothy Rhys-Evans MBE FRWCMD is a Welsh conductor and best known as the founder and musical director of the choir Only Men Aloud! and Only Boys Aloud. He also formed the children's choir Only Kids Aloud in 2012.
This article is about the particular significance of the year 2011 to Wales and its people.
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This article is about the particular significance of the year 2014 to Wales and its people.
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