King's Singers Interview BY ME!

About three weeks ago I got an e-mail from a woman at First Chair Promotion. She asked me if I would like to interview the King's Singers for my blog.

No, really.

I replied (after I picked my jaw up off the floor) "That's a rhetorical question, right? Of course I want to interview the King's Singers!"

So she sent me a copy of their latest CD, Simple Gifts, so I could listen to it and ask informed questions about it during the interview, and we scheduled a time - they are currently on an Asian tour, and exactly twelve hours off from Boston.

And Sunday night, via phone, I conducted at interview with Stephen Connolly, the bass in the King's Singers! He was kind enough to get up early the morning after a concert in Hong Kong to talk to me at 9 am, and he was utterly charming and full of fascinating information. And you, lucky reader, get to hear our conversation! Click here to listen! It's an hour long. Be aware that my voice is louder than his - you will probably have to fiddle with your volume levels.

I will be working on a transcription of the interview for those who would prefer to read rather than listen.

For those who are not familiar with them, the King's Singers are one of the world's best choral groups of any kind, and, in my opinion, the world's best small a cappella ensemble. They celebrate their 40th anniversary this year. They are an all-male group of six singers: a bass, two baritones, a tenor, and two countertenors. They are known for both the quality and breadth of their performances - they sing Machaut, Ligeti, Beatles, Broadway - you name it. For further information, they have an excellent website, which I highly recommend. I particularly recommend their FAQ, their history, their page on former members (scroll down to the bottom for some early history that's particularly interesting if you're a fan like me) and their current tour blog.

I have been a fan of this group for a long, long time. From the age of about 10 to the age of about 20, I declared that my life's goal was to become a member of the King's Singers. I never actually abandoned that goal, only stopped publicly announcing it at some point in college because I had become so sick of the jokes about how "that might require some surgery, ho ho." It is still one of my dreams to become a member of a professional small vocal ensemble...and hey, I'm working on it!

So, this was one of the most exciting things to happen to me in my life. Blogging pays off, people! Please forward this post to all your choral geek friends; if I can get a lot of traffic, maybe they'll let me interview them again sometime!