Describing themselves as NATURAL BORN SINGERS, the Invisibles deliver the heart songs of South Africa, the low-down dirty blues of the Five Blind Boys of Alabama, and the inspiration of Sweet Honey in the Rock, alongside subversive acapella funk, classic gospel, and sweet, sweet soul music.
The Invisibles sing soul music of all kinds because, as Eric Burdon said, “Soul is just a talent for shouting out the truth.”
These ninety singers redefine what it means to be a choir: singing without a safety net, with a passion and deep joy that is infectious and uplifting. Regularly selling out concerts, the choir is motivating a groundswell of popular support for its anarchic, joyful spirit. The Invisibles are men and women aged seventeen to seventy who travel to rehearsals from every corner of the East Midlands.
Choir Invisible is committed to building a multi-cultural membership.
The name has come from the Monty Python's Flying Circus "Dead Parrot" sketch:
"He's shuffled off his mortal coil, rung down the curtain and joined
the bleedin' choir invisible!"
- and the Pythons had it from George Eliot's poem of 1867,
"May I join the choir invisible…
Whose music is the gladness of the world."
Choir Invisible was established late in 2005. Highlights include:
* In late 2006, the choir appeared in the finals of the BBC Choir of the Year Competition, the UK's largest amateur choral competition, presented by Aled Jones and televised for BBC 4 in front of an audience of 2,000 in the Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff.
* In April 2007 the choir featured in a piece for BBC Radio 3’s ‘The Choir’ programme. That followed an airing on BBC regional television; and on Radio 2's Sunday morning programme.
* In October 2007 the choir was filmed by BBC1 Television for the pilot of their new Saturday evening programme, "The Last Choir Standing" (but was unable to take part in the programme, far exceeding the 50 singer maximum that was set!)
* In June 2007 the choir performed by invitation in the Royal Festival Hall (when it was reopened after refurbishment) in a concert accompanied by the Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment, with Harry Christopher’s ‘The Sixteen’ and Ken Burton’s Croydon Gospel Choir.
* On July 11th 2008 the choir sang for Archbishop Desmond Tutu when he arrived in the UK.
* Recording for Benjamin Till's "The A1: The Road Musical", shown on Channel 4 at 7:30pm on Friday 29th August 2008.
* Singing in Leicester Cathedral with Ken Burton's Adventist Chorale on Sunday November 23rd 2008. |
