I won’t let this one go. My professional home for more than 13 years, where I learned my craft, where I learned to just turn up on time, sit down and do my job, is to be axed in favour of something newer, shinier, more “agile” and slightly cheaper.
The BBC has decided to abolish what the composer Pierre Boulez once called the “jewel in its crown”: the BBC Singers. I joined this illustrious group fresh out of college. The audition was rigorous and the competition was intimidating, so I was delighted to make the cut. I was cocky and could already sing and sight-read pretty well but nothing could have prepared me for the level of musicianship of my new colleagues or the speed at which they could rattle through the most fiendish composition at sight and go on to record, broadcast or perform it two days later. I spent the first 18 months singing a split second behind my seasoned chums, and trying to not sing in the rests. This was fast, powerful, beautiful choral singing and professional musicianship on another level. It still is today.
