In case you’re wondering if you should watch it or not, “The Choir” combines two things that American TV watchers love: singing high school students and British accents. Tonight the ragtag but impressive vocal ensemble from Northolt High School in north London gave only their third official performance--in front of an international audience in China (well, it was actually three years ago, but American viewers didn’t get to see it until tonight).
It wasn’t an easy road, though. Nine months earlier the students of the Phoenix Choir had never sung classical music before. They made great progress, but with the trip to China right around the corner, they were still not quite up to par in the confidence department, especially the tenors (what is it with high school tenors? I seem to recall similar problems in my high school choir days). So, director Gareth took the whole crew on a team-building camping trip. Some fun on an obstacle course and a little Beatles sung around the camp fire seemed to foster the camaraderie they needed to sing out with confidence.
In China, they sang the best they ever had, Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” and a classical piece in French. They didn’t make it past the first round.
This might appear to be a huge disappointment. After all, many of the choir members only joined because they wanted to win in China. But there were smaller victories along the way. Like, who could forget Chloe gaining the confidence to sing on her own for the first time in front of the rest of the choir? (Elton John never sounded so good!) Or when 12-year-old Enoch heard the news that he would get to join the choir in China after all? These were the moments that made “The Choir” a truly rewarding experience, for the singers and the viewer.
Sure, people are saying it’s like the real-life “Glee,” but that’s too easy. “Glee” is a primetime teen soap in which the music is only a vehicle for the drama. But “The Choir” is all about the music; all the human drama, all the inspiration, all the humor and emotion that keep me watching, are directly because of the music, the performance and experience of which tie the bonds that hold this group of teenagers together. “The Choir” is nothing short of remarkable.
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