Caroline Redman Lusher (born Caroline Anne Lusher, 17 April 1974) is an English singer and musician, best known for being the founder and director of Rock Choir, the world's largest amateur contemporary choir. She is considered to be "responsible for the contemporary choir movement in the UK", and "the businesswoman behind one of Britain's biggest brands".Walshe, B
Caroline Redman Lusher – Rock Star
''Coutts Woman''. Accessed 23 May 2013. Her career extended to being a solo artist, performing on the She has also enjoyed a successful career as a solo artist, performing on the ''Together'' album by vocal group

Blake Blake is a surname which originated from Old English. Its derivation is uncertain; it could come from "blac", a nickname for someone who had dark hair or skin, or from "blaac", a nickname for someone with pale hair or skin. Another theory, presuma ...

and several albums by

The Soldiers The Soldiers is a singing trio consisting of serving British Army soldiers, whose debut album, ''Coming Home'', was released on 26 October 2009, and who have since continued their singing career whilst remaining full-time army personnel. Signe ...

, including ''Coming Home'', which reached double platinum status. Redman Lusher has gained four gold and platinum certified sales awards from the

British Phonographic Industry British Phonographic Industry (BPI) is the British recorded music industry's Trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards, the Classic BRIT Awards, National Album Day, is home to the Mercury Prize, and co-owns the Official Charts Company with ...

. On 17 October 2012 Redman Lusher received the prestigious Gold Badge Award for "special contribution to Britain's music industry", from the

British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors The Ivors Academy (formerly the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors – BASCA) is one of the largest professional associations for music writers in Europe. The academy exists to support, protect, and campaign for the interests ...

(BASCA) in association with the

Performing Right Society PRS for Music Limited (formerly The MCPS-PRS Alliance Limited) is a British music copyright collective, made up of two collection societies: the Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS) and the Performing Right Society (PRS). It undertake ...

(PRS).Unk
Interview: Caroline Redman Lusher
. ''M Magazine''. 2 November 2012. Accessed 10 June 2013.

Education and early career

Redman Lusher was a pupil at Saint Martins Independent Day School for Girls,

Solihull Solihull (, or ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the wider Metropolitan Borough of Solihull in West Midlands County, England. The town had a population of 126,577 at the 2021 Census. Solihull is situated on the River Blyth ...

from 1985 – 1992, winning the Christine Tucker Music Scholarship at the age of 11. In honour of her success, St. Martins named a new Year 7 Scholarship after her in 2012, the Caroline Redman Lusher Scholarship for the Performing Arts. It was awarded for the first time in 2013. Redman Lusher went on to

Salford University , caption = Coat of ArmsUniversity of Salford , mottoeng = "Let us seek higher things" , established = 1850 - Pendleton Mechanics Institute 1896 – Royal Technical Institute, Salford 1967 – gained ...

, where she gained a degree in popular music and recording. Redman Lusher started performing professionally at the age of 15. She worked in London's West End as a singer, entertaining VIPs and celebrities in venues such as

The Dorchester The Dorchester is a five-star luxury hotel on Park Lane and Deanery Street in London, to the east of Hyde Park. It is one of the world's most prestigious and expensive hotels. The Dorchester opened on 18 April 1931, and it still retains its ...

, Hyde Park and Lanesborough hotels. She also qualified as an A-level teacher in Performing Arts and Music.Pitts, B
Caroline Redman Lusher on Founding the World's Largest Contemporary Choir
. ''The Next Women Business Magazine''. Accessed 13 June 2013. In 2001 Redman Lusher was teaching A-level music and performing arts at the

Sixth Form College, Farnborough The Sixth Form College Farnborough is a sixth form college situated in Farnborough, Hampshire, England. It caters for around 3,915 students and admission is mostly from schools in the local areas of Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire. The college is ...

, Hampshire, when she devised the concept of Rock Choir.

Rock Choir

Redman Lusher launched Rock Choir in 2005. Beginning with 70 members, it currently has more than 25,000 members across the UK. Redman Lusher is widely considered to be the pioneer of the "no audition, no need to read music" amateur contemporary choir movement. An article in the Sunday Times Culture Magazine in 2009 called her "the key to the choir's success".

"Others have attempted a similar formula, but none have turned an amateur group singing pop songs into a brand this powerful. She stands out for her rigorous classical training (Grade 8 piano and violin by 15; a degree in popular music from Salford; a thesis on Annie Lennox's songwriting style) and her insistence on a slick, professionally run outfit. Rock Choir works with a variety of people, from rights lawyers to web technicians to sound engineers. The selection and harmonising of the music – sometimes up to seven-part harmony, no mean feat – is done by Lusher herself."Boase, T. Singing is Believing. ''The Sunday Times Culture Magazine'', 22 March 2009. Accessed 15 May 2013.

Awards and nominations

Gold Badge Award

Caroline Redman Lusher was honoured with a Gold Badge Award by the British Association of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (

BASCA The Ivors Academy (formerly the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors – BASCA) is one of the largest professional associations for music writers in Europe. The academy exists to support, protect, and campaign for the interests ...

) in association with the Performing Rights Society (PRS). This award was given to Redman Lusher in recognition of her exceptional contribution to British music. Only a handful of people receive it each year.

Guild of Entrepreneurs

Redman Lusher was invited to become one of the 100 founding members of the

Guild of Entrepreneurs The Company of Entrepreneurs is a Company without Livery and an aspirant Livery Company of the City of London. It successfully petitioned the Court of Aldermen for Guild status in 2014 with ambitions to become a full Livery Company by 2024. It ...

promoting excellence in the profession of Entrepreneurship.

Freedom of the City of London

Caroline was awarded the

Freedom of the City of London The Freedom of the City of London started around 1237 as the status of a 'free man' or 'citizen', protected by the charter of the City of London and not under the jurisdiction of a feudal lord. In the Middle Ages, this developed into a freedom o ...

at a ceremony at the Guildhall, London. The Freedom of the City of London is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community. It is handed to a person who has achieved success in their chosen field and is recognition of the highest level of excellence and trust in the goods and services they provide.

Power 100

Caroline Redman Lusher was celebrated in the Power 100 of Inspiring Entrepreneurs. The

Smith & Williamson Smith & Williamson was a United Kingdom financial and professional services firm. It was acquired by wealth manager, Tilney Ltd., Tilney, in 2019 and the enlarged firm was rebranded as Evelyn Partners in 2022. History Smith & Williamson was foun ...

Power 100 identifies those who use their experience or expertise to provide vital support to help inspire and professionalise the UK's up-and-coming businesses. Without these types of individuals, many brands that are household names today would simply not exist – they are critical to the wellbeing of the entrepreneurial ecosystem. 2016 saw names like Richard Branson, Baroness Karren Brady CBE and Baroness Martha Lane-Fox recognised for their contribution to championing the entrepreneurial cause

Honorary Doctor of Letters

Caroline Redman Lusher was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters by the London College of Music in July 2017 to honour her contribution to music education and for her creation of Rock Choir.

Guest speaker and team-building workshops

Redman Lusher is a popular speaker at corporate events, educational workshops and business conferences, for organisations such as British Telecom, the WI, the Welsh Women Mean Business Awards, the Yorkshire Countrywomen's Association, and the Red Ribbon Awards. She has also incorporated music and song into team-building workshops run for companies including Virgin Money, Procter & Gamble and Santander.

Philanthropy

Redman Lusher supports numerous local and national charities both personally and through Rock Choir. In 2012 Rock Choir helped raise over £1 million for charity through its performances and social events. Redman Lusher has helped raise the profile of Rock Choir's two official charities,

Missing People A missing person is a person who has disappeared and whose status as alive or dead cannot be confirmed as their location and condition are unknown. A person may go missing through a voluntary disappearance, or else due to an accident, crime, d ...

and Refuge, and agreed that Rock Choir should become official community sponsors of Missing People, regularly raising money through events and supporting the charity behind the scenes. In February 2013, Sir Trevor McDonald announced Redman Lusher's appointment as an ambassador for

. Sir Trevor made the announcement at the charity's offices in Mortlake as he formally accepted a cheque from Redman Lusher for £17,000, which was raised by Rock Choir's 16,000 members via fundraising events in their communities. Over the past two years, Rock Choir has raised over £50,000 to help the charity offer a lifeline to families when someone disappears.Appointment
Missing People official website. Accessed 10 June 2013.

"As Patron of the charity Missing People, I am truly delighted to welcome Caroline Redman Lusher as Ambassador of the charity. If your child went missing wouldn't you want the world to stop and look for them? Thanks to Caroline, Rock Choir communities across the UK have already raised significant funds and awareness to aid the search. I know that she will be a truly formidable force as the charity seeks to bring more missing children and vulnerable adults to safety." – Sir Trevor McDonald

Redman Lusher is also a patron of the charity W4W (Words for Wounded) alongside

Louis de Bernières Louis de Bernières (born 8 December 1954) is an English novelist. He is known for his 1994 historical war novel ''Captain Corelli's Mandolin''. In 1993 de Bernières was selected as one of the "20 Best of Young British Novelists", part of a pr ...

and

Julian Fellowes Julian Alexander Kitchener-Fellowes, Baron Fellowes of West Stafford, (born 17 August 1949) is an English actor, novelist, film director and screenwriter, and a Conservative peer of the House of Lords. He is primarily known as the author of se ...

. W4W supports the rehabilitation of wounded servicemen and women.

Music career

Redman Lusher gained a 2:1 BA Honours degree in Popular Music and Recording from Salford University, and has grade eight certificates in both violin and piano from the Royal School of Music. She has described a major early influence as Annie Lennox – Redman Lusher based her university dissertation on Lennox's composition skills. Other early influences include

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the " Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue before ...

, ELO, and Aretha Franklin.

''Rock Choir Vol. 1''

Redman Lusher composed the vocal arrangements and sang lead vocals on the first Rock Choir album, ''Rock Choir Vol. 1'', released in 2010 by Universal/Decca Records. It reached number 18 in the UK album charts.

''Rock Choir Deluxe''

Rock Choir's second album, ''Rock Choir Deluxe'', also featured song arrangements and lead vocals by Redman Lusher. It was released digitally to coincide with the airing of the three-part ITV1 documentary ''The Choir That Rocks''. It reached number 17 in the UK digital downloads chart.

''Perfect Day'' (album) (Various Artists)

This double album compilation featured Redman Lusher singing lead vocals on the Labi Siffre track '' (Something Inside) So Strong''.

''The Soldiers'' (album) The Soldiers 2012

Redman Lusher featured in a duet with Sergeant Gary Chiltern on the track ''

Songbird A songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder Passeri of the perching birds (Passeriformes). Another name that is sometimes seen as the scientific or vernacular name is Oscines, from Latin ''oscen'', "songbird". The Passeriformes contains 5000 ...

'' by Fleetwood Mac.

''Message to You'' (album) The Soldiers 2011

This album reached gold status, selling over 100,000 copies. It featured Redman Lusher in a duet with Corporal Ryan Idzi performing '' Wherever I Lay My Hat''.

''Best Of'' (album) The Soldiers 2011

Redman Lusher featured in ''Against All Odds''.

''Love Songs'' (album) The Soldiers 2010

This album reached double platinum status and raised nearly £90,000 for the charity Help For Heroes. It featured Redman Lusher in the duet '' Against All Odds''.

''Unsung Hero'' (single) Blake 2009

Redman Lusher featured on the track, which was released as a single from the popular album ''Together''.

''Together'' (album) Blake 2009

Redman Lusher featured on the track ''Unsung Hero''.

''Coming Home'' (album) The Soldiers 2009

One of the biggest selling albums of 2009, reaching sales of over 600,000 and achieving double platinum status. Redman Lusher featured again in ''Against All Odds''.

Discography

*''Rock Choir Vol. 1'' Rock Choir (2010) *''Perfect Day'' Various Artists (2010) 'Something Inside So Strong' *''Rock Choir Deluxe'' Rock Choir (2011) *''The Soldiers'' The Soldiers (2012) 'Songbird' *''Message To You'' The Soldiers (2011) 'Wherever I Lay My Hat' *''Best Of'' The Soldiers (2011) 'Against All Odds' *''Love Songs'' The Soldiers (2010) 'Against All Odds' *''Together'' Blake (2009) 'Unsung Hero' *''Unsung Hero'' Blake (2009) 'Unsung Hero' *'' Coming Home'' The Soldiers (2009) 'Against All Odds'

Personal life

On 2 August 2008 Redman Lusher married pilot Stuart Redman. They live in Farnham, Surrey. Redman Lusher's father (a.k.a. Captain Rock Choir) is former

British Airways British Airways (BA) is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main hub at Heathrow Airport. The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and passengers ...

Chief PilotLearmount,
Beyond the Basics
''Flight International Magazine''. 7 February 1996. Accessed 12 June 2013. Dave Lusher, who is now Rock Choir's company secretary. Her sister Liz Lusher is also British Airways cabin crew. In 2011 Redman Lusher starred in the three-part

ITV1 ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the Channel 3 public broadcast service across all of the United Kingdom except for t ...

documentary ''The Choir that Rocks'', which followed her and her team as they prepared for a mass performance by more than 8,000 Rock Choir members at

Wembley Arena Wembley Arena (originally the Empire Pool, now known as OVO Arena Wembley for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena next to Wembley Stadium in Wembley, London, England, used for music, comedy, family entertainment and sport. The 12,500-s ...

on 15 May 2011. After the first episode, 23,000 people logged onto their website, crashing the Rock Choir server, and 8,000 people emailed with membership enquiries.

References

External links

*
Official Rock Choir website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lusher, Caroline Redman 1974 births Living people English women singer-songwriters English singer-songwriters People from Birmingham, West Midlands Alumni of the University of Salford Musicians from the West Midlands (county) 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers