The Choirboys was an English
boy band, made up of cathedral
chorister
A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...
s. In 2005, a talent search was held to find a young chorister to bring choral music into the current music scene. However, the judges could not decide which of the three finalists should be given the recording contract and decided to assemble them as a trio.
Original members (2005)
The original line-up of the group was made of Patrick James Aspbury (born 9 June 1993, died 12 April 2017)
Chelmsford
Chelmsford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It ...
), Eskricke Francis Benedict "Ben" Inman (born 19 March 1993,
Starbeck,
Harrogate
Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa w ...
, North Yorkshire) and Charles John "CJ" Porter-Thaw (born 11 December 1994,
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...
). Both Aspbury and Porter-Thaw were members of
Ely Cathedral choir and Inman was a member of the choir of
Southwell Minster
Southwell Minster () is a minster and cathedral in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England. It is situated miles from Newark-on-Trent and from Mansfield. It is the seat of the Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham and the Diocese of Southwell and N ...
.
In the summer of 2005, they were selected from cathedral choristers around the UK for a recording contract with
Universal Classics and Jazz
Universal Classics and Jazz (UCJ) is the name of two record label divisions of the Universal Music Group record company.
Current divisions
UCJ Germany
Universal Music Classics & Jazz (Germany) is a division of Universal Music Germany and is mar ...
, and released their self-titled first album in November of that year.
After an intensive promotional tour of television and radio stations, they performed at several events, including the Southwell Minster St. Cecilia Concert, the Ely Cathedral May Day Concert and charity concerts in London venues such as the
Royal Albert Hall.
The first trio has since moved on and retired from singing as
trebles at their respective cathedrals.
Inman recorded as a solo artist on the
James Newton Howard soundtrack for the 2005 film, ''
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...
'', and has since retired as a treble chorister from Southwell Minster. He won the Trebby Award for 'Best Solo Treble Track' in 2006 for "Fairest Isle".
Death of Aspbury
On 12 April 2017 at age 23, Patrick Aspbury was hit and killed by a train at Chelmsford station in the UK while a patient at the mental health clinic Linden Centre in Essex. The facility is under scrutiny for having a large number of patients commit suicide while under the clinic's care. A year earlier, Aspbury had been missing for 48 hours while under treatment and a large search of the area was conducted by police. He eventually returned home on his own.
An inquest into Aspbury's death determined from video footage at the railway station, that Aspbury intentionally jumped into the path of a moving train that was travelling at 60 miles per hour. The singer was being treated at the Essex Centre for
schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social wit ...
, but was given a day pass to leave the facility at the time of his death.
New members (2007)
As the Choirboys matured, so did their voices, and to keep the sound of the group the same a new trio replaced Porter-Thaw, Aspbury and Inman. The new group was made up of Andrew Swait of
Cheltenham College
("Work Conquers All")
, established =
, closed =
, type = Public school Independent School Day and Boarding School
, religion = Church of England
, president =
, head_label = Head
, head = Nicola Hugget ...
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
, Bill Goss and Will Dutton who is the son of Paul Dutton. Swait was a member of
Tewkesbury Abbey
The Abbey Church of St Mary the Virgin, Tewkesbury–commonly known as Tewkesbury Abbey–is located in the English county of Gloucestershire. A former Benedictine monastery, it is now a parish church. Considered one of the finest examples of No ...
choir, Dutton was a member of St. Mark's Church in Harrogate and Goss was a pupil at
St. Peter's School, York.
Swait features with other singers in many other albums. He features on ''Landscape and Time'' by the
King's Singers
The King's Singers are a British a cappella vocal ensemble founded in 1968. They are named after King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the 1 ...
, he sang with countertenor
James Bowman in 2008 on ''Songs of Innocence'' with pianist Andrew Plant. He has sung with
Anna Netrebko on her ''Souvenirs'' in 2008 and recorded on the
NMC Recordings
NMC Recordings is a British recording label and a charity which specialises in recording works by living composers from the British Isles.
History
The composer Colin Matthews founded NMC in 1989, with financial assistance from the Holst Found ...
label on a celebratory disc of New Music released in 2009; here he premiered works by
James MacMillan
Sir James Loy MacMillan, (born 16 July 1959) is a Scottish classical composer and conductor.
Early life
MacMillan was born at Kilwinning, in North Ayrshire, but lived in the East Ayrshire town of Cumnock until 1977. His father is James MacMi ...
(with fellow treble Sam Harris, and harpist Lucy Wakeford) and
Peter Maxwell Davies
Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (8 September 1934 – 14 March 2016) was an English composer and conductor, who in 2004 was made Master of the Queen's Music.
As a student at both the University of Manchester and the Royal Manchester College of Musi ...
, again with Andrew Plant. Herald Records released his final treble solo album in 2009, ''Salve Puerule'' where he was accompanied by the
Trinity College of Music Chamber Choir. Swait also appeared in the children's documentary ''A Different Life'', which depicted his life as a chorister.
Dutton was awarded the
BBC Radio 2 'Young Chorister of the Year' Award in 2006, and was also once a member of the National Children's Orchestra of Great Britain, where he was co-principal violinist.
Goss had taken part in the Music For Youth Festival in
Birmingham Symphony Hall
Symphony Hall is a 2,262 seat concert venue in Birmingham, England. It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 12 June 1991, although it had been in use since 15 April 1991. It is home to the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and hos ...
and twice taken first prize as well as an 'outstanding' award. He sang the role of Miles in
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...
's
The Turn of the Screw
''The Turn of the Screw'' is an 1898 horror novella by Henry James which first appeared in serial format in '' Collier's Weekly'' (January 27 – April 16, 1898). In October 1898, it was collected in ''The Two Magics'', published by Macmil ...
with Opera Royal de Wallonie in
Liège,
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
, as well as numerous productions with Opera North including
Verdi
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the h ...
's
Macbeth and Benjamin Britten's
A Midsummer Night's Dream. In 2007 Goss was awarded two music scholarships to attend
St. Peter's School, York. After finishing school he was awarded a Choral Scholarship to attend
University College, Durham
, motto_English = Not for ourselves alone
, scarf =
, established =
, principal = Wendy Powers
, vice_principal = Ellen Crabtree
, undergraduates = 698
, postgraduates = 153
, coordinates =
, location_map = Durham
, map_size ...
.
Discography
Albums
''The Choirboys''
Their self-titled debut album was released 28 November 2005 and sold 100,000 copies in the first week, making it the fastest-selling classical debut album in the UK and earning The Choirboys a
gold disc
Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
which was presented to them on the popular
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
''. It has since gone 2× platinum and has to date sold over 750,000 .copies.
It peaked at No. 25 in the
.
A second album ''The Carols Album'' was released on 3 December 2007 in the UK. By this time the singing voices of the original Choirboys had changed and their members had changed to reflect this. The new line-up is Andrew Swait, William Dutton and Bill Goss.
", which was sung by Ben Inman. It reached No. 22 in the
in 2005.