The song throng

THE new TV choir series everyone is talking about not only hits our screens tonight, but also boasts free Rock Choir taster sessions from this weekend in Newcastle, Harrogate and York.

The Choir That Rocks on ITV1 introduces us to Caroline Redman Lusher who turned her disappointment in not gaining her own recording contract into creating what is arguably the world’s biggest amateur choir.

When filming began in January – with Rock Choir’s York and Knaresborough groups given a starring role – Lusher already had 150 groups and 8,000 members since launching her idea in 2005.

Gareth Malone’s The Choir, which BBC started showing in 2007, undoubtedly helped, but Rock Choir is on a whole new level.

Thousands, who pay around £300 a year, started taking up Lusher’s idea of making a choir a stress-busting, joyful event. The ITV three-parter charts its history to date, and reveals some of the stories behind its participants.

Lusher started performing professionally at the age of 15, and the gifted pianist and violinist managed a West End stage performance, but not the record deal she craved. Turning to teaching, she came up with the idea that became Rock Choir.

Lusher says: “In 2005, I decided to quit my job as an A-level teacher to offer Rock Choir to the public. I handed in my resignation, put my house on the line, left my pension and borrowed £1,000 from my Dad to buy a portable piano and PA system.

“I put a poster up in a local cafe suggesting that anyone who loved pop songs and wanted to sing with me should come along and try Rock Choir out – ‘no audition and no requirement to read music’.

My father and I put out 40 chairs and more than 70 adults arrived “Very soon I was receiving letters, cards and emails from people all across the UK asking if I would introduce Rock Choir to their community.”

And that’s exactly what she did. After success in York, Knaresborough and Harrogate, the next choirs are being launched in Newcastle, Sunderland and Gateshead.

The choirs offer pop, gospel and Motown singing to anyone who simply wants to sing.

“Rock Choir is about using the great pop songs of our time to make the public feel amazing. It’s a life-affirming formula of singing, entertainment, teaching, learning, nurturing and excitement,”

says Lusher who hides a keen business desire behind her determination to make the most of the latest singing craze.

“I’m on a journey and now there are thousands of people on that journey with me. None of us views it as a business; it’s more of a life-affirming journey of bringing people together.

“Rock Choir is unique and it’s a culmination personally of everything I have ever done, learnt or experienced, coming together to provide something special for the UK,” she says.

The TV series follows Lusher’s bid to add 2,000 more members to Rock Choir and fill Wembley Stadium to set a Guinness World Record.

Lusher personally selects all her agents to run choirs and it’s Stef Connor who is shown on TV setting up singing sesssions in Harrogate, Knaresbrough and York. Connor is also a classicallytrained musician who, like Lusher, had a point to prove because she was the only person out of 30 who was rejected for her school choir.

One of the characters to watch out for is Julie Bradbury Sharp, from Knaresborough, who overcame teasing from her family for singing pop music to become part of the town’s Rock Choir.

As for 37-year-old Lusher, her dream of a chart career has finally come true with Universal offering Rock Choir a fouralbum deal last year with the first album making a respectable top 20 placing.

Future ambitions include taking Rock Choir to the US and a bid for Lusher’s lot to be included in the opening ceremony of next year’s Olympics.

• Rock Choir is offering free taster sessions this Saturday and on June 25 and July 3 from 11am at Walkerville Community Association, 6 Pinewood Close (off Appletree Gardens) Newcastle.

• Harrrogate sessions take place on June 25 and July 2 at 2.30pm or 4.30pm at The Robert’s Centre, Robert Street.

• York opens the door to potential singers on Sunday at 2.30 and 4.30pm at Shepherd Hall, St Olave’s School (the Prep School at St Peter’s School).

Visit rockchoir.com or call 01252-714276.

• Universal are releasing a Deluxe Edition’ album following the TV show running over three weeks from 9pm tonight on ITV1. It can be downloaded digitally from iTunes at the end of the ITV series.

The album features 7,000 members of Rock Choir performing 20 feel-good pop, gospel and Motown songs including a the Live Wembley version of Something Inside So Strong.