A CHESTER choir has been able to put its demons to rest.
Handbridge women’s choir A Handbag of Harmonies welcomed international conductor and vocal coach Suzi Digby to a workshop at Queen’s Park High School, less than six months after she eliminated the singers from a prime time television competition.
Suzi, 50, was a judge on the BBC talent show Last Choir Standing and the Handbags, as they are affectionately known, reached the final 15 out of nearly 1,000 entries.
Suzi’s first impression of the choir was that they could be “the nation’s favourite” but as competition heated up, she changed tack and accused them of performing “simple” arrangements.
Fearing a lynching, Suzi travelled to Chester and quickly changed her negative views.
“I just loved working with the Handbags,” she said. “They are a very intelligent musical bunch and were so welcoming. They learnt very quickly and there was a real sense that they would get something out of the workshop.”
Suzi, who founded the charity The Voices Foundation, had high praise for the choir’s musical director Matt Baker, who also composed the music for the 2008 Chester Mystery Plays.
“The work he does is wonderful. I am well aware of his achievements and the extraordinary work he does,” she said. “I also like him enormously.”
The choir performed a new medley of Beatles songs and Matt’s arrangement of Take That’s Rule the World.
“The medley was of a very high quality. The choir sings in tune and sounds fresh and young which is all down to Matt’s skill.”
A proposal for a second series of Last Choir Standing is in the pipeline and Suzi would be keen to be involved as a judge again.
“Interest in singing and joining choirs has gone up by about 30% since the programme. Serious musicians have given it the real thumbs up.”
