The Queen’s Six: Giving pop music the royal remedy

Tomorrow, in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, Queen Elizabeth will probably be laid to relaxation. And the Choir of St. George’s Chapel will fill the room with music, because it has at royal occasions for practically 700 years. “The choir was based in 1352, so it is fairly previous,” stated tenor Nick Madden.

In 2008, he and bass Simon Whiteley determined to type a sub-group of the choir, to sing music you will not discover in any hymnal. They’re known as the Queen’s Six.

The Queen’s Six performs “Stand By Me”:

The group is known as not for the recently-departed Queen Elizabeth I, however her rather more historical namesake, Queen Elizabeth I.

“So, you are not going to alter your identify to the King’s Six?” requested correspondent David Pogue.  

“No, completely not,” stated Whiteley.

He and Madden had observed that the total chapel choir was typically requested to sing one thing lighter after royal dinners: “The form of basic Queen’s Six program would begin with perhaps three or 4 items of early church music, so from 500 years in the past. We then would possibly sing a couple of people songs. And then, we’ll go into a few Broadway and a few pop songs.”

Today’s Queen’s Six consists of Whiteley, Madden, baritone Andrew Thompson, tenor Dominic Bland, alto Lissie Paul, and countertenor Tom Lilburn.

As a part of their compensation, these singers and their households get residences proper in Windsor Castle. Pogue requested, “So, after I meet you at a celebration, you say, ‘I dwell in Windsor Castle,’ is that simply the world’s biggest opening line?”

“People simply go, ‘Oh, yeah, excellent. Nice one. Where do you really dwell?'” stated Lilburn. “And it’s a must to go, ‘No, no, it’s actual. I’ll present you my driving license!'”

Eight occasions every week, they rejoin the total St. George’s Choir within the historic chapel to sing for the day by day providers, that are open to the general public. Their “workplace” is the chapel the place the Queen will probably be buried, alongside centuries of different British kings and queens.

“We have a few large hitters, Henry XIII and King Charles I,” stated Madden.

“And we’re speaking concerning the precise stays are beneath this spot?” requested Pogue.

“You by no means get used to singing and dealing in a spot like this,” stated Whiteley.

Over the years, they’ve sung at all types of historic royal occasions, from Prince Harry’s wedding ceremony, to the funeral of the Queen’s husband, Prince Philip, who died final yr.

For a whole lot of years, solely males sang within the St. George’s Chapel Choir. But final yr it admitted ladies for the primary time, and the Queen’s Six adopted swimsuit, by welcoming Lissie Paul. “We knew she was precisely the proper match,” stated Whiteley.

“Usually the upper stuff I’ll sing,” Paul stated, “after which, yeah, I can do the low stuff, too.”

“That’s the explanation she acquired the job – she will do all the pieces,” Madden stated.

Pogue stated, “There’s a cultural query, too. I imply, you are coming right into a bro tradition of its sort.”

“We’ve by no means been known as a ‘bro tradition’ earlier than!” laughed Lilburn.

They have carried out for Queen Elizabeth. “And it was an infinite pleasure to take action,” Whiteley stated.

“Is there some concern about, ‘You are representatives of the royalty’?” requested Pogue.

“We take all of it very significantly,” Madden replied, “and the accountability we really feel for it, in addition to having enjoyable with it, as a result of we have all acquired sense of humors.”

“Yeah, a few of them higher than others,” laughed Lilburn.

In February, the Queen’s Six will launch a brand new pop album, and carry out dwell at New York City’s Town Hall.

Madden stated, “It’s a vocation, and it is a way of life, moderately than a 9-to-5 job. I imply, we do it as a result of we adore it, and we get achievement from it, both spiritually or musically, or all of the above!”

On the event of our go to this summer time, the Queen’s Six provided a particular deal with: the world premiere efficiency of the “Sunday Morning” theme, “Abblasen,” organized for voice by David Pogue:

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Story produced by Mikaela Burano. Editor: Emanuele Secci. 

      
You can stream the Queen’s Six album “From Windsor With Love” by clicking on the embed beneath (Free Spotify registration required to listen to the tracks in full):