Stuart Barr, Musical Director & Singing Coach, worked with a chorus of Performing Arts Fund grant winners in 2010 as they prepared to perform as part of a BBC Prom celebrating Stephen Sondheim's 80th birthday. Here Stuart shares his perspective on life in a professional chorus line and how to make the most of the opportunity.
"There is no such thing as luck in this world. It's all about making the most out of any opportunity thrown at you.
That's as true for musical theatre as it is for any other walk of life! As far as I'm concerned any chorus singer should make sure they know the principal roles, even if they're not an official understudy. Why? Because when, on occasion, disaster strikes, illness intervenes or transport breaks down, it's you who could save the day.
Witness the story of Leonard Bernstein (West Side Story composer). He was an assistant conductor in his early 20s, which meant doing little more than carrying scores to the podium. But one day the booked conductor was taken ill shortly before a performance to be broadcast live to the nation. Disaster was averted because Bernstein said that he knew the pieces well and could conduct the concert. He did just that, became a household name overnight, and went on to become perhaps the greatest American conductor and composer of the last century.
Was he lucky? No. Because he'd practised and memorised those pieces in case he ever got the chance to conduct them.
Moving bang up to date, freelance arts producer Kate Jones and I were in charge of the St George's Day celebrations in Trafalgar Square again this year, with a brief to celebrate English musical theatre. We created a fabulous line-up of established professionals (Alfie Boe, Lara Pulver, Matt Rawle, Annalene Beechey and Tam Mutu) and a chorus of students from the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) musical theatre course, singing all my favourite songs from Lionel Bart to Lloyd Webber.
Alfie Boe wasn't able to do the soundcheck, so I asked the RAM chorus if anyone could sing in Bring Him Home. I was thrilled to see several hands shoot up, and I had to choose who got to sing it with the orchestra in Trafalgar Square before a few hundred bystanders prior to the concert! A student called Leo took the moment and just went for it, gaining spontaneous applause and wolf-whistles from the audience. I found it very moving, for he seemed to grow as a performer at that moment as it dawned on him he was singing live with an orchestra in Trafalgar Square!
Fortunately for us, none of our soloists were taken ill. But if anything had gone wrong and there was a chorus member who'd shrewdly learned the songs and studied the performances, then London could just have witnessed the birth of a new star...
So, the moral of the story is to make the most out of every situation you're in, including when you're in the chorus. Make sure you are that person that could save everyone else's day. Even if the opportunity never arises to show off what you've learned, at the least you'll have learned massively out of watching and listening to those more experienced than you!"
