Bantam of the Opera singers unveiled as Bradford City football fans prepare to be pitch perfect

Meet the Bradford City football fans who will go from singing on the terraces to wowing audiences after being transformed into opera singers.

From a 90-year-old match-day volunteer at the club to a 19-year-old trainee teaching assistant, the choir will be made up of 50 fans from across Bradford who are passionate about the city they call home.

The fans - known as the Bantams - will be taught to sing opera to mark the Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture celebrations as part of a BBC Radio Leeds challenge.

Bantam of the Opera will follow their journey which will be packed full of performances as a choir throughout the year, in the lead up to a big finale.

The world-renowned BBC Singers will support the Bantam’s choir during their development. Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, opera singer Lesley Garrett, and sports commentator and TV presenter Chris Kamara, have all also pledged their support to the campaign.

Kamara, who had a 20-year playing career and is also a former manager of Bradford City, led the call-out for singers to take part.

The broadcaster, who was diagnosed with the speech condition apraxia in 2022, has said he had used singing to help him with his speech, wellbeing and mental health.

2025 is a special year for Bradford. As well as being the UK City of Culture, in May the city marks 40 years since the Valley Parade stadium fire, which claimed the lives of 56 supporters. In acknowledgement of this anniversary, the Bantam of the Opera singers will perform on the pitch at half time during the memorial match, on the final home game of the season.

There were nearly 500 applications to join the choir and BBC Radio Leeds has whittled it down to the final 50.

These include Gill Lancaster who has worked at Bradford City since December 1986, the first home game after the fire. Gill has joined the choir with her mother Eileen, who's the oldest member at the age of 90.

And Ian Moorhouse who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2018 and sings now for therapeutic reasons as it helps him fight his symptoms.

There’s also life coach Jane Grey whose father sadly passed away in the Valley Parade fire in 1985.

English soprano singer Lesley Garrett will be involved in key moments throughout the year and is an ambassador for Bantam of the Opera.

She says: “This campaign, as part of the Bradford City of Culture year, is a phenomenal opportunity to show that classical and operatic music is available to enjoy for everyone.

“Opera is the most passionate form of singing there is and having heard the Bantams chanting on the terraces at Valley Parade, I know they have so much passion for their club and the city they call home, Bradford. I can’t wait to get started to help unlock the potential of these football fans. I think we’re going to have so much fun!”

James Sills, Choral Leader for Bantam of the Opera, says: “I'm really looking forward to meeting our fifty singers and can't wait to hear all of their voices comes together for the very first time. Bantam of The Opera isn't just about football fans singing opera, it's about building community and supporting mental health, whilst having a lot of fun along the way.

“And this will be our aim from the very first rehearsal. Hopefully, everyone will leave with a big smile on their face and a song in their heart. Let's go!”

Katrina Bunker, BBC Head of Yorkshire, says: “We like a challenge in Yorkshire and this might be our biggest one yet. Can we turn a bunch of passionate football fans from terrace chanters to choral supremos? It’s going to be a fascinating story to see and hear unfold…

“Bantam of the Opera is a great example of how culture is about everyone, especially the people who make a place unique. Our fifty singers all have a story – from the 90 year old superfan to the 19 year old teaching assistant and everyone in between. We can’t wait to share how they get on in training, rehearsals and performances.”

The programme title is a play on Lord Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera, based on the novel by Gaston Leroux.

TW2