Gareth Malone

Born in London in 1975, Gareth Malone grew up in a musical family, and during primary and secondary school, he was involved with every singing activity including choirs, school shows, and Christmas carols. After studying drama at University of East Anglia, Malone went on to complete a postgraduate vocal studies course at The Royal Academy of Music in London. While working for the London Symphony Orchestra, he was approached by a production company in 2005 about fronting a reality series called The Choir. The show saw Malone take teenagers with no singing experience and coach them in choral singing, eventually taking them to the 2006 World Choir Games in China. The Choir went on to win a BAFTA for Best Feature. With the show a success, Malone went on to front a series of reality-based singing programs including The Choir: Boys Don't Sing (2008) and The Choir: Unsung Town (2009). By then a regular on British TV, Malone's career continued apace and in 2011, after various TV appearances and documentaries, he returned to the original choir format that kickstarted his career. The Choir: Military Wives became an instant success, with the Military Wives' "Wherever You Are" beating 2011 X-Factor winners Little Mix to the coveted U.K. Christmas number one spot. In 2012, Malone returned to TV once again with Sing While You Work, and in early 2013, took the concept to the U.S. with It Takes a Choir. In April 2013 he requested auditions for a choir that would create "a new choral style that is fresh, modern, and utterly unique." Six months later, Malone had created Voices, a contemporary take on the classic choir. The group released their self-titled debut album toward the end of 2013; it entered the U.K. charts at number 23. Malone continued to put together choirs for TV specials, including a mix of British celebrities to record a version of Avicii's "Wake Me Up" for 2014's BBC Children in Need appeal. In 2016, Malone returned to his Voices project, recording the holiday album A Great British Christmas with a collection of community choirs and bands from across the British Isles.