31 October 2012
The suspense is over now that we all know that Severn Trent
Water's workplace choir won BBC2's The Choir: Sing While You
Work. But had you noticed that two of the four competing
choirs - Lewisham Hospital and Manchester Airport - included their
respective chaplains?
The Revd George Lane (Airport
Chaplain since March 2012) foresees clear lasting benefits for his
organisation, with the programme conveying a dynamic and fun
workplace where people took their work seriously, but were so much
more than simply the function they performed.
"One choir member spoke of the
choir giving them a reason to look their children in the eye and
say 'I'm more than the job I do'", said George. "It's released
hidden talents and revealed a different side to the individuals
involved and therefore to the wider organisation. It's also
illustrated and revealed how much dedication way beyond the call of
duty there is in an organisation like this - and how that kind of
solidarity and spirit depends on a sense of community."
As complex healthcare issues are
worked out for the NHS in South-East London, the Revd Malcolm
Hancock (Hospital Chaplain since November 2010) is less certain of
the future. "Only time will tell whether there will be lasting
benefits for us. But I know that the existence of the choir, its
achievements and quality, and, of course, its TV appearances have
brought great pride and excitement. I would like to think that the
choir will continue to be a source of solace, pride and commitment
as this particular Healthcare Trust enters a difficult period."
Following the Manchester choir's
semi-final elimination, members were disappointed, hurt and
angry. "But from that moment," says George, "there evolved a
sense that we were no longer doing this for Gareth or for the
television; we were doing this for ourselves, for our airport - but
even more for our colleagues and friends. We have all had
overwhelming support - and confirmation that what we've been doing
has been worthwhile. I hope, and fully believe, that the high spots
are still ahead of us. We've just been auditioning for new members,
and though a couple have had to drop out since the series finished,
we are still growing in confidence, ability, commitment and
aspiration."
The high spots for Malcolm were
the rehearsals, especially after he realised the potential of
Lewisham Healthcare Choir. "We gelled and learned music so quickly.
In the space of a few weeks, I learned so many new techniques and
became absorbed in the rapid development of a brand new choir, and
the super new arrangements of familiar and unfamiliar music that we
were given access to. I think the same was true for many of the
other members."
Many of the most interesting
exchanges around the choirs rightly took place off-screen. "People
would never think of an airport as a profoundly spiritual place or
a place of prayer, but it really is", said George. "I've listened
(and talked) about Milton with an airfield colleague, God's
forgiveness with firefighters. During filming you spend so much
time hanging around that I was able to have fantastic conversations
with choir members, but it's been great having these conversations
as part of the choir, not an outsider."
Malcolm also found the
experience enabling him to develop relationships. "People got to
know more of my work and vice versa and as a result - coupled with
the sometimes pressurised experience of singing - I got to know
specific members of the choir quite well and, yes, we did talk
about more personal issues from time to time."
And George added: "I led a service
of prayer and dedication of a civil marriage for one of my choir
colleagues only a week or two ago. It was one of the most moving
services I've ever taken."
Both George and Malcolm were experienced singers from their
schooldays, but had not met until the semi-final in Bristol. But,
as often happens, the two clerical collars then made a beeline for
each other. George claims not to have been in
the least intimidated to find that Malcolm
was a former professional musician with Manchester's very own Halle
Orchestra.
Literally the first email George received on his first day as
Coordinating Chaplain at the airport had been an invitation to an
audition. The auditions clashed with an initial meeting with a
senior manager, so he very apologetically asked to reschedule the
meeting. He bumped into the senior manager at the audition!
When George and Malcolm met, they were
able to exchange something of the experience of being 'choral
chaplains' and what their essential roles involved in their
different organisations and settings. They had both seen that
involvement had widened their range of contacts to include
colleagues whom they would not normally meet - the perfect
opportunity to get to know 30 colleagues really well, and to
develop a sense of the diversity of their respective
workplaces.
The closing shot of the final episode showed all four choirs
assembled on the stage of the Colston Hall for the semi-final
results. Each choir had rehearsed one piece in common: How Can
I Keep From Singing?, a Christian hymn by Robert Wadsworth
Lowry. Before they were told which choir was to be
eliminated, members of all choirs asked whether they could sing
this song together as one choir of 120 people from four different
workplaces. "We'd all rehearsed it", said George, "and we wanted a
chance to sing it. Singing it together was magical and very
moving."
All four choirs are still singing together, with lots of ideas
for developing their new-found interest and talents. But,
asked whether we should now be looking out for recordings by The
Singing Chaplains, Malcolm responded that he doubted that George
and he really had the time to promote a new career for themselves
as 'The Two Basses'!
Notes
The Choir: Sing While You Work (6 episodes BBC2)
Presenter: Gareth Malone
Directors: Peter Cooksley and Stuart Froude
Series Editor: Colm Martin
The series is
available on BBC iPlayer (for a limited time only).
Individual clips available on YouTube include: