Singer, told as a child voice was ‘nothing special’ set for GuilFest
A SINGER, told as a teenager that her voice was ‘nothing special’, will perform on-stage at GuilFest this month thanks to a confidence boost from an Aldershot choir.
Gemma Chandler, 30, who is manager of Costa Coffee in Aldershot, has been into singing her whole life but was dealt a blow when organisers of a choir in her hometown of Farnham said they were underwhelmed when she auditioned at the age of 13.
After being persuaded to join Contempo, a choir created by an Aldershot singing teacher, however, she has proved the doubters wrong and will support James L Stead on the acoustic stage of the Guildford festival on Saturday July 19.
“As a 13-year-old it really knocked my confidence,” she said of the failed audition. “I stepped back from singing and even stopped doing karaoke.
“About three years ago someone told me I needed to get back into my singing be- cause I enjoyed it so much.”
Mrs Chandler, who also attempted to relaunch her singing career with an appearance on X Factor in 2006, admitted she was very nervous when she went for her first singing lesson with Contempo founder Gemma Whittle, known to many by her maiden name of Denman, but was soon asked if she wanted to join.
Contempo was founded in April 2010 and members are encouraged to be theatrical and use props in their performances of songs by current artists such as Lady Gaga, Radiohead and Jessie J, as well as old favourites like The Beatles.
Mrs Whittle, 30, a motherof-one from Woodland Walk, said: “I wanted there to be an avenue for people to sing just for fun, but also putting on performances to people to do something with their singing rather than just having lessons and doing nothing with it.”
Describing the choir, she said: “It’s like amateur dramatics meets musical theatre, meets Glee. Either people love it or they get a bit scared. We don’t just stand and sing, so it’s not right for everyone.”
The group started out as 18 people rehearsing in Aldershot Baptist Church and is now 30-strong, with members aged from their 20s to their 60s, and Aldershot Library.
With performances being planned in the Princes Hall and Crondall Village Hall, Mrs Whittle said, since the choir members sing without microphones, she hoped to boost numbers up to the 40 mark to produce the necessary volume to fill the large stages.
“Another 10 voices could make such a big difference between us having a good strong sound and not being quite heard in the back rows,” she said.
To enquire about joining the choir, contact Mrs Whittle on gemmadenman@yahoo. co.uk.
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