He was inspired by a young singer Britlin Losee who contacted him after posting a YouTube recording of herself singing the soprano part of his work Sleep.
[6] ChoirCast was set up as Choirantine in April 2020[7] by Bristol-based singing teacher Eliza Fyfe, kick-starting with their debut "Bohemian Rhapsody" which featured Gareth Malone.
They usually feature a band, with the sound mixed by music producers Daniel Edney, Kristian Bressington and Charles Grimsdale and popular song arrangements written by Eliza.
[11] Since inception in March 2020, Couch Choir has chalked up millions of views with over 10,000 singers lending their voices to songs by Stevie Wonder, The Carpenters and David Bowie.
[17] The choir has since attracted thousands of singers from around the world, and Ben was awarded a British Empire Medal in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to the community during COVID-19.
The production included 3,600 voices, 4 professional soloists, and a 9-member baroque orchestra, who all recorded their parts in isolation, and the final, studio-mixed performance was broadcast on Sunday 31 May 2020.
[26] On 29 April 2021, more than 1,000 SIC members performed in All Things Bright and Virtual, a celebration of hymns directed by Ralph Allwood and featuring Stephen Fry, Bryn Terfel, Libby Purves, John Rutter, Alexander Armstrong, Katherine Jenkins, Wynne Evans, and Harry Christophers.
[29] The choir later recorded Prince Philip's favourite hymn, "Eternal Father, Strong to Save", and presented its performance to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on 10 June 2021 to commemorate what would have been her late husband's 100th birthday.
[30] The Sofa Singers[31] was founded by choir leader and performer James Sills in March 2020, with global members meeting twice a week on Zoom to sing together.
During the pandemic, the Choir worked recorded projects with professional musicians including The King's Singers, The Sixteen, The Swingles, Marin Alsop, John Rutter, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Voces8 and Christopher Tin.
The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra's virtual choir recorded "Waltzing Matilda" for the annual Anzac Day commemoration at which the MSO Chorus would normally have performed.
[45] He also announced the choir's first online Festival of Choral Music in early November 2021, featuring teaching and conversations with John Warner, Ralph Allwood, Harry Bradford, Ellie Slorach, Nigel Short, Joanna Forbes L’Estrange, Ben England, Donald Palumbo, Ashley Riches, Helen Charlston, Patrick Hawes, Marina Mahler, and more.
[47] In December 2021, Musical Director Ben England conducted the Choir in a special broadcast of Handel's Messiah from the Foundling Museum in London.
[54] Choir of the Earth partnered with the Royal School of Church Music for its Music Sunday celebrations in both 2021 and 2022, performing the competition-winning anthem God Of All Creation by Chris Totney under the direction of the RSCM's Director Hugh Morris on 6 June 2021, and performing an online Evensong service with the Choral Evensong Trust[55] under the direction of Ralph Allwood on 12 June 2022.
On 15 June 2022, Choir of the Earth premiered the final performance of The Bunny Walks, conducted by Saul Zaks, which featured 2,000 vocal submissions from singers around the world.
[61][62][63] On 2 June 2022, Choir of the Earth premiered its performance of God Save The Queen - a new arrangement by Ralph Allwood, featuring a new third verse written for the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II by poet Alexandra Brooke and accompanied by Luke Bond on the organ at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle.
[68] In May 2022, Choir of the Earth announced its foray into live events via a Messiah 'Come and Sing' Tour, with initial dates and venues across the UK and Ireland, starting in London on 22 October 2022 and ending in Belfast on 15 April 2023.
[85] Since pandemic restrictions ended in July 2021, Stay at Home Choir has continued to run projects with professional musicians such as Gareth Malone, Morten Lauridsen, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, I Fagiolini, The Swingles, Simon Carrington, Choralspace Festival Chorus and Frode Fjellheim.
[87][88] Researchers from University College London investigated the effect of virtual choirs on mental health and it is reported that "participants not only felt happier and experienced a noticeable boost in their self-esteem, but also reduced feelings of social isolation".