Singer aiming for number one with Gareth Malone’s Voices

Classical singer Lara Rebekah Harvey could be heading for a Christmas Number One hit after being hand-picked for Gareth Malone’s new contemporary choir Voices.

The mezzo soprano, 21, from Ayot St Lawrence near Wheathampstead, was selected as one of Britain’s most outstanding musical talents after the TV choirmaster launched a nationwide search for accomplished young singers.

Now the group of 17 singers is set to go head-to-head with Simon Cowell and X Factor for the Christmas hit.

Voices made their public debut at the Classic Brits at London’s Royal Albert Hall earlier this month and have appeared on ITV. They have other mega-gigs under wraps and are planning a world tour.

Lara is a third year student at Royal Northern College of Music where she is training to be an opera singer. She said: “It is an amazing experience. We did the whole red carpet thing at The Brits.

“We are really pushing boundaries by taking modern classics from the likes of The Moody Blues and Fleetwood Mac and giving them the choral treatment.

“Gareth is great to work with. The auditions were all day and so scary and it was all filmed. Gareth said afterwards that he was channelling his inner Simon Cowell.”

She went on: “I heard I had got in a couple of days later, then two days after that I was signed and recording 15 songs for the album with Decca. It’s all a bit surreal.”

Another member of the group, who are all aged 18 to 27, is Joshua Edwards, 25, from Harpenden. He and Lara are both former choral scholars in the Choir of King’s College, London.

Gareth Malone Voices – The Classical EP was released on Decca Records on Monday and Gareth Malone Voices album is released on November 18.