CHANNEL FEATURE: A CAPELLA SINGERS CHORD5
Rocking the Boat on
The Naked Choir
Aidan Elliot, Blake Nicholson, Chelsea Naepi, Azarish Ali, NIck Curry.
Chord5 had only just begun to sing as an ensemble when they saw the ads for a cappella groups to become part of TVNZ’s The Naked Choir. Let’s give it a go, they thought; it could be fun. Armed only with a camera and tripod, they recorded their audition, posted it on Facebook, and thought little more about it as they busked and performed carols in the run up to Christmas last year. Then a request – could the programme’s production team come and film them singing a second song? Another wait (“We’d forgotten about the audition,” says Chelsea Naepi, the sole female in the group), and the unexpected call from Aaron Dolbel, the show’s producer: They were in! They were not only in; they were one of the youngest groups selected – and they made it to the final. Channel’s publication dates mean we can’t reveal the outcome (and they didn’t tell us) but we can report on their progress to the final, and how this talented and driven group of students have found the experience of footing it with groups much older and much more experienced than they are. Aidan Elliot from Takapuna, Blake Nicholson from Milford, Nick Curry from Castor Bay and Azarish (Aza) Ali from Northcote were all members of Westlake Boys’ highly acclaimed Voicemale choir, and of the combined Westlake choir, Choralation, which won the Supreme Award at the New Zealand secondary schools Big Sing finals in 2016. They had been singing together since Year 9 in choirs and in other groups and had formed a barbershop quartet, which performed on a number of occasions, including at Westlake Boys' 2016 end of year school dinner. However, they say, Pentatonix was a big influence. “We wanted to do Pentatonix covers,” says Aidan. “We knew Chelsea and asked her to join.” Chelsea, from Unsworth Heights, was also a member of last year’s Choralation. She says: "Singing is my whole life!” She is also in Westlake Girls’ Cantare, which took out a Silver Award at last year’s Big Sing finals. She’s looking forward to touring to Brisbane with Cantare to take part in a choir festival, Choralfest, in late June. The Naked Choir was filmed from late January to mid-March, and the group has had to keep their success to themselves pending the public reveal. The programme has been aired over six weeks, with the final episode being shown on Queen’s Birthday weekend. This was right at the beginning of a busy school year for four of the group, and at the start of university for Nick, who’s now doing conjoint law and
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Issue 77 - June 2017 www.channelmag.co.nz
By Christine Young
arts degrees at Auckland University, with music, naturally, as part of the mix. The process, they say, was just as shown in the programme; they really did only have five minutes to select the first song they sang. “We might have chosen a different song if we’d had longer,” says Aidan. “But we’re satisfied with how we did,” adds Blake. They had two weeks to prepare for that first performance. As if that wasn’t nerve-wracking enough, they had only two days to prepare their second song (Rock the Boat), selected for them to stretch their performance skills and engage the audience. Only Aidan knew the song. The others had to learn it from scratch. “We were given a basic arrangement but changed it to make it our own,” says Aidan. “We altered the beginning and added the beat box element.” Two hour-long sessions with the programme’s mentors helped. “They were so amazing throughout,” enthuses Chelsea. “They were just so knowledgeable.” It was about now that Chord5 realised that participation in The Naked Choir was about much more than musical prowess or aptitude. As Aza says: “When we auditioned, I had it in my head that it was about singing. When I found we had to dance, I thought ‘oh no!’” Blake adds that it was also the first time they’d been under time pressure. “It was a big shock. At Westlake, they spend so much time on every piece, so we’re not used to being underprepared.” There were, almost inevitably, as the group spent 45 consecutive days together striving to do their best under unfamiliar conditions, tensions – but nothing that derailed their focus on learning and doing the best they could. Aidan admits: “I get emotional because I like to have it go as I’d envisioned.” He may have pushed the others to deliver, but possibly no more (and no less) than the others were also pushing themselves and each other. “Rock the Boat was the toughest time,” both musically and emotionally, says Chelsea. The guys, perhaps with some justification, thought otherwise. Just three days after filming Rock the Boat, filming for their third challenge took place – right in the middle of the busiest weekend for Aidan, Aza and Blake, who were also committed to a three-day Westlake choir camp. This time, they were presented with a product (Falsetto bubble gum) and challenged to deliver an advertising jingle for it. “Combined with school and everything else we do,” says Blake in masterly understatement, “this was the most stressful time.” Indeed. Chord 5 was only one of a number of priorities for each of the guys. Blake had taken up the position as head prefect at Westlake at the beginning of the term, just as filming got under way. He also plays bass guitar in the school concert band and sails competitively in lasers – for the school and at Murrays Bay. “We were building up to the national championships just as we were filming,” he says. In addition to his singing commitments, Aidan plays Ultimate Frisbee at Elite level and has just been selected for the New Zealand Under 20 frisbee team. He also plays lacrosse and has a part in the school production of Sweeney Todd, rehearsals for which got under way in term one. Aza is also a prefect at Westlake, plays squash and plays trumpet in the school concert band. He notes regretfully that he has had to give up basketball and symphonic orchestra. Nick left Westlake at the end of 2016 and started university this year. He started lectures and moved into a hall of residence in the city in the middle of filming. He plays football, frisbee and lacrosse, plays