All Angels

Infobox musical artist 2
Name = All Angels


Img_capt =
Background = group_or_band
Origin = London, England
Genre = Classical, Pop, Opera, Crossover
Years_active = 2006-present
Label = UCJ (Universal)
URL = [http://www.allangelsofficial.com/ AllAngelsOfficial.com]
Current_members = Melanie Nakhla
Charlotte Ritchie
Laura Wright
Daisy Chute

All Angels are a British classical and pop group formed in 2005, consisting of Charlotte Ritchie, Melanie Nakhla, Laura Wright, and Daisy Chute.

The group's style is classical crossover music, with a repertoire spanning classical, choral, opera and pop including Franz Schubert's "Ellens dritter Gesang", "Agnus Dei" (the choral arrangement of Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings") and the "Sancta Maria intermezzo" from Pietro Mascagni's "Cavalleria rusticana", along with the "Flower Duet" from Léo Delibes' "Lakmé" and the "Barcarolle" from Jacques Offenbach's "The Tales of Hoffmann", plus pop songs such as Robbie Williams' "Angels", Fleetwood Mac's "Songbird" and Prince's "Nothing Compares 2 U".

They have recorded two albums. Their self-titled debut album, "All Angels" was released in 2006, and their second album, "Into Paradise" was released on 26 November 2007).

History

All Angels signed a five album deal with Universal Classics and Jazz in 2006 to be targeted at the populist classical crossover market. Each of the groups members had to go through an audition process in order to join the group,cite news
last = Reynolds
first = Nigel
title = Record label risks £1 million on high-flying schoolgirls who sing like angels
publisher = The Daily Telegraph
date = 2006-09-25
url = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/09/25/nsingers25.xml
accessdate = 2008-01-31] and were selected from 120 auditionees. Their first live performance was at Cadogan Hall in Chelsea, London.

The group released their first album at the end of 2006, entering the United Kingdom (UK) charts at number nine. It was the UK's fast selling debut for a classical act and won them a platinum disc, and was also nominated in the Classical BRIT Awards album of the year category in 2007.cite news
title = Sting on Classical Brit shortlist
publisher = BBC
date = 2007-04-02
url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6519085.stm
accessdate = 2008-01-31] They sang in front of the Queen at the Festival of Remembrance held at the Royal Albert Hall on 9 November and at "Silence in the Square", a concert held in Trafalgar Square on 11 November.cite news
title = All Angels call for volunteer Poppy Appeal collectors
publisher = Royal British Legion
date = 2007
url = http://www.britishlegion.org.uk/news/index.cfm?asset_id=517085&fuseaction=newsdetail
accessdate = 2008-01-31] In December 2006 they released the single "Angels", the first ever Christmas single to be released in association with the Royal British Legion and their Poppy Appeal.

They sang at the Classical BRIT Award ceremony held on 3 May and broadcast on ITV on 6 May.cite news
title = Classical Brit Awards
publisher = Framlingham College
date = 2007
url = http://www.framlingham.suffolk.sch.uk/news/details?contentid=19919
accessdate = 2008-01-31]

They made a cameo appearance in the British soap opera, Emmerdale during a wedding on 9 October 2007 singing "Songbird".cite news
last = Dadds
first = Kimberley
title = All Angels for 'Emmerdale' cameo
publisher = digitalspy.co.uk
date = 2007-09-25
url = http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/a76327/all-angels-for-emmerdale-cameo.html
accessdate = 2008-01-31] They again sang at the Festival of Remembrance on 10 November.cite news
title = Festival pays tribute to the fallen
publisher = Royal British Legion
date = 2007-11-11
url = http://www.legion-magazine.co.uk/news/remembrance/festival-of-remembrance-2007/
accessdate = 2008-01-31] On 26 November they released a second album, "Into Paradise", which features "Nothing Compares 2 U" and "Sancte Deus". At the same time the album was released the winner was announced of the national "Angel Idol" competition, run in conjunction with Classic FM to find a fifth member for the group. The winner was Alexandra Lawrie then had the opportunity to record a track and perform with the girls at a concert in London on 28 November.cite news
last = Wolfisz
first = Francine
title = Angels flying high
publisher = Bucks Free Press
date = 2006-09-25
url = http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/leisure/cfuinterviews/display.var.1854934.0.angels_flying_high.php
accessdate = 2008-01-31]

They appeared on the BBC Radio 4 2007 Christmas Service, held at Wesley's Chapel in Londoncite news
title = Celebrate Christmas 2007 with music and reflection
publisher = BBC
date = 2007-11-28
url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/11_november/28/christmas.shtml
accessdate = 2008-01-31] and on the BBC 2007 New Year's Eve show, singing "Nothing Compares 2 U".

On 14 January 2008 All Angels sang "The Sounds of Silence" and "Pie Jesu" in a one-off concert at the International Eisteddfod’s launch in Cardiff. They are due to appear at the International Eisteddfod in Llangollen on 11 July 2008.cite news
title = All Angels to appear at Llangollen
publisher = North Wales Daily Post
date = 2008-01-18
url = http://www.dailypost.co.uk/leisure/entertainment-news/2008/01/18/all-angels-to-appear-at-llangollen-55578-20365884/
accessdate = 2008-01-31] On 27 January they appeared on Songs of Praise on BBC One.cite news
title = Songs of Praise: Sun 27 Jan
publisher = BBC
date = 2008-01-27
url = http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcone/listings/programme.shtml?day=today&service_id=42238&filename=20080127/20080127_1730_4223_18837_35
accessdate = 2008-01-31] In 2008 they embark on a Cathedral tour at venues such as St Paul's Cathedral in London and Metropolitan Cathedral in Liverpool.

Members

Daisy Chute

Daisy Chute (born 7 August 1989 in Scotland)cite web
title = Daisy Chute
publisher = Internet Movie Database
url = http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2437705/
accessdate = 2008-01-30] She is from Edinburgh. She studied at St Mary's Music School and Loretto School and began her performing career at the age of nine as the young Cosette in the touring production of Les Misérables. At the age of thirteen she appeared as a young Judy Garland in Stars In Their Eyes Kids, and made her first appearance on the Edinburgh Fringe. At fifteen she recorded her debut album, "Simply Jazz" after she performed with a trio at a jazz cabaret show at the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival and Edinburgh Fringe. A track from her "Simply Jazz" album was played by Humphrey Lyttelton on his BBC Radio 2 "Best of Jazz" show. Chute finished her secondary schooling at the Purcell School of Music in Bushey, Hertfordshire where she studied voice, piano and composition. In 2005 she was a joint winner, of a Scottish songwriting competition for the music festival "Burnsong", with her song, "Promises to Keep". All the winning songs were performed professionally and broadcast live on BBC Radio Scotland.cite news
title = Bard inspires a new song for Scotland
publisher = Scottish Arts Council
date = 2005-11-30
url = http://www.scottisharts.org.uk/1/latestnews/1002774.aspx
accessdate = 2008-01-30]

After meeting British composer, Howard Goodall at the Royal Albert Hall's School Proms, she gained a slot to sing on his television show, "How Music Works"cite news
title = How Music Works, with Howard Goodall - Featured Performers: Daisy Chute, Vocalist
publisher = Channel 4
date = 2006
url = http://www.channel4.com/culture/microsites/H/how_music_works/daisy_chute.html
accessdate = 2008-01-30] where she performed the Shaker song "'Tis A Gift To Be Simple" with Anastacia Nosobin on guitar on the first programme of the series.cite news
title = How Music Works, with Howard Goodall - Featured Music: Melody - Programme 1: Melody
publisher = Channel 4
date = 2006
url = http://www.channel4.com/culture/microsites/H/how_music_works/music_melody.html
accessdate = 2008-01-30]

In June 2006 she was a "Highly Commended" finalist in the joint BBC Proms and The Guardian newspaper Young Composer Competition.cite news
last = Kingston
first = Peter
title = 1916 and all that
publisher = The Guardian
date = 2006-06-27
url = http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1806993,00.html
accessdate = 2008-01-30]

On 24 September 2006 she performed at Wigmore Hall in London,cite news
last = Kingston
first = Peter
title = PROKOFIEV Newsletter #3/2006 September-December United Kingdom
publisher = The Serge Prokofiev Foundation
date = 2006-06-27
url = http://www.sprkfv.net/newsletter/nl32006/nl32006uk.html
accessdate = 2008-01-30] gaving a short recital of Alec Wilder songs. She was then signed to Universal Classics and Jazz (UCJ) as part of All Angels. Chute has also had a brief stint presenting the CBBC news programme, Newsround.fact|date=January 2008

Melanie Nakhla

Melanie Nakhla (born 29 December 1988),cite web
title = Melanie Nakhla
publisher = Internet Movie Database
url = http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2441494/
accessdate = 2008-01-30] she moved with her family to Shrewsbury, Shropshire when she was three years old, where she attended Prestfelde School. She began singing at a young age, joining the Shrewsbury Children's Choir when she was eight years old.cite news
last = Patel
first = Sunita
title = Dream is becoming a reality
publisher = Shropshire Star
date = 2006-10-03
url = http://www.shropshirestar.com/2006/10/dream-is-becoming-a-reality/
accessdate = 2008-01-31] She competed in the Oswestry Eisteddfod when she was ten years old coming first in a singing competition.cite news
last = Jones
first = Natalie
title = Calling All Angels as Eisteddfod stars
publisher = Denbighshire Free Press
date = 2008-01-16
url = http://www.denbighshirefreepress.co.uk/news/Calling-All-Angels-as-Eisteddfod.3677061.jp
accessdate = 2008-01-31] She was a student at Wycombe Abbey in High Wycombe where she was head of choir.

Charlotte Ritchie

Charlotte Ritchie, (born 29 August 1989 in Clapham, London) joined the National Youth Music Theatre (NYMT) aged eleven and performed in a touring production of "Pendragon" in Japan, as well as appearing in summer productions in London, Devon and Edinburgh with the NYMT and Youth Music Theatre:UK. Educated at James Allen's Girls' School in Dulwich South London, she appeared as an extra in and went on to play a lead character in a short film "The Open Doors" with Michael Seen and Cherie Lunghi. She appeared in "The Pierglass", at the Young Pleasance Theatre at the Edinburgh Fringe in August 2006.

Laura Wright

Laura Wright, (born 17 June 1990)cite web
title = Laura Wright
publisher = Internet Movie Database
url = http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2451048/
accessdate = 2008-01-30] won the BBC Radio 2 Young Chorister of the Year in 2005. This led to live radio broadcasts on Sunday Worship, Sunday Half Hour and Aled Jones' Radio 2's Good Morning Sunday programme and a series of performances. Solo television appearances include About Anglia and BBC's Heaven and Earth with Gloria Hunniford. She studies at Framlingham College in Suffolk whre she is head girl and holds scholarships in art and music.

Laura has been a member of the National Youth Choir of Great Britain since 2005. In 2006 Laura was invited to sing with the RAF Band in a concert in Bury St Edmunds Cathedral. A regular soloist with the Suffolk Singers, performing pieces such as Antonio Lotti's Pur Diecsti, o Bocca Bella and Franz Schubert's Du bist de Ruh and she has sung as guest soprano in John Rutter's Requiem at St Paul's Cathedral, broadcast on Radio 2 . In 2008 Laura played the second woman in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas alongside Daniela Bechley and Stephen Varcoe, a production staged by The Pimlott Foundation - a charity promoting music by professional and aspiring young musicians in East Anglia.

She has represented The East of England in javelin, her county in hockey and athletics, and has reached the national schools tennis finals with her school team as well as singing backing vocals for rock band A Personal Victory, fronted by her brother Seamus.

Discography

Albums

* 2006: "All Angels"
* 2007: "All Angels (Revised) - Digital release"
* 2007: "Into Paradise"

Singles

* 2006: "Songbird"
* 2006: "Angels"
* 2007: "Nothing Compares 2 U"

Featured

* 2007: "The Number One Classical Album 2008" - "Sancte Deus (Nimrod)
* 2008: "Tenor at the Movies" - "Vois Sur Ton Chemin" from Les Choristes with Jonathan Ansell

References

External links

* [http://www.allangelsofficial.com Official website]
* [http://www.myspace.com/allangelsofficial Official MySpace site]
*imdb name|id=2442793|name=All Angels
*imdb name|id=2437705|name=Daisy Chute
*imdb name|id=2441494|name=Melanie Nakhla
*imdb name|id=2451048|name=Laura Wright
*imdb name|id=2492359|name=Charlotte Ritchie
* [http://www.ilikemusic.com/interviews/All_Angels_interview_2007-3690 Interview 2007 on ilikemusic.com]
* [http://www.pdplive.com All Angels tour dates 2008]
* [http://www.classicalx.com/All_Angels.html All Angels on classicalx.com]
* [http://www.classicalx.com/article674.html All Angels interview on classicalx.com]