Advertisement

Legendary Swingle Singers Hit Boston On A High Note

11:59
Download Audio
Resume

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTxKQkvl3Fo

Fans of "Glee," the hit musical show on Fox, love the singing.

In a scene from the very first episode, fans will remember an a capella version of Beethoven's "5th Symphony." That version was performed by the multi-Grammy Award winning group, The Swingle Singers.

The Swingle Singers perform with the Boston Pops Tuesday. (Courtesy Boston Pops)
The Swingle Singers perform with the Boston Pops Tuesday. (Courtesy Boston Pops)

The group was founded in 1962 by Ward Swingle, a Mobile, Ala., native who'd gone to Paris to study classical music. As a result, the group's forte became creative, purely vocal arrangements of well known classical music such as their version of Bach's "Badinerie."

The Alabama-Paris origin also gives the group its eclectic mix of nationalities. The singers today include several British voices, a German, a Canadian, and a soprano from Tennessee.

The Swingle Singers, now based in London, are performing with the Boston Pops this weekend. Radio Boston's Meghna Chakrabarti met up with them a little earlier this week as they were rehearsing at Symphony Hall.

More:

This segment aired on June 9, 2011.

Advertisement

More from Radio Boston

Listen Live
Close