Some musical magic from The Opera Boys in Fife next month

The Opera Boys have been delighting audiences all over the world with their unique shows that combine beautiful, powerful and emotional music with funny, light-hearted entertainment.

They last performed in Fife two years ago and are returning with a show at Carnegie Hall in Dunfermline on Saturday, March 16, at 7.30pm.

The leading men from London’s West End combine in a powerhouse of vocal harmony to deliver a stunning blend of music – operatic arias and classical favourites from ‘Nessun Dorma’ to ‘Time to say goodbye’ are mixed with showstoppers from ‘Les Miserables’ and ‘Phantom of the Opera’ right through to ‘Jersey Boys’.

The two-hour show also features new classical arrangements of modern day pop hits, all performed in The Opera Boys’ inimitable style.

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The members trained at some of the UK’s finest schools, including The Royal Academy of Music, and have each become highly successful performers in their own right.

They have also been recruited as backing vocalists to some of the world’s biggest stars including Russell Watson, Robbie Williams, Tom Jones and Elton John.

The Opera Boys are: Colin Bryce, Robert Cherry, Richard Colvin and Michael Storrs.

Robert told the Press what audiences can expect from the show: “As the name suggests we sing a bit of opera but, obviously, there is a bit more to it than that.

“We perform the very famous operatic arias that everybody knows – the likes of Nessun Dorma – but there is a whole cross section of stuff, including big classical numbers from people like Andrea Bochelli.

We also do a bit of West End and Broadway from musicals like Les Mis and Phantom, and a bit of Jersey Boys.

“We also do some more contemporary stuff – pop songs done in a classical style like Angels by Robbie Williams, this is a pop song which really lends itself well to the classical style. We do that in a four-part harmony.

“Unchained Melody is another good example that we do in a classical style. It’s a very recognisable song done in a very different way. But, as well as that, the show is very laid back, good fun, light-hearted and entertaining. “The whole idea behind what we do is that there is a bit of a preconception with opera that it is a bit boring, a bit stuffy and a bit high-brow, and we try and get away from that.

“We are all classically-trained and we do take that music seriously when it needs to be taken seriously, but there is a whole lot of that operatic and classical stuff, that has an aspect of light-heartedness to it. So what we have ended up with is a show that has got some beautiful moving music in it but also some of it is quite laid-back and funny in places.

“We have a good time with each other on stage and the audience, in turn, have a bit of fun, and we encourage them to clap along and sing along. It is good old-fashioned entertainment.”

Has classical music become more popular?

“The Three Tenors had a big influence,” added Robert, “and if you watch them, people often think they are a bit serious but, actually, they are all messing about with each other and trying to outdo each other, and there is a bit of that in what we do.

“But you also have Il Divo who are a great example of a group who did modern pop songs in a classical style, and there is an aspect of that in what we do as well.

“I do think that is very popular. Ed Sheeran recently did a song called Perfect which he then re-did as a duet with Andrea Bochelli called Perfect Symphony. It in in half English, half Italian and we have put that into our show for this year. It was only last year they released that so it is very current ... and very popular.

“The thing about that style of music is it is timeless. Everybody relates to it and everyone can enjoy it.”

Robert said everyone would know every single operatic aria they perform.

“These pieces of music have been around for years and used in TV adverts, shows, and films,” he explained. “ You might not know them by name but I can guarantee you will know every song.”

The Opera Boys began performing in 2013. “It was actually myself and one of the other guys ,Richard – we had worked together years ago on a corporate thing,” Robert said.

“The story we tell is that we hated each other and it never got any better than that, but the truth is we had a similar love for this kind of music and we also had a similar sense of humour.

“That’s really where the idea for the shows came from. We both loved that old-fashioned musical, Morecambe and Wise type humour and good old-fashioned entertainment without taking it too seriously. We like having fun with the audience while performing this type of music.”

For tickets, visit: www.onfife.com