Fifty Bradford City football fans, who’ve been transformed into an operatic choir, will be the opening act for a Yorkshire Day concert at Bradford Live.
The BBC’s Bantam of the Opera singers are set to perform a number of songs as a choir alongside the Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra during a concert dubbed ‘Yorkshire Calling’ on 1 August.
The fans - known as the Bantams – have been taught to sing opera to mark the Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture celebrations as part of a BBC Radio Leeds challenge.
From a 90-year-old match-day volunteer at the club, to an 18-year-old A-Level student, the choir is made up of fans from across Bradford who are passionate about the city they call home.
The world-renowned BBC Singers have been supporting the Bantam’s choir during their development. Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, opera singer Lesley Garrett, and sports commentator and TV presenter Chris Kamara, are all also ambassadors for the campaign.
The campaign title is a play on Lord Lloyd Webber's 1986 musical The Phantom of the Opera, based on the novel by Gaston Leroux.
Bradford Live was taken over by leading global live entertainment business Trafalgar Entertainment in February this year. Tickets for the Yorkshire Calling event will go on sale on 4 April. The concert is part of wider celebrations being held in the district with Bradford & Ilkley hosting this year’s Yorkshire Day as part of the 2025 UK City of Culture celebrations. Celebrated poet Ian McMillan will also feature.
Kamara, who had a 20-year playing career and is also a former manager of Bradford City, will be leading the choir during their performance at Bradford Live.
The broadcaster, who was diagnosed with the speech condition apraxia in 2022, has said he had used singing to help him with his speech, wellbeing and mental health.
Kamara says: “I recently joined the Bantam of the Opera choir at one of their rehearsals, and it was unbelievable how good they’re sounding already. For a group of football supporters to embrace this opportunity and come together and sing, it’s testament to James Sills who is the vocal coach and also the undoubted talent that fans didn't know they had.
“It’s great to see the fans unite in such a community driven way. We’re doing this to pay our respects to the 56 fans who lost their lives 40 years ago in the Valley Parade stadium fire. And by performing on the pitch at half-time in May for the final home game of the season, the official memorial match, we hope we can in some way show that their memories live on, and we will always remember. The Bantam of the Opera choir is creating a lasting legacy for the club, and we want these people to champion Bradford throughout its UK City of Culture year.
“Therefore, I am delighted to announce that I’ve been asked to support the choir in one of their next big adventures, performing on the stage at Bradford Live on Yorkshire Day, 1 August. I promise you it’ll be a show you won’t want to miss.”
Soprano singer Lesley Garrett CBE, who is an ambassador for Bantam of the Opera, says: “Singing with the Bantam of the Opera choir for the Bradford UK City of Culture year is proving to be a joyous and humbling experience. This richly diverse and endlessly enthusiastic group of die-hard Bradford AFC fans are astonishing me with their commitment and growing determination.
“The improvement they have made in the few short weeks we’ve been working together, is astonishing! I am so excited for our first operatic outing together.”
The Bantam of the Opera choir will be accompanied by the 50 strong Yorkshire Symphony Orchestra with music composer Ben Crick conducting.
Crick, who’s organising the Yorkshire Calling concert, says: “The Bantam of the Opera choir is a fantastic new choral group, with a variety of different voices, showing that this great art form is available and accessible to anyone who wants to share in it.
“To have them join the orchestra on stage at Bradford Live, in the UK City of Culture year, is living proof that there's a new and fantastically vibrant chapter starting for the arts in Bradford.”
This is a special year for Bradford. As well as being the UK City of Culture, in May the city marks 40 years since the Valley Parade stadium fire, which claimed the lives of 56 supporters. In acknowledgement of this anniversary, the Bantam of the Opera singers will perform on the pitch at half time during the memorial match, on the final home game of the season.
You can follow the journey of the singers, in the BBC Bantam of the Opera podcast which launches on BBC Sounds on Friday 4 April.
The official opening launch season for Bradford Live will be announced soon.
