Jonathan Ansell
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Mark Ansell is an English
singer, formerly the high tenor
of the vocal group G4
.
Jonathan Ansell was born in Bognor Regis
in 1982, where both his parents were primary school teachers. Influenced by his mother’s tapes of Pavarotti and the Three Tenors, Jonathan joined the West Sussex Boys' Choir conducted by Arthur Robson, at the age of eight. He toured extensively with the choir to Florida, Germany, and France, performed in the Royal Festival Hall
and sang many times in Arundel Cathedral
, to great acclaim. Jonathan stayed with the choir until his voice broke at the age of 16 when he lost the ability to sing treble but after puberty found he had developed a high tenor
voice instead.
He attended the Anglican Bishop Luffa School
in Chichester. Achieved his Grade 8 as a treble at 13, he received his Grade 8 as a tenor at 17. He published a solo album in 2001 with his savings.
After a show-stopping performance of Love Changes Everything at a choral society concert in Littlehampton, his local MP Howard Flight
, who was in the audience, arranged for him to have a preliminary audition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
in London. Jonathan suffered from Glandular Fever from early September 1999 to mid-February 2000 and the audition was due during this period, luckily, they agreed to rearrange it. He worked with his music teacher Martin Elliott, with whom he'd had private lessons since he was 13, and went back to basics, gradually building up vocal strength. He won a place at the Guildhall two years later, and felt he had come home.
Whilst at the Guildhall Jonathan's singing teacher was Adrian Thompson who has a similar voice to Jonathan and he described their lessons as working together. At that time Jonathan tried his hardest at the academic studies but fell below the standard – he was diagnosed as dyslexic – and the Guildhall were not sure that he should stay, but he managed to convince them and was incredibly grateful.
he formed the pop-opera boyband G4 with Mike Christie, Tom Lowe, and Ben Thapa
, three other Guildhall students. Later, due to artistic differences, Tom Lowe resigned as bass, and Matthew Stiff
took his place. Their name, G4, comes from the fact that they were all students at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and stands for Guildhall 4.
G4 were discovered after finishing second on ITV talent show The X Factor
in 2004. G4's self-titled debut album produced by the legendary Trevor Horn
and Brian Rawling, reached Number One for Mother's Day
weekend 2005 and sold over 245,000 copies in the first week. In total they released 3 albums, sold in excess of 1.5 million albums in the UK, completed 5 sell-out UK tours, sold in excess of 40,000 Live at the Royal Albert Hall DVDs (one of the concerts on their first tour) and also released a best selling autobiography Our Way.
Jonathan turned down the role of Prince Tamino in Kenneth Branagh
's film of Mozart's The Magic Flute
to stay with the band and continue recording.
On 5 April 2007, G4 announced on GMTV
that they were calling it a day at the end of July 2007.
. He was offered an album deal by the three major labels, EMI, Sony and Universal. His first solo album with UCJ, Tenor at the Movies, was released on 18 February 2008.
For 5 Sunday afternoons from 17 February 2008 Jonathan Ansell presented The Great Movie Composers on ClassicFM coinciding with the release of his solo album.
On 24 February 2008, Jonathan's album Tenor at the Movies went straight to number 1 in the Classical Chart and stayed there for 3 weeks and reached Number 9 in mainstream charts making him the youngest tenor ever to top the Classical Charts.
Jonathan participated in a celebrity edition of Channel 4
show Come Dine With Me
on 10 April 2008, along with fellow celebrities MC Harvey, Tamara Beckwith
and Lynsey de Paul
. Jonathan came in joint first place with MC Harvey, both of whom scored 21 points.
On 8 May 2008, Jonathan's participation in BBC
programme Ready Steady Cook
against Hayley Westenra
was broadcast.
In the evening of 8 May 2008, Jonathan performed Un Giorno Per Noi with Hayley Westenra at the Classical Brits, Royal Albert Hall
.
During June 2008, Jonathan and England and Arsenal
striker Kelly Smith
won the British Lung Foundation
's male and female 'Lungs of the Year 2008' award in recognition of the fantastic use they have made of their lungs over the past year.
In a Q&A session with the BBC's Last Choir Standing
website, Jonathan gave his views on the benefits of being part of a choir: "People see choirs on stage and predominantly it looks quite square... but off stage that's where all the fun happens - in rehearsals, messing about, lunch breaks, interacting with new people. That, for me, is what choirs are all about – having that fun both on and off stage." Jonathan made a guest appearance on Last Choir Standing (Results Show) on 3 August 2008 performing "Barcelona".
On Sunday, 17 August 2008, Jonathan participated in the tribute concert Lyrics by Don Black which was held at the London Palladium
featuring performances of Black's songs by a selection of guest artists. He performed the duet Amigos Para Siempre
with Hayley Westenra
, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
. The evening, hosted by Michael Parkinson
was recorded by BBC Radio 2 Friday Night is Music Night
and broadcast on Friday, 22 August 2008.
One of the tracks on his second album Forever is "Hearts of England
", the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
song composed by Patrick Hawes
and his brother Andrew. He performed it live at the Rugby League Carnegie Challenge Cup
Final at Wembley Stadium
on Saturday, 30 August 2008.
For the second weekend running Jonathan performed a track from his album Forever live at Wembley, this time to sing the footballing anthem Nessun Dorma
at Soccer Aid
on Sunday, 7 September whilst the teams were presented to Sir Geoff Hurst
.
Before his G4 days, Jonathan worked in Jersey with a Gilbert and Sullivan
operatic society and during September 2008 returned to his roots by taking on the role of Nanki-Poo in the Carl Rosa Opera Company
's production of The Mikado
at both the Richmond Theatre
and Alexandra Theatre
, Birmingham.
Jonathan performed alongside Hayley Westenra
at Music on Fire! at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
on 18, 19 and 20 September 2008 - a stunning musical and firework spectacular organised by the Army Benevolent Fund to raise funds for veterans of current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The third series of The Alan Titchmarsh Show
featured the start of a competition to find a soprano
to sing alongside Jonathan in the A Night At The Opera tour on Monday, 1 September 2008. From the thousands of hopefuls who applied, 8 ladies were selected to sing in front of a judging panel of David Grant
, Ruthie Henshall
and Jonathan Shalit. The 4 successful ladies Rosie Bell, Rosie Havel, Olivia Safe and Esther Dee faced a public vote on 15 September 2008 and Olivia Safe and Rosie Bell won through. They sang with Jonathan Libiamo ne' lieti calici
, the most famous duet from Verdi's La Traviata
on 29 September 2008 and Olivia Safe won the public vote to appear in the tour of A Night At the Opera.
A Night At the Opera had its first performance at the Cardiff Millennium Centre on 30 October 2008 and toured 18 venues in the UK ending at the London Palladium
on 23 November 2008. The show co-stars Silvia Colloca
, Telman Guzhevsky, Anna-Clare Monk, Toby Stafford Allen and Olivia Safe. Jonathan describes A Night At the Opera as "All the big tunes that you know from the world of opera compressed into one show. It's not just a gala performance, there's also a narrative in it. All the characters are there and you go on a journey with them. It's kind of like the opera you normally go and see, but you know all of it rather than waiting two hours for the aria you recognise."
On Saturday, 8 November 2008, Jonathan performed at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, he performed "Today Won't Come Again" with Hayley Westenra
, composer Geoff Stevens, lyrics by Don Black and sang Here's to the Heroes composer John Barry
, lyrics by Don Black, when the returning forces came into the auditorium.
During February 2009, Jonathan toured with Hayley Westenra
in The Valentines Tour.
At the England versus Scotland Six Nations
Rugby Match at Twickenham on 21 March 2009 Jonathan sang the English National Anthem at Twickenham. During Easter Week, 7 April 2009 Jonathan appeared in Dictionary Corner on Channel 4's Countdown
.
Jonathan was nominated for the Classical Brits 2009 "Album of the Year" with Tenor at the Movies.
On Monday 30 November 2009, Jonathan launched the This Morning
s Christmas Choir. This is a Virtual Choir brought together via individual viewers posting unaccompanied video clips of their singing We Wish You A Merry Christmas
on YouTube
. Participants should download the music and lyrics, record the song listening to the music on headphones and then post the video to The Morning page on YouTube. Jonathan will be leading the choir and picking viewers to take part in the final virtual choir performance live on This Morning on 23 December 2009. On 3 December 2009, some video clips were broadcast to show viewers what This Morning are after for their Choir.
In 2010, Jonathan made his musical theatre début as The Man in the Bill Kenwright
touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber
and Jim Steinman
's Whistle Down The Wind
. Opening at the Liverpool Empire on 20 January, Jonathan performed an intensive eight shows a week for the entire eight month UK tour.
Jonathan played Boemer and 2 other characters in the 2010 National Tour of Lark Rise to Candleford
directed by Joe Harmston starting at the Theatre Royal Windsor in September 2010.
On 16 March 2011 Jonathan announced the dates for the Jonathan Ansell and Friends Tour starting in June 2011.
Jonathan will be playing the role of the Prince / Beast in a national tour of "Beauty and the Beast" for New World Productions in April and May 2011
because his father's twin sister Brenda died from the condition. He participated in the London Triathlon in 2007, performed at their London Fashion Show and Carols by Candlelight Service as well as donating his winnings from Who Wants to be Millionaire and Come Dine with Me.
In April 2009 Jonathan was appointed as an Ambassador for the charity Breast Cancer Care. Jonathan’s first role as Ambassador was to participate in the JPMorgan Asset Management Round the Island Race
on 20 June 2009.
Jonathan was the benchmark flyer for the Worthing International Birdman challenge where contestants attempt mechanically unaided flight off the end of Worthing
pier. On a JustGiving
website, Jonathan said: "The thought of leading the way as the benchmark flyer in front of 25,000 people is obviously terrifying, but it is going to be a lot of fun and, most importantly, a brilliant opportunity for me to raise funds for Breast Cancer Care, a charity that is very close to my heart." He managed 16.04 metres, sporting a Mr Incredible-style pink hairdo.
"I'm not one of those fussy singers who won't be in a car with air conditioning, eat dairy products or go out drinking. I treat my voice with respect, but I also give it a level of abuse, so that it's actually resilient as well. If I'm slightly under the weather I can still perform well. Whereas, if I'd been wrapped in cotton wool and something happened I'd get paranoid. I've trained my voice to deal with the bugs and the smoke and everything else."
Jonathan wears a ring on his right hand. Its history is that a friend made it in a silver-smithing class at school and gave it to him. He then bought the one he now wears as a present to himself when G4 signed their first record deal.
After meeting her in a London club Ansell proposed to former Quizmania
host Debbie King on stage at the end of his final show of A Night at the Opera at the London Palladium on 23 November 2008. The couple married on Sunday 30 August 2009 on the 40th floor of 30 St Mary Axe
. On 14 May 2010, Ansell announced he and King were expecting their first child. King gave birth at 02:00 on 24 November 2010 to Siena Valentine Ansell.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
singer, formerly the high tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
of the vocal group G4
G4 (band)
G4 were a four-piece British vocal troupe who first came to prominence when they finished second in ITV's talent show The X Factor in 2004. The members met at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, from which the name G4, standing for "Guildhall 4", derives.-The X Factor:G4 auditioned for the...
.
Jonathan Ansell was born in Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, on the south coast of England. It is south-south-west of London, west of Brighton, and south-east of the city of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Littlehampton east-north-east and Selsey to the...
in 1982, where both his parents were primary school teachers. Influenced by his mother’s tapes of Pavarotti and the Three Tenors, Jonathan joined the West Sussex Boys' Choir conducted by Arthur Robson, at the age of eight. He toured extensively with the choir to Florida, Germany, and France, performed in the Royal Festival Hall
Royal Festival Hall
The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,900-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge. It is a Grade I listed building - the first post-war building to become so protected...
and sang many times in Arundel Cathedral
Arundel Cathedral
The Cathedral Church of Our Lady and St Philip Howard is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Arundel, West Sussex, England. Dedicated in 1873 as the Catholic parish church of Arundel, it was not designated a cathedral until the foundation of the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton in 1965...
, to great acclaim. Jonathan stayed with the choir until his voice broke at the age of 16 when he lost the ability to sing treble but after puberty found he had developed a high tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
voice instead.
He attended the Anglican Bishop Luffa School
Bishop Luffa School
Bishop Luffa, named after a former Bishop of Chichester, Ralph de Luffa, is a coeducational Church of England secondary school in the City of Chichester, West Sussex, England. The number of enrolled students was around 1,400 in 2010, in eight 'Year' house-forms and the sixth form...
in Chichester. Achieved his Grade 8 as a treble at 13, he received his Grade 8 as a tenor at 17. He published a solo album in 2001 with his savings.
After a show-stopping performance of Love Changes Everything at a choral society concert in Littlehampton, his local MP Howard Flight
Howard Flight
Howard Emerson Flight, Baron Flight is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom and a member of the House of Lords. He was Member of Parliament for Arundel and South Downs from 1997 to 2005...
, who was in the audience, arranged for him to have a preliminary audition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama is an independent music and dramatic arts school which was founded in 1880 in London, England. Students can pursue courses in Music, Opera, Drama and Technical Theatre Arts.-History:...
in London. Jonathan suffered from Glandular Fever from early September 1999 to mid-February 2000 and the audition was due during this period, luckily, they agreed to rearrange it. He worked with his music teacher Martin Elliott, with whom he'd had private lessons since he was 13, and went back to basics, gradually building up vocal strength. He won a place at the Guildhall two years later, and felt he had come home.
Whilst at the Guildhall Jonathan's singing teacher was Adrian Thompson who has a similar voice to Jonathan and he described their lessons as working together. At that time Jonathan tried his hardest at the academic studies but fell below the standard – he was diagnosed as dyslexic – and the Guildhall were not sure that he should stay, but he managed to convince them and was incredibly grateful.
G4
Whilst he was at the Guildhall School of Music and DramaGuildhall School of Music and Drama
Guildhall School of Music and Drama is an independent music and dramatic arts school which was founded in 1880 in London, England. Students can pursue courses in Music, Opera, Drama and Technical Theatre Arts.-History:...
he formed the pop-opera boyband G4 with Mike Christie, Tom Lowe, and Ben Thapa
Ben Thapa
Ben Vishala Thapa is a tenor, formerly in the group G4.Ben started singing lessons at 14 and sang in his local church choir. He played the clarinet in an orchestra while at Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge...
, three other Guildhall students. Later, due to artistic differences, Tom Lowe resigned as bass, and Matthew Stiff
Matthew Stiff
Matthew William Tansley Stiff is a bass singer, formerly with British vocal group G4 and a former Classic FM radio presenter.-Early life:...
took his place. Their name, G4, comes from the fact that they were all students at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and stands for Guildhall 4.
G4 were discovered after finishing second on ITV talent show The X Factor
The X Factor (UK)
The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
in 2004. G4's self-titled debut album produced by the legendary Trevor Horn
Trevor Horn
Trevor Charles Horn CBE is an English pop music record producer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was born in Houghton-le-Spring in north-east England....
and Brian Rawling, reached Number One for Mother's Day
Mother's Day
Mother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May...
weekend 2005 and sold over 245,000 copies in the first week. In total they released 3 albums, sold in excess of 1.5 million albums in the UK, completed 5 sell-out UK tours, sold in excess of 40,000 Live at the Royal Albert Hall DVDs (one of the concerts on their first tour) and also released a best selling autobiography Our Way.
Jonathan turned down the role of Prince Tamino in Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from Northern Ireland. He is best known for directing and starring in several film adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays including Henry V , Much Ado About Nothing , Hamlet Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from...
's film of Mozart's The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute
The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue....
to stay with the band and continue recording.
On 5 April 2007, G4 announced on GMTV
GMTV
GMTV was the national Channel 3 breakfast television contractor, broadcasting in the United Kingdom from 1 January 1993 to 3 September 2010. It became a wholly owned subsidiary of ITV plc. in November 2009. Shortly after, ITV plc announced the programme would end...
that they were calling it a day at the end of July 2007.
Solo career
Jonathan signed with new management Jonathan Shalit in 2007 and secured a £1 million, 5 album deal with Universal Classics and Jazz (UCJ) which is part of the Universal Music GroupUniversal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
. He was offered an album deal by the three major labels, EMI, Sony and Universal. His first solo album with UCJ, Tenor at the Movies, was released on 18 February 2008.
For 5 Sunday afternoons from 17 February 2008 Jonathan Ansell presented The Great Movie Composers on ClassicFM coinciding with the release of his solo album.
On 24 February 2008, Jonathan's album Tenor at the Movies went straight to number 1 in the Classical Chart and stayed there for 3 weeks and reached Number 9 in mainstream charts making him the youngest tenor ever to top the Classical Charts.
Jonathan participated in a celebrity edition of Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
show Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me
Come Dine With Me is a popular Channel 4 television programme shown in the United Kingdom, produced by Granada Television and first broadcast in January 2005. The show has either four or five amateur chefs competing against each other hosting a dinner party for the other contestants...
on 10 April 2008, along with fellow celebrities MC Harvey, Tamara Beckwith
Tamara Beckwith
Tamara Beckwith is an English socialite, noted for her coverage in glossy celebrity magazines such as OK! and Hello! magazine.-Early life:...
and Lynsey de Paul
Lynsey De Paul
Lynsey de Paul is an English singer-songwriter. Allmusic journalist, Craig Harris stated, "one of the first successful female singer-songwriters in England, de Paul has had an illustrious career".-Early life:De Paul was born to Meta and Herbert Rubin, a property developer...
. Jonathan came in joint first place with MC Harvey, both of whom scored 21 points.
On 8 May 2008, Jonathan's participation in BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
programme Ready Steady Cook
Ready Steady Cook
Ready Steady Cook was a BBC daytime TV cooking programme it first debuted on 24 October 1994 and the last edition was broadcast on the 2 February 2010. The programme was hosted by Fern Britton from 1994 until 2000 when celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott became the new host...
against Hayley Westenra
Hayley Westenra
Hayley Dee Westenra is a New Zealand soprano, classical crossover artist, songwriter and UNICEF Ambassador. Her first internationally released album, Pure, reached No. 1 on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million copies worldwide...
was broadcast.
In the evening of 8 May 2008, Jonathan performed Un Giorno Per Noi with Hayley Westenra at the Classical Brits, Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
.
During June 2008, Jonathan and England and Arsenal
Arsenal L.F.C.
Arsenal Ladies Football Club are an English women's association football club affiliated with Arsenal F.C.. Founded in 1987, they are the most successful club in English women's football having won 34 major trophies to date; which are 12 FA Women's Premier League titles, 11 FA Women's Cups, ten...
striker Kelly Smith
Kelly Smith
Kelly Jayne Smith, MBE is an English football forward currently playing for Boston Breakers of Women's Professional Soccer and is a member of the England women's national football team.-Youth and university:...
won the British Lung Foundation
British Lung Foundation
The British Lung Foundation is a British charity dedicated to promoting lung health and supporting those affected by lung disease.- About the British Lung Foundation :...
's male and female 'Lungs of the Year 2008' award in recognition of the fantastic use they have made of their lungs over the past year.
In a Q&A session with the BBC's Last Choir Standing
Last Choir Standing
Last Choir Standing was a 2008 talent show-themed television series produced by the BBC in the United Kingdom. Broadcast on BBC One in July and August 2008, the series saw amateur choirs competing each week to be the 'last choir standing'....
website, Jonathan gave his views on the benefits of being part of a choir: "People see choirs on stage and predominantly it looks quite square... but off stage that's where all the fun happens - in rehearsals, messing about, lunch breaks, interacting with new people. That, for me, is what choirs are all about – having that fun both on and off stage." Jonathan made a guest appearance on Last Choir Standing (Results Show) on 3 August 2008 performing "Barcelona".
On Sunday, 17 August 2008, Jonathan participated in the tribute concert Lyrics by Don Black which was held at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
featuring performances of Black's songs by a selection of guest artists. He performed the duet Amigos Para Siempre
Amigos Para Siempre
"Amigos Para Siempre " or "Amics per sempre" is a song written for the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. The music was composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber...
with Hayley Westenra
Hayley Westenra
Hayley Dee Westenra is a New Zealand soprano, classical crossover artist, songwriter and UNICEF Ambassador. Her first internationally released album, Pure, reached No. 1 on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million copies worldwide...
, music by Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
. The evening, hosted by Michael Parkinson
Michael Parkinson
Sir Michael Parkinson, CBE is an English broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his interview programme, Parkinson, from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007.- Early life :...
was recorded by BBC Radio 2 Friday Night is Music Night
Friday Night is Music Night
Friday Night is Music Night is a long running live BBC radio concert programme featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra, broadcast most Fridays on BBC Radio 2 at 8.00pm. It is the world's longest-running live music radio programme....
and broadcast on Friday, 22 August 2008.
One of the tracks on his second album Forever is "Hearts of England
Hearts of England
"Hearts of England" is the title of England team anthem for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup. The song was performed by Jonathan Ansell and produced by Universal Music in partnership with the Rugby Football League.-Theme:...
", the 2008 Rugby League World Cup
2008 Rugby League World Cup
The 2008 Rugby League World Cup was the thirteenth staging of the Rugby League World Cup since the inauguration of the tournament in 1954, and the first since the 2000 event...
song composed by Patrick Hawes
Patrick Hawes
Patrick Hawes is a British composer.He studied at St Chad's College, University of Durham before working as a teacher of music and English, being appointed composer in residence at Charterhouse School, where he produced a children's opera and several other choral works, some in partnership with...
and his brother Andrew. He performed it live at the Rugby League Carnegie Challenge Cup
Challenge Cup
The Challenge Cup is a knockout cup competition for rugby league clubs organised by the Rugby Football League. Originally it was contested only by British teams but in recent years has been expanded to allow teams from France and Russia to take part....
Final at Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
on Saturday, 30 August 2008.
For the second weekend running Jonathan performed a track from his album Forever live at Wembley, this time to sing the footballing anthem Nessun Dorma
Nessun dorma
Nessun dorma is an aria from the final act of Giacomo Puccini's opera Turandot, and is one of the best-known tenor arias in all opera. It is sung by Calaf, il principe ignoto , who falls in love at first sight with the beautiful but cold Princess Turandot...
at Soccer Aid
Soccer Aid
-Event schedule:*22 May 2006 – Start of the television coverage, presented by Ant and Dec. Rest of the World defeats England in a penalty shoot-out*23 May 2006 – Practice match: England 1–0 England Legends...
on Sunday, 7 September whilst the teams were presented to Sir Geoff Hurst
Geoff Hurst
Sir Geoffrey Charles Hurst MBE is a retired England footballer best remembered for his years with West Ham. He made his mark in World Cup history as the only player to have scored a hat-trick in a World Cup final. His three goals came in the 1966 final for England in their 4–2 win over West...
.
Before his G4 days, Jonathan worked in Jersey with a Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
operatic society and during September 2008 returned to his roots by taking on the role of Nanki-Poo in the Carl Rosa Opera Company
Carl Rosa Opera Company
The Carl Rosa Opera Company was founded in 1873 by Carl August Nicholas Rosa, a German-born musical impresario, to present opera in English in London and the British provinces. The company survived Rosa's death in 1889, and continued to present opera in English on tour until 1960, when it was...
's production of The Mikado
The Mikado
The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
at both the Richmond Theatre
Richmond Theatre
The present Richmond Theatre, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is a British Victorian theatre located on Little Green, adjacent to Richmond Green. It opened on 18 September 1899 with a performance of As You Like It, and is one of the finest surviving examples of the work of theatre...
and Alexandra Theatre
Alexandra Theatre
The New Alexandra Theatre, commonly known as The Alex, is a theatre on Station Street in Birmingham, England.Construction of the theatre commenced in 1900 and was completed in 1901. The architects were Owen & Ward. The theatre was opened on 27 May 1901 as the Lyceum Theatre on John Bright Street;...
, Birmingham.
Jonathan performed alongside Hayley Westenra
Hayley Westenra
Hayley Dee Westenra is a New Zealand soprano, classical crossover artist, songwriter and UNICEF Ambassador. Her first internationally released album, Pure, reached No. 1 on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million copies worldwide...
at Music on Fire! at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...
on 18, 19 and 20 September 2008 - a stunning musical and firework spectacular organised by the Army Benevolent Fund to raise funds for veterans of current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The third series of The Alan Titchmarsh Show
The Alan Titchmarsh Show
The Alan Titchmarsh Show is a British daytime TV chat show broadcast between 3 and 4pm weekdays on the ITV Network.-Format:The programme made its debut on ITV in 2007. It focused on the theme of "The Best of British" focusing on food, entertainment and celebrities in a mid-afternoon slot...
featured the start of a competition to find a soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
to sing alongside Jonathan in the A Night At The Opera tour on Monday, 1 September 2008. From the thousands of hopefuls who applied, 8 ladies were selected to sing in front of a judging panel of David Grant
David Grant
David Grant CBE, FREng, FIET is the Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University in Wales. Since his appointment in 2001, Dr Grant has overseen the merger between Cardiff University and the University of Wales College of Medicine, which was completed in 2004, and the awarding of University Status to...
, Ruthie Henshall
Ruthie Henshall
Valentine Ruth Henshall , better known as Ruthie Henshall, is an English singer, dancer, and actress best known for her work in musical theatre. Henshall attended the Laine Theatre Arts school in Epsom, Surrey before making her first professional appearance on stage in 1986...
and Jonathan Shalit. The 4 successful ladies Rosie Bell, Rosie Havel, Olivia Safe and Esther Dee faced a public vote on 15 September 2008 and Olivia Safe and Rosie Bell won through. They sang with Jonathan Libiamo ne' lieti calici
Libiamo ne' lieti calici
Libiamo ne'lieti calici is the most famous duet from Verdi's La traviata, one of the most well known fragments of opera around the world, and an obligatory performance for any great tenor. The song is categorised as a Brindisi, which encourages alcoholic drinking...
, the most famous duet from Verdi's La Traviata
La traviata
La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. It is based on La dame aux Camélias , a play adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, fils. The title La traviata means literally The Fallen Woman, or perhaps more figuratively, The Woman...
on 29 September 2008 and Olivia Safe won the public vote to appear in the tour of A Night At the Opera.
A Night At the Opera had its first performance at the Cardiff Millennium Centre on 30 October 2008 and toured 18 venues in the UK ending at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
on 23 November 2008. The show co-stars Silvia Colloca
Silvia Colloca
Silvia Colloca is an Italian actress.Colloca was born in Milan to Loredana and Mario Colloca. Her first major film role was in Van Helsing, in which she played Verona, one of Dracula's brides. In September 2004, she married the Australian actor who played Dracula in that film, Richard Roxburgh...
, Telman Guzhevsky, Anna-Clare Monk, Toby Stafford Allen and Olivia Safe. Jonathan describes A Night At the Opera as "All the big tunes that you know from the world of opera compressed into one show. It's not just a gala performance, there's also a narrative in it. All the characters are there and you go on a journey with them. It's kind of like the opera you normally go and see, but you know all of it rather than waiting two hours for the aria you recognise."
On Saturday, 8 November 2008, Jonathan performed at the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, he performed "Today Won't Come Again" with Hayley Westenra
Hayley Westenra
Hayley Dee Westenra is a New Zealand soprano, classical crossover artist, songwriter and UNICEF Ambassador. Her first internationally released album, Pure, reached No. 1 on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million copies worldwide...
, composer Geoff Stevens, lyrics by Don Black and sang Here's to the Heroes composer John Barry
John Barry (composer)
John Barry Prendergast, OBE was an English conductor and composer of film music. He is best known for composing the soundtracks for 12 of the James Bond films between 1962 and 1987...
, lyrics by Don Black, when the returning forces came into the auditorium.
During February 2009, Jonathan toured with Hayley Westenra
Hayley Westenra
Hayley Dee Westenra is a New Zealand soprano, classical crossover artist, songwriter and UNICEF Ambassador. Her first internationally released album, Pure, reached No. 1 on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million copies worldwide...
in The Valentines Tour.
At the England versus Scotland Six Nations
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....
Rugby Match at Twickenham on 21 March 2009 Jonathan sang the English National Anthem at Twickenham. During Easter Week, 7 April 2009 Jonathan appeared in Dictionary Corner on Channel 4's Countdown
Countdown (game show)
Countdown is a British game show involving word and number puzzles. It is produced by ITV Studios and broadcast on Channel 4. It is presented by Jeff Stelling, assisted by Rachel Riley, with regular lexicographer Susie Dent. It was the first programme to be aired on Channel 4, and over sixty-five...
.
Jonathan was nominated for the Classical Brits 2009 "Album of the Year" with Tenor at the Movies.
On Monday 30 November 2009, Jonathan launched the This Morning
This Morning (TV series)
This Morning is a British daytime television programme broadcast on ITV. As of September 2011, its main presenters are Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby, and Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes, with various other presenters standing in for illness or contributing to sections of the programme.The...
s Christmas Choir. This is a Virtual Choir brought together via individual viewers posting unaccompanied video clips of their singing We Wish You A Merry Christmas
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
"We Wish You a Merry Christmas" is a popular secular sixteenth-century English carol from the West Country of England. The origin of this Christmas carol lies in the English tradition where wealthy people of the community gave Christmas treats to the carolers on Christmas Eve such as 'figgy...
on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. Participants should download the music and lyrics, record the song listening to the music on headphones and then post the video to The Morning page on YouTube. Jonathan will be leading the choir and picking viewers to take part in the final virtual choir performance live on This Morning on 23 December 2009. On 3 December 2009, some video clips were broadcast to show viewers what This Morning are after for their Choir.
In 2010, Jonathan made his musical theatre début as The Man in the Bill Kenwright
Bill Kenwright
Bill Kenwright CBE is a leading West End theatre producer and film producer.He is also the Chairman of Everton Football Club, an English professional football club from the city of Liverpool....
touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
and Jim Steinman
Jim Steinman
James Richard "Jim" Steinman is an American composer, lyricist, and Grammy Award-winning record producer responsible for several hit songs. He has also worked as an arranger, pianist, and singer...
's Whistle Down The Wind
Whistle Down the Wind
Whistle Down the Wind may refer to:* Whistle Down the Wind , a film directed by Bryan Forbes* Whistle Down the Wind , a musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, based on the film...
. Opening at the Liverpool Empire on 20 January, Jonathan performed an intensive eight shows a week for the entire eight month UK tour.
Jonathan played Boemer and 2 other characters in the 2010 National Tour of Lark Rise to Candleford
Lark Rise to Candleford
Lark Rise to Candleford is a trilogy of semi-autobiographical novels about the countryside of north-east Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, England, at the end of the 19th century. They were written by Flora Thompson and first published together in 1945...
directed by Joe Harmston starting at the Theatre Royal Windsor in September 2010.
On 16 March 2011 Jonathan announced the dates for the Jonathan Ansell and Friends Tour starting in June 2011.
Jonathan will be playing the role of the Prince / Beast in a national tour of "Beauty and the Beast" for New World Productions in April and May 2011
Philanthropy and charity
Jonathan has long been a supporter of Breast Cancer CareBreast Cancer Care
Breast Cancer Care is a charity in the UK that provides information, practical assistance and emotional support to anyone affected by breast cancer. The organization was founded in 1972 by Betty Westgate who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1968...
because his father's twin sister Brenda died from the condition. He participated in the London Triathlon in 2007, performed at their London Fashion Show and Carols by Candlelight Service as well as donating his winnings from Who Wants to be Millionaire and Come Dine with Me.
In April 2009 Jonathan was appointed as an Ambassador for the charity Breast Cancer Care. Jonathan’s first role as Ambassador was to participate in the JPMorgan Asset Management Round the Island Race
Round the Island Race
The Round the Island Race is a yacht race around the Isle of Wight, organized by the Island Sailing Club based in Cowes. It is the fourth largest sporting event in the United Kingdom and is one of the most popular fixtures on the Solent racing calendar attracting competitors from Europe and the...
on 20 June 2009.
Jonathan was the benchmark flyer for the Worthing International Birdman challenge where contestants attempt mechanically unaided flight off the end of Worthing
Worthing
Worthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
pier. On a JustGiving
Justgiving
JustGiving is a private for-profit company formed in 2000 for the administration of charitable donations. The company's website provides online fundraising tools to enable the electronic collection of donations.- Details :...
website, Jonathan said: "The thought of leading the way as the benchmark flyer in front of 25,000 people is obviously terrifying, but it is going to be a lot of fun and, most importantly, a brilliant opportunity for me to raise funds for Breast Cancer Care, a charity that is very close to my heart." He managed 16.04 metres, sporting a Mr Incredible-style pink hairdo.
Personal life
In an interview Jonathan spoke about how he looks after his greatest asset; his lyric tenor voice."I'm not one of those fussy singers who won't be in a car with air conditioning, eat dairy products or go out drinking. I treat my voice with respect, but I also give it a level of abuse, so that it's actually resilient as well. If I'm slightly under the weather I can still perform well. Whereas, if I'd been wrapped in cotton wool and something happened I'd get paranoid. I've trained my voice to deal with the bugs and the smoke and everything else."
Jonathan wears a ring on his right hand. Its history is that a friend made it in a silver-smithing class at school and gave it to him. He then bought the one he now wears as a present to himself when G4 signed their first record deal.
After meeting her in a London club Ansell proposed to former Quizmania
Quizmania
Quizmania was a popular British interactive gameshow. The show was devised by Chuck Thomas, Debbie King, and Simone Thorogood and produced by Fremantle Media for Information TV and ITV . Currently, the online revival is produced by Screen Pop Ltd. in association with Illumina Digital...
host Debbie King on stage at the end of his final show of A Night at the Opera at the London Palladium on 23 November 2008. The couple married on Sunday 30 August 2009 on the 40th floor of 30 St Mary Axe
30 St Mary Axe
30 St Mary Axe, the Swiss Re Building , is a skyscraper in London's main financial district, the City of London, completed in December 2003 and opened at the end of May 2004...
. On 14 May 2010, Ansell announced he and King were expecting their first child. King gave birth at 02:00 on 24 November 2010 to Siena Valentine Ansell.