Wakefield singer hoping for Young Chorister of the Year success

A teenager from Wakefield will be hoping to be on song as he competes in the BBC’s Young Chorister of the Year competition - for the second year running.
Charlie Trueman in Wakefield Cathedral. Picture: Tony JohnsonCharlie Trueman in Wakefield Cathedral. Picture: Tony Johnson
Charlie Trueman in Wakefield Cathedral. Picture: Tony Johnson

Charlie Trueman was six years old when he started singing at his local church, St Margaret’s in North Elmsall, but his talent shone, and he soon joined the Northern Cathedral Singers. He is now 13 and in his fourth year as a chorister at Wakefield Cathedral, singing four days a week.

His talents are such he won a scholarship to study at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, and he hopes to one day study at Cambridge University and sing at King’s College.

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Today, he will battle it out in the semi-finals of the competition in Manchester, and if successful, will perform in the final on Wednesday.

However, viewers will have to wait until December when the competition is broadcast on Songs of Praise and BBC Radio 2 to see if he is successful.

The competition is welcome relief after a tough year for the family.

His mother Clare was hospitalised for five weeks with Covid-19 in March and April, three weeks of which were spent in Pinderfields Hospital’s intensive care unit.

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Mrs Trueman said: “During lockdown, and when I was in hospital, singing kept him going. He performed in a virtual Evensong and started doing Facebook Live performances - it gave him something to focus on.

“Singing means everything to him, and we are so proud of him.”

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