THE singer and presenter Aled Jones has qualified as a celebrant, and is now permitted to officiate at weddings, naming ceremonies, funerals, and other ceremonies. Mr Jones, the previous boy treble who sold greater than seven million albums and now presents Songs of Praise on BBC1, and two shows on Classic FM, spent a yr studying with the Academy of Modern Celebrancy. He graduated in December 2023.
It was not something that he had planned on, he said. “I used to be talking to someone who told me that my version of ‘You raise me up’ is probably the most requested piece of music in crematoriums within the UK. I may need laughed it off, and possibly it’s old age making me think more, but I just thought, what an honour that it was my music, my voice, that was chosen at such a pivotal time. I made a decision I desired to know more.”
He began to research what it took to turn out to be a celebrant, and, before long, he had begun the training, which frequently meant squeezing in modules in airport lounges or between filming sessions. The training included drafting scripts for ceremonies. “It’s been fascinating,” he said.
Mr Jones is yet to conduct any ceremonies, although he has had several requests. He expects that individuals may ask him to sing as a part of the event, but that is optional. The world of music, he says on his website, has given him a deep appreciation of the importance of meaningful moments. “Whether you’re a fan of classical music or not, my commitment to making a personalised, unforgettable experience . . . is unwavering.”
He played down the concept anyone is perhaps star-struck to search out him on this position. “I’ve been doing this since I used to be 12 years old,” he said. “Anyone can come as much as me, and I’m at all times up for a chat. It’s never a case of them and me; it’s at all times a case of us.”
If asked, he would introduce elements of religion into the ceremonies. “I’m not a minister or a priest, but I can put faith in, if that’s what the people want. I’m a card-carrying Christian; in order that’s what I feel. But, yes, I’m at all times up for a blessing.”
Mr Jones is unlikely to be conducting ceremonies in the primary half of this yr, as he’s fully occupied with a latest tour, “Full Circle”, by which he’ll perform at 74 venues across the UK this yr. The show guarantees “Aled Jones as you’ve never heard him before.”
“It’s just me on stage,” he said, “telling the story of my life from 40 years within the industry. I’m singing music that I’ve never done on stage before, plus some music that I [regularly] do. I’m also singing music that I’ve written, and singing some musical theatre. But, greater than anything, it’s me telling my life story.”
There could be an enormous screen “with a lot of embarrassing photos” and “really dodgy outfits”, he said. His show includes behind-the-scenes footage of a few of his higher-profile moments: singing at the marriage of Paula Yates and Bob Geldof, working with Leonard Bernstein (“He desired to adopt me, for goodness’ sake”), and performing for the Royal Family.
There was “a terrible clip” of his first effort fronting Songs of Praise, when he was just 16: “I presented a programme from a seaside town in North Wales and, my goodness, I used to be terrible. It’s probably the most wood piece of TV you’ve ever seen in your life.”
Mr Jones said that he was looking forward to the challenge. At 53, he had found himself looking back. “As a child, I had this extraordinary profession, which was only 4 years. I almost didn’t have time to savour a few of the things I’ve done. Putting the show together has forced me to look back, and it’s been an incredible experience, actually.”
The venues are usually not necessarily big ones, and 90 per cent are latest to him. He refers to a tour in Australia which took him to smaller venues. “The tendency is that you just just perform in the identical places. I feel for the primary six or seven times I went to Australia, all I ever saw was the Sydney Opera House and the Melbourne Concert Hall. The best tour I ever did [there] was a regional one, where I went to places that nobody had been before.”
The show could be different every night, he said. “I’m leaving some things for the moment. So, for example, if I’m talking about my days once I was presenting Daybreak with Lorraine, my plan is to have on the massive screen pictures of individuals I interviewed — everyone from David Cameron to Justin Bieber. On different nights, I’d discuss different people. So that may keep it fresh for me as well.”
Audiences may even have the possibility to ask questions. He said that he enjoyed the spontaneity. “It’s at all times been like that with my concert events. I do prepare the music, in fact, and you’ve got to work in your voice and all the things, but I never, ever plan what I say in between the music. I like that aspect of performance.”
