The Choir of Hard Knocks

The Choir of Hard Knocks is a choir consisting of homeless and disadvantaged people formed in Melbourne, Australia. It came to prominence as the subject of a five-part Australian Broadcasting Corporation documentary television series broadcast in 2007.

Jason Stephens and FremantleMedia Australia were the creators behind the ABC documentary series the Choir of Hard Knocks coming up with the original idea to form the choir in Melbourne.

After Googling for ideas about how to put a choir at the centre of a television series, Jason Stephens happened upon Montreal's homeless choir and came up with the show's concept. Stephens convinced Jonathon Welch - who had started a similar choir in Sydney (the "Sydney Street Choir" in 2001 - to establish a choir of homeless people for a television project.

Recruiting was by word of mouth and through community organisations. As at May 2007, it had about 50 members.

The name is a reference to the School of Hard Knocks, i.e. learning by experiencing life, not through classrooms.

The founding organisation behind The Choir was managed by Reclink, a not for profit community organisation that provides sport and arts opportunities to those experiencing social and economic disadvantage. Reclink has expanded its Choir program Nationally and now supports eight similar choirs around Australia including the Transformers, Choir of High Hopes Hobart, Sydney Street Choir and the Rocky Road Choir.

Following a split between Reclink and Jonathon Welch in March 2009, Welch formed a new not-for-profit entity, the Melbourne Street Choir, Inc (MSC). Supported by a pro-bono committee of management (board), MSC is the new auspicing body which will focus exclusively on the Choir and which will deliver a new level of transparency and accountability to Choir members in relation to all of its activities. Many members of the original Choir have followed Welch to the MSC which is scheduled to recommence public performances as from 29 April at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival.

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