[ ClassicalX ] Australia's The Ten Tenors returning to Bill Heard Theatre

The Ten Tenors group was formed in 1995 to sing at an anniversary celebration for an Australian television network. The group began touring in 1998.

Craig Hendry, who is from the Brisbane area of Australia, joined the group in 2000 as the piano accompanist. When a slot opened up for another tenor a year later, he took that job.

When he was here in 2005 for a concert at the Bill Heard Theatre, he was one of the younger singers in The Ten Tenors

Now, he laughs when he says he’s one of the older singers. The average age is 25 or 26 and the youngest member is 23. Hendry is 28.

Since 2005, the group has released three more CDs, including one recorded in the legendary Abbey Road Studios made famous by the Beatles.

Right now, the group is touring to support its latest CD, “Nostalgica,” which was recorded during the 2007-08 tour and released late last year.

“We recorded it on tour in hotel rooms,” Hendry said. “It’s amazing how you can improvise with mattresses and blankets to get the acoustics right. That was a blast.”

He admits it was tough, recording in different hotel rooms and traveling. “It wasn’t the greatest, but it was more of a learning curve to see what we can do.”

This CD is “filled with old favorites,” Hendry said.

He said “the boys” were sitting around thinking about recording and wondered if they could record in such a nontraditional manner.

Hendry and Drew Graham, who is a former member and now music director, acted as the recording engineers.

“That was stressful, but fun,” Hendry said. “It was a really good learning experience.”

Hendry said he was having a good time on tour. And the audiences have been very receptive to the new material.

The group does everything from traditional operatic arias to Simon and Garfunkel, the Beatles and “rock from the doo-wop era.”

One of the most popular tunes is Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” he reports.

When the tour ends, the group members go their separate ways, Hendry said.

“Some of the guys have partners in Europe,” he said. “Some go back home to Australia. Some go traveling.”

Hendry has been spending time in Texas the past few years. He met his girlfriend there when the group was doing promotional work early in the morning in Lubbock, Texas. After the singers finished, they hit a Starbucks for coffee.

“She was there getting coffee,” Hendry said. “Then 10 Australian guys come in. As we do, the group took over the whole place and she got caught up in the whole thing. She was intrigued. I told her that we were doing a show and if you want to come along, I’ll arrange for a ticket. We hit it off. We left town straight away, but we stayed in touch.”

They recently became engaged.

“You never know when or where you meet the ONE. It was such a bizarre kind of circumstance.”

What: The Ten Tenors, a group of Australian singers

When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Bill Heard Theatre, RiverCenter for the Performing Arts, 900 Broadway

Tickets: $39-$49

Information: 706-256-3612

Atlanta concert: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Fox Theatre, 660 Peachtree St. N.E., $35-$65, 404-249-6400

Source: Ledger Enquirer