Samuel Galler of The Oxford Gargoyles

The Oxford Gargoyles are one of the top jazz a cappella groups in the UK. These 14 students from Oxford University have just started their first Asian tour, which will encompass live shows across Hong Kong and Macau… and maybe even a few surprises. Samuel Galler, tour manager and bass, tells Evelyn Lok that it’s not aways like “Glee.”

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Published: 4:00pm, 20 Mar 2014Updated: 4:05pm, 19 Oct 2016

HK Magazine: So, is your life basically like “Glee” or “Pitch Perfect”?

Sam Galler: That’s come up a lot! “Glee” was a huge thing for a cappella, it really made it more visible. “Pitch Perfect” as well, and also the TV reality show “The Sing-Off” in the US. The number of a cappella groups has grown a lot—a lot more are touring and doing concerts with other groups. It’s quite a good time to be in a cappella.

HK: Was it difficult to organize the Hong Kong tour?

SG: There are a number of organizations in Hong Kong that really support a cappella—The Contemporary A Cappella Society Of Hong Kong is one of them. There’s a gentleman from there called Mr. Fung who has really encouraged and provided support, resources, performing opportunities and grants to a cappella groups in Hong Kong, but he has also facilitated a lot of groups coming from abroad. Often when out-of-town groups come in and perform and do workshops, it gets people excited and they form their own groups, and they do very well.

Something we want to bring is our excitement and passion for a cappella to young people in Hong Kong. We’ll be doing singing workshops with school choirs in Hong Kong—a sort of masterclass where we’ll sing back and forth. Usually we end up learning a lot from each other.

HK: Do you feel like there’s more freedom with a cappella, compared with playing instruments or being in a traditional choir?