Plymouth student makes it to live final of BBC One's Pitch Battle

An 18-year-old student from Plymouth is a member of a chamber choir that has made it through to the live finals of prime-time BBC One show Pitch Battle.

Ollie Selwood, who is studying dance at the prestigious Tring Park Performing Arts School in Hertfordshire, will be performing as part of the Tring Park 16 this weekend (22 July) in the live final of Pitch Battle

The choir performed in front of superstar singer Kelis, the nation's favourite choir master Gareth Malone and guest judge Joe Jonas last Saturday (15 Juy), seeing off competition from Irish all-male group The Ramparts to make it through to this weekend's live finals

The two choirs made it to the final sing-off, performing DNCE's 'Kissing Strangers', before DNCE member Joe Jonas joined them on stage and chose to put the Tring Park 16 through to the final on 22 July.

Ollie and his fellow Tring Park students who make up the choir will now go through to the grand finale next week alongside Leeds Contemporary Singers, Scot Soul, All The King's Men and Portsmouth University Gospel Choir.

Ollie has been at Tring Park School for four years, but prior to that, he was a student at Plymstock School and Goosewell Academy.

Tring Park School for the Performing Arts boasts a glittering alumni, which includes: director and choreographer Drew McOnie, who won the 2016 Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer for his work on In the Heights and he has been nominated for the 2017 Olivier Award for Best Theatre Choreographer for Jesus Christ Superstar.

International stars such as Daisy Ridley (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) started their training on the dance course at Tring Park.

Daisy attended Tring Park from the age of 11 to 19. Other famous students include Lily James (Disney's Cinderella, Downton Abbey and War and Peace), Jessica Brown-Findlay (Downton Abbey).

The live final of Pitch Battle is being aired at 7.25pm on 22 July where host Mel Giedroyc will be joined by judges Gareth Malone, Kelis and guest judge, singer songwriter Deke Sharon.

Between them they will whittle the six final choirs down to the top two through a series of head-to-head, sing-or-be-sung-off choral challenges, leaving the viewers to pick the ultimate winner.

The final opens with a musical mash-up, then each group collaborates with a superstar, including Will Young, Chaka Khan, Bebe Rexha and Seal. The groups then battle it out against their opponent in a themed riff-off.

The judges decide on three winners to send through to the a cappella round, and after that, they chose the two choirs that they believe to be the best. It is then down the public to vote for the winner of the £50,000 prize and the title of Pitch Battle Champions.