Hitting all the right notes

The next big community event at BOV is The Big Sing where we're inviting anyone with a love of singing to come along on the 1 Oct and take part.

Inspired by the Choir Boy play, The Big Sing will be celebrating the magic that happens when we sing together. 

Did you know Bristol has the largest number of community choirs of any major city in the UK? Over 65 of them - and that's not counting church choirs! 

There's definitely a choir to suit your mood or personality. We chatted to a few!  

SOME VOICES

Tell us about your choir – when was it founded? How many members do you have, and where in Bristol are you based?

Some Voices started in London 10 years ago by our Musical Director Laura Howe and has grown to 24 locations around the country, with over 1,400 members in a big friendly community. Our brand new Bristol choir starts on 11th September, rehearsing every Monday evening at Alma Church in Clifton.

Can you also describe it in 3 words?

Joyful, Uplifting, Welcoming

What kind of music do you perform?

It's a total range from contemporary pop like Beyonce, Dua Lipa and Lorde, to disco, club-classics, indie, rock, motown, soul and more! Every term we have a different theme and create a high-energy performance that's more like a party than a traditional concert.

What’s the song you sing that people absolutely love/takes the roof off the place?

I love it when we perform songs you wouldn't expect a choir to do - "Born Slippy" by Underworld was incredible at our 'Hollywood Hits' show. In our most recent gig, we did a mash up of Beyonce's "Break My Soul" and Madonna's "Vogue" which brought the house down!

Singing with a group of other people is a really special experience – what does it do for you? Why is it special?

It's all about coming together to share moments and create memories through music; I've met such wonderful people and made life-long friends through Some Voices. Singing in a choir is so liberating - being one of many voices you can express yourself without feeling self-conscious and it gives you such a buzz. 

Funniest/best experience so far in your choir?

Last Christmas, we performed the soundtrack to the movie 'Love Actually' and had a blast recreating some of the film's iconic moments. There was such a nostalgic connection between the audience, the choir and the music - it was really special.

How to join/find out more:

Every voice is welcome - no auditions, no need to read music, no experience required. You can come to a free taster to try it out - visit www.somevoices.co.uk/bristol to find out more and join.

SING OUT BRISTOL 

Tell us about your choir – when was it founded? How many members, and where in Bristol are you based?

We are celebrating our 15^th Anniversary this year. We have two original founding members out of 83 current members and we rehearse in Bristol city centre.

Can you also describe it in 3 words?
As an LGBTQIA+ choir – we’re joyful, inclusive and celebratory.

What kind of music do you perform?
We like to keep it quite diverse. We do a mixture of pop, rock, classical and world music.

What’s the song you sing that people absolutely love/takes the roof off the place?
We try to change our repertoire every year, however there have been a few that have made a comeback. This is Me always gets a great reaction and this year also River Deep Mountain High was resurrected and that went down a storm.

Singing with a group of other people is a really special experience – what does it do for you? Why is it special?

For us, we talk about the wellbeing of public singing and communal singing. Particularly, that we are all different people but with the shared experience of being in the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.

There will be some element of othering that we’ve all experienced, but aside from that, we are all exceptionally diverse. The choir has formed friendships and even marriages. So it’s a great place for connections.

Standout moment so far for your choir?For our 15^th Anniversary this year, we went to Italy to perform at Various Voices an international festival of LGBTQIA+ choirs which was pretty outstanding.

How to join/find out more:
Visit our website - Singoutbristol.org.uk. We have a new members eve at the beginning of each season – the next is on the 5^th Sep but if you miss that, don’t worry – just get in touch.

Bristol Old Vic Community Choir

Tell us about your choir – when was it founded? How many members, and where in Bristol are you based? 

We started in September 2021, when I (Chloe, the Choir Leader-hi!) kept bothering the Engagement Department at BOV to let me start a community choir! Two years in, we have around 35 members and we're based in Bristol Old Vic.

Can you also describe it in 3 words?
I ask one of our members who said: "friendly, loving and rewarding" 

What kind of music do you perform?
All sorts! We range from classic folk songs to songs from Bristol Old Vic shows, to noughties R&B!

What’s the song you sing that people absolutely love/takes the roof off the place?
We recently sang Under The Sea at an event on the SS Great Britain, and surprisingly people loved it, and were very on board (pun intended) for the cheesiness!

Singing with a group of other people is a really special experience – what does it do for you? Why is it special?
One member said: "The friendly, loving and nurturing environment while inside and out of the sessions breeds so much happiness and positivity. It has been invaluable for my mental health and I have so much love for all the members".

Standout moment so far for your choir?We've just finished the run of Orpheus and Eurydice at Bristol Old Vic, as 'the voice of Orpheus' singing original songs I wrote, written specifically for the choir. It was magical being involved in such a tremendous production, and having songs made for our choir's voices.

How to join/find out more:
Email sophia.oriogun-williams@bristololdvic.org.uk to book a space, we meet every Monday night, and it's totally free!

Or check the website: bristololdvic.org.uk/take-part/callouts/community-choir

Gina Rose – The Windrush Reggae Choir

Tell us about your choir – when was it founded? How many members, and where in Bristol are you based? 

It was founded only last year in June 2022 – it’s astounding what’s happened for us in just first year – it’s epic. It was founded as an outgrowth of Bristol Reggae Orchestra. There are about 35-40 members and growing strong. We're based in St Pauls.

Can you also describe it in 3 words? That would be the real stretch – let’s see: powerful, loving and feel-good.

What kind of music do you perform?
As we are a multicultural choir, we perform songs that reflect the entire Afro-Carribean diaspora – Of course the core is Reggae but we also do Soka and old skool reggae but also calypso and many other kinds of music that reflect the diaspora.

What’s the song you sing that people absolutely love/takes the roof off the place?
It’s actually a combo – we start with One Love which is an absolute classic everyone loves and we flow into a song called One Day by an artist named Matisyahu. It just grabs everyone by the heart – by the middle of the song you see people in tears. It connects in a way that is incredibly powerful.

Singing with a group of other people is a really special experience – what does it do for you? Why is it special?
I believe that in an age of division and struggle in the world we bring the gift of harmony and singing together inspires the sense of connection, community and sense of caring about each other – it’s a really beautiful gift that feels magnified because of the kind of music that we sing.   

Standout moment so far for your choir?
We have had the most standout moment that any artist on the planet could hope to have in their first year – and that’s singing on the Pyramid stage at the Glastonbury Festival. That was out-of-this-world-brilliant, stunning and amazing.

What was so special is that our choir is built on celebrating the contribution of those who came over on the HMT Empire Windrush and the contribution of the British Caribbean community in this country. So to have their descendants on the stage at Glastonbury almost exactly a year after we formed, was truly a standout moment.   

How to join/find out more:
Send an email to choir@bristolreggaeorchestra.com or go to our website. Come to free taster session to try us out and see how it feels and if you love it as everyone has, then you can join – no auditions or experience necessary! 

THE FITZHARDINGE CONSORT

Tell us about your choir – when was it founded? How many members, and where in Bristol are you based? 
The Fitzhardinge Consort was originally founded in 2000 as the FItzhardinge Singers. We aim to have around 20 members although we are a little short of that at the moment and are recruiting. We rehearse at Bristol Cathedral.

Can you also describe it in 3 words?
Excellence, adaptability, sociability.

What kind of music do you perform?
We sing a broad range of music covering renaissance polyphony, baroque, 20th century, madrigals and close harmony arrangements. 

What’s the song you sing that people absolutely love/takes the roof off the place?
Miserere by James MacMillan.

Singing with a group of other people is a really special experience – what does it do for you? Why is it special?
It is well known, by people who do it, that singing is really good for you, especially in a group setting. There's a great camaraderie within the group and a very strong sense of being part of a team. Music provides escapism, peace, excitement, endorphins, emotions and a real sense of achievement.

Standout moment so far for your choir?When we received a standing ovation from the audience at St George's, Bristol, at the end of the first half of our first Immersive Messiah concert.

How to join/find out more:
We are currently recruiting so check out the posts on Facebook and Twitter and get in touch!

Our website is https://fitzhardingeconsort.com/
and we're on Twitter @FitzConsort, Instagram @fitzconsort and Facebook https://www.facebook.com/fitzhardinge.