Find your voice with Cheshire Community Choirs

7 Oct 2019

If you’ve always fancied yourself the next Adele, Elvis or Madonna but haven’t had the confidence to showcase your singing skills outside the shower, now’s your chance: Cheshire Community Choirs is calling for new recruits to its brand new Beginners Choir in Bramhall.

Going strong for almost ten years, Cheshire Community Choirs was first established at Bramhall Methodist Church in 2010 and has been led for the last five years by director Kate Firth.

Bramhall Community Choir

The main local choir of around 30 men and women meets in Bramhall on a Friday afternoon but Kate has recently launched a Bramhall group just for beginners, which is ideal for residents who want to flex their vocal chords in a relaxed, pressure-free environment.

Bramhall Community Choir

At present, the Beginners Choir has around 12 members, and Kate is hoping to entice some new recruits with the promise of fun and friendship – not to mention a whole host of potential health benefits.

Research suggests that singing helps to relieve stress and releases happy hormones that elevate mood, as well as helping with breathing problems, a bad back and blood pressure. Music therapy has already been used to aid sufferers of dementia and Parkinson’s disease, and earlier this year it was suggested that singing be prescribed as an alternative to medicine, such are the potential health and social benefits.

If you enjoy singing and want to experience the associated benefits for yourself, you can do so at a time that’s convenient for you. Cheshire Community Choirs encompasses three groups in Bramhall – the main choir, the beginners group and a more advanced choir that meets on a Thursday, as well as choir over in Heald Green and another in Alderley Edge. Members are free to attend as many or as few choirs as they like – some even go in for all of them!

Kate welcomes everyone to the community choirs, regardless of ability level. Anyone can come along and enjoy a free trial session, and the variety of choirs means there’s something to cater for everyone, whether they’re keen on competitive choral singing or just want to enjoy a low-key sing around each week. Members learn singing techniques and basic music theory while having fun, often heading over to Yardbird after practice for a social drink.

Bramhall Community Choir

Choir members quickly become friends, supporting one another and, in some cases, even taking holidays together. The choirs run during term time but many members still get together even when choir isn’t on, just to enjoy one another’s company!

Cheshire Community Choirs are also very active in – you guessed it – the community. Over the course of the year choir members get involved in six or seven public events, including the Alderley Edge Festival and the Christmas Tree Festival, which takes place in November just down the road in Heaviley at St George’s Church.

Bramhall Community Choir

The run-up to Christmas is an especially busy time and members perform at all kinds of locations to spread some festive cheer. In December they’re heading to the Sunflower Centre for the terminally ill in Macclesfield, as well as performing locally at Tre Ciccio on the afternoon of December 15th.

When Kate isn’t leading Cheshire Community Choirs in song, she’s using her voice to harmonise as part of barbershop quartet Fifth & Madison. With a long history of barbershopping, and having been national champion twice and European champion, Kate and her newest quartet are heading to Llandudno in a few weeks to take part in the Ladies Association of British Barbershop Singers national finals – ILoveBramhall wishes Kate and co all the luck in the world!