THERE GOES THE NEIGHBOURHOOD Ahead of their upcoming Fringe at Tramlines show on 23rd July, Exposed caught up with Sheffield-based upper voices choir Neighbourhood Voices to talk inclusivity, live shows with Self Esteem and their big comeback gig. Neighbourhood Voices is definitely not what you instinctively think of when you conjure up your own memories of a choir (belting out ‘He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands’, this is not!). Founded back in 2017 by Gina Walters, who you may recognise from her other musical incarnation, the superb Before Breakfast, the choir has gained huge popularity in Sheffield for their uplifting performances of contemporary classics, while simultaneously upending expectations of what a choir can look and sound like.
WHAT I THINK NEIGHBOURHOOD VOICES DOES IS TAP INTO MUSIC THAT YOU HEAR A LOT OF, GREAT POPULAR MUSIC, BUT YOU MIGHT NOT HEAR CHOIRS PERFORM. 12 | THE FRINGE AT TRAMLINES PROGRAMME
Such has been the success of the group, that around two and half years ago Gina enlisted the help of Liv Muir Wilson as assistant musical director, and between them, they craft interesting arrangements of songs that you probably won’t hear from other choirs around the city. “I would say that in Sheffield, we are unique in what we do,” says Liv, who prior to joining NV gained plenty of experience working in choirs while studying music at the University of York. “Our rep[ertoire] choice is different to a lot of other groups.” “I’ve sung in rock choirs and pop choirs before and covered a lot of choral standards which are often taken from musical theatre or the current mainstream pop charts which is what you hear on the radio. This is great but they don’t do what we do. What I think Neighbourhood Voices does is tap into music that you hear a lot of, great popular music, but you might not hear choirs perform. The inclusive founding principle of Neighbourhood Voices has always been important to its members and through the choir, people from many diverse walks of life have been given the platform to sing and interact together socially. Given these commendable achievements, it would be easy for them to rest on their laurels; however, they are keenly aware that while their intention is to engender an inclusive space, they aren’t perfect and more efforts can be made to include people of colour and other marginalised communities. Liv explains: “Recently, we’ve had a lot of discussions
