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FEATURE
ARE YOU READY TO
ROCK?
IF YOU CAN TALK, YOU CAN SING. AND IF YOU CAN SING, NO MATTER HOW BADLY, YOU CAN JOIN ROCK CHOIR – A NATIONAL PHENOMENON THAT’S HITTING THE HIGH NOTES RIGHT HERE IN THE MIDLANDS
inging is good for the soul, so the saying goes. And science certainly agrees that breaking into song helps improve our mood. The research is conclusive – singing relieves stress, is a natural anti-depressant and boosts mental alertness and well-being. Maybe that’s why Rock Choir is so popular, with more then 350 choirs and 30,000 members. A national organisation broken down into local choirs across the country, Rock Choir was established 15 years ago by musician and singer Caroline Redman Lusher. What started with an ad in a coffee shop for singers and a group of just 70 people has expanded into a highly rewarding experience for the singers and a highly successful business.
S
CONTEMPORARY Described in the media as a “community singing phenomenon that is sweeping the country” and “the world’s largest contemporary choir”, the Rock Choir bug has bitten here in Birmingham and the West Midlands, too. Local Rock Choir leader Sonia Eyre looks after the choirs in Birmingham, Solihull, Sutton Coldfield, Dorridge, Aldridge and Lichfield. Sonia is a classically trained singer who gained her Masters in Early Music Performance from Trinity College of Music, London. Starting at the age of six, she learned piano, violin and saxophone to grade 8 standard. She has performed vocal solos in venues such as Birmingham Symphony Hall and Notre Dame, Paris.
66 birmingham living
march 2020
