en Choir
8th February 2014
After several years of arranging music for traditional community choirs I needed an outlet for my quirkier arrangements and compositions. In 2011 I formed en Choir with the aim of bringing together a diverse group of men and women from my local community to sing my music.
With en Choir I aim to challenge what choral singing is, and bring choral music to people who may not otherwise have access to it. I especially enjoy working with singers by ear which opens up participation in my choir to include people who cannot read music. Many members of en Choir have reported feeling ‘intimidated’ by traditional choral societies who rely on musical notation. So, with en Choir we have a fantastic large choir of 65 singers from the local community who sing well together, and whether they can read music or cannot, they sing by ear. Through utilising progressive teaching methods and humour, participants in the choir make a great sound, have fun, are engaged, learn and are motivated to come to rehearsals week upon week.
Since the choir formed they have supported BLAKE on their UK tour, perform sell out concerts each July and recently debuted on Jo Hook’s forthcoming album. In April 2014 they are recording their first album: an EP of six songs.
en Choir are non-religious but often described as ‘gospel-sounding’ due to the energy and uplifting feel-good nature of the songs they sing: songs that have been especially tailored for the choirs singers and range of abilities. Members range from aged 14 – 90 and there is no audition requirement to join.