About us
How we're organised
We have a dedicated steering group of experienced volunteers who meet regularly to ensure the smooth running of the choir and will support members on all aspects of choir life.
John Rowland
Musical director
I’ve been singing on stage since I was five years old, following in the footsteps of my mother and grandmother – I didn’t need any encouragement so it just must be in my genes!
When I was 19, I began my classical training with the renowned Ken Ormston. Ken had an impeccable pedigree having trained at the Royal School of Music in the Bel Canto style from the likes of Joseph Hislop and Professor Cox. I trained with Ken for over 10 years until his untimely death which left me bereft and I almost gave up singing. Time passed, I kept singing and since then I’ve been asked to perform as guest soloist at concert venues across the country as well as here in the North East. I’ve included a few examples:
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Five years as principal soloist at the Salute Our Heroes Concerts at Hall One of Sage Gateshead
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For 11 years a principal soloist at the Festival of Remembrance Concert at Durham Cathedral
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Principal soloist with the Massed Bands of the RAF at De Montfort Hall, Leicester
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Principal soloist at a Help for Heroes Concert at the Apex Theatre – Bury St Edmunds
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Principal soloist at the Queens Diamond Jubilee Tattoo – Sunderland
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Principal soloist for several special charity events at HMS Calliope for The ABF: The Soldiers Charity
Having previously held an MD role with another choir, I chose to reach out to my friends with the view of creating a brand-new choir in which our ethos of support, wellbeing and quality musical and vocal education could be at the heart of everything we do and give us the opportunity to promote positive mental health and raise money for good causes.
Our repertoire
We want to have a range of music styles as part of our repertoire. As we're new, we are limited at the moment but our members are putting in so much hard work, we know it won't be long before we have a lot more in our collection.
We sing a mix of song from musicals, traditional styles and pop music.
Our current song list is:
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The Lord is my Shepherd (Howard Goodall, Vicar of Dibley theme)
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Rhythm of Life, from Sweet Charity
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Seasons of Love, from Rent
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From Now On, from the Greatest Showman
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Proms medley, including Rule Britannia, Land of Hope and Glory and Jerusalem