Why wouldn't I sing? I've found joy, peace, friendship and love.
I don't remember a time when I didn't sing. I was surrounded by music and singing at home being the youngest of five children. I learnt recorder, violin and the organ but I never enjoyed them as much as singing. Singing was where I found true joy.
Firstly, in the school choir, where we sang for concerts/plays and even at The Royal Albert Hall for the school's choir concert. Later, finding out my husband also sang in the same concert!
At the age of 10, I joined the church choir. As I got into my teens I nearly stopped, until a visiting organist came and introduced me to the Stanford in B flat Te Deum. That's when my love for choral singing truly started. I continued to sing in church choirs for many years, meeting my husband who came to my church as a Choir Director. He also introduced me to a fun, light hearted singing group; here I sang a mixture of genres and met lifelong friends. I still kept singing for church choirs, cathedral visits, concerts and weddings.
The opportunity to sing in Karl Jenkins' wonderful Armed Man brought me into contact with RCS and I've been here ever since. Singing so many genres with lots of highlights. From Mozart's Requiem to Alexander l'Estrange Wassail, world premiers and even a lockdown recording.
There's a song for every occasion, sad, happy, grumpy. Singing promotes self-esteem, engages the emotions, promotes social inclusion, supports social skill development, and enables people of different ages and abilities to come together successfully to create something special.
I sing all the time. I drive my family crazy by turning every situation into a song or finding a song to fit every situation.
As Ella Fitzgerald said 'The only thing better than singing is more singing. '
Suzanne