SOME OF US festive-season survivors are still speaking with a croak after too much karoake-ing in pubs and shouting in clubs so this might be an odd time to talk about choirs.
If you’re female, it might be the right time. Christina Carty-Houson, deciding that Hackney needed a women-only choir, is setting up Vocallective Women.
She told Loving Dalston she researched Stoke Newington and found nothing catering specifically to, uhm, gels.
She added: “I knew the camaraderie of a female choir would make a great atmosphere and give a little more freedom for choreography and creative performances, which is my background as an ex-actress.”
Your initial taster session will be free, and after that sessions, upstairs in a Stoke Newington pub, cost £8. Concessions are £6 and, she said: “Wheelchair
users are, of course, welcome, but unless they have someone to help them up the slightly winding stairs there is no means for them to join the session — very unfortunate but out of my hands, obviously, as venues are in short supply all over London.
“We won’t have a live pianist accompanist during normal sessions, although I use a keyboard to assist teaching.
“We use a mixture of backing tracks and live guitar or drums… whatever is required for performances.
“You don’t need to read music because everything is taught by ear.”
Another choir she runs performs songs by Crowded House, Frankie Valli, Paul McCartney, Lorde, Fall Out Boy, Jess Glynne and traditional African tunes… and the new choir will follow suit.
As the BBC might say: other choirs are available, among them Boiler House Singers; Lips; Hackney Voices Community Choir; the similarly named Hackney Empire Community Choir; All Voices, the Hackney and Islington Community Choir; Victoria Park Singers, see picture, left; Morris Folk Choir; Hackney Singers and N16 dissenters.
Hamish Scott 161215
* Picture at top: Carty-Houson’s other choir
* Vocallective Women, The Prince (upstairs), 59 Kynaston Road N16 0EB. First session Wednesday 13 January 2016 8pm-9.30pm.