Twenty years ago, Warwick Folk Festival asked me to create a community choir as part of its education outreach programme.
I was reluctant to use the word “choir” because I thought it might put some people off. So I used a thesaurus and came up with “Singing Safari”. This is the story of that project.
The idea was simple: create a choir from scratch and have it perform six weeks later at the Warwick Folk Festival.
We met for six weekly two-hour rehearsals and learnt eight songs in three- and four-part harmony. There were no auditions, all teaching was by ear, and everybody was welcome regardless of experience. The songs were unaccompanied and sung a cappella.
After six weeks, we performed a half-hour set in Warwick’s main square on the Sunday of the festival. There were plenty of people already milling around, so we ended up with a huge audience.
The project was a success and I continued leading the Singing Safari in Warwick for five years. In 2010 my colleague Bruce Knight took over and still leads it today, now rebranded as the Warwick Folk Festival Choir.
When I moved to Suffolk, I took the idea with me.
The concept was that we would go on a virtual safari, collecting songs from around the world before performing them. I kept the same format: six weekly rehearsals followed by a concert.
At first there were two Singing Safaris each year. A summer project ended with a free outdoor performance, while an autumn project culminated in an indoor concert for a paying audience. Since an audience is unlikely to pay for a half-hour concert, I would team up with another act and share the evening.
Eventually I dropped the outdoor performances and focused on the indoor concerts. The format continued in Ipswich and Woodbridge until 2022, when I finally called it a day.
Over 20 years I created and led 27 separate Singing Safaris.
I like to describe it as "Instant choir: just add people."
What always fascinated me was that it worked. Time after time, a roomful of strangers would come together, learn new repertoire, and perform it to a high standard after just six rehearsals.
For years I wasn't entirely sure why.
Then one singer said to me:
“We know there's no way we'll be perfect after just six rehearsals, so we stop worrying about it.”
By letting go of the idea of “getting it right”, the singers always managed to get it right!
Of course, it wasn't always easy. Getting a group of strangers performance-ready in six weeks, with completely new repertoire every time, takes a lot of work. I miss the singers, the songs, and the performances, but I don't miss the pressure!
Here’s what I learned:
- you can make beautiful music with strangers
- non-auditioned choirs can perform to a high standard
- you don’t need sheet music (or a piano) to teach and learn songs
- singers will rise to the challenge if you make it fun and don’t tell them how hard it is
- songs can be learnt faster than you think
- if you discover a great idea, keep at it
Twenty years and 27 projects later, I remain convinced that people are capable of far more than they think. Give them a clear goal, enough support, and permission not to be perfect, and they will often surprise themselves.
You also might like to read: Instant choir – just add people
Chris Rowbury
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