JERICHO ECHO ARTICLE

Jericho’s singers find their voices

Jericho now has a remarkable community choir.

November 2012

Jericho Singers was formed in May 2011 with around half a dozen people and now has over 50 registered members of whom around 35 regularly come to rehearsals at St Barnabas Church. The founder and inspiration is Steph Pirrie. “Although we have lots of art and dance at the community centre”, she says, “there is much less musical activity and I felt we needed a choir. We have a hugely diverse community in Jericho and music is a good way of bringing people together. It’s fun, builds friendships and allows you to work with people you would never normally meet. Once you’re singing a song together, it does not matter where you live or how you got there.” “We’re achieving that through the breadth of the music: classical, jazz and folk. That widens everyone’s horizons and brings in a broad mix of people. The next performance is a fundraising concert for the Jericho Wharf Project to be held on Monday 17 December at 7.30 p.m. at St Barnabas Church. This will be a ‘live hook-up’ with Cherwell School Gospel choir. “Each choir will perform some of its own repertoire and both choirs will also perform together. There will also be appearances by local musicians.” To ensure a consistent group for rehearsals for that performance the choir is temporarily closed to new members, but membership will re-open afterwards. Details from jerichosingers.com.

---