The 120 West Bridgford Liberty Singers are currently unable to sing together at Lutterell Hall for obvious reasons, and the future of group singing looks gloomy for the foreseeable future – but that isn’t stopping them.
Moving to an online choir was a gamble, but it looks like one that’s paying off.
Choir Director Kari Olsen-Porthouse said: “I moved our rehearsals onto Facebook Live at the end of March having no idea how long this would be for.
“Luckily, we’ve been recording our rehearsals for months and so we can sing along to our own singing which gives us the best chance of feeling like we’re together.”
Gillian has sung with the Liberty SIngers for two years and said: “Although we’re not together in body, in spirit we are 100% there.
“I think this will make us even stronger as a choir and a group of friends.”
The community aspect of the Liberty Singers is almost as important as the singing – it couldn’t simply be ignored during the lockdown.
As well as rehearsing, the choir have had virtual ‘gigs’ in place of their planned performances using audio recorded from previous concerts.
They’ve also been busy embracing virtual recording projects.”I’ve really pushed them out of their comfort zones” says Kari
“They record their own voices to a conducted YouTube tutorial which I created, then I mix the voices at home to create the ‘lockdown mixes’ of which we now have 3!
“I’ve been delighted at how people have taken the opportunity to do this, many singers even recording different parts to their usual ones as a challenge to themselves.
“We are just about to release ‘Chasing Cars’ in four-part harmony with 55 vocal parts.
Amazing!” On hearing one recording last month, Ruth said, “I felt the same listening to that as I do hearing us sing at a performance”. The emotional response to singing has remained even online meaning singers get a similar sense of wellbeing from their singing. There’s even a ‘tea break’ during online rehearsal giving people a chance to chat by the text function.
With little guidance for what choirs can expect for the immediate future, the Online Liberty Singers will continue to sing and share happiness and joy from their own homes. If you’re interested to hear what we’ve been recording, please visit our website. www.westbridgfordlibertysingers.com
