A Choir with No Name ??? AY?

An interview with Bearwood Street Festival programmers & A Choir With No Name

A nameless choir? What Comms nightmare is this? What?

The Choir with No Name runs choirs for homeless and marginalised people. We’re a diverse bunch of folks; all genders, all colours, all ages - everyone is welcome. Each choir gets together to rehearse every week (with a decent healthy dinner together at the end of rehearsal!) and we perform regularly.

I get it now, great name! CWNN have performed at the Royal Festival Hall. Why programme them at the humble Bearwood Street Festival 9th June?

“Humble but EPIC and we attract an amazing audience. We chose CWNN to play this years street festival mainly ‘cause we all think they are great. Watching the CWNN perform is a pretty life affirming emotive experience. We also thought they would be perfect for the high street due to the issues we currently have with homelessness which is often reflected in a negative light. We thought the street fest would be the perfect opportunity to showcase those affected by homelessness in a positive light and challenge the opinions of some of our audiences!"

Wow. Tell me more CWNN founders!

We sing pop, rock, soul, gospel, reggae, musicals... you name it, we’ll give it a go... although we’ve yet to try any thrash metal or grime. We have four choirs: in Birmingham, Liverpool, our recently merged London 'superchoir' (run in partnership with Look Ahead) and Brighton (run in partnership with Brighton Housing Trust). We have plans to launch a new choir in Brighton later in the year.

How did the CWNN come about?

We were founded on the premise that singing makes you feel good; it distracts you from all the nonsense in life and helps you to build up your confidence and abilities. In short we aim to have a brilliant time at rehearsals, give performances that leave the audience gagging for more and support each other in our dreams and ambitions, musical or otherwise.

We also deliver singing workshops in each of the cities where we work, motivated by a desire to share the joy of singing with as many disadvantaged people as possible (and hopefully recruit a few more choir members along the way!). Is the performance going to be emotional? Do I need to add tissues to my BSF backpack?

Nah we sing uplifting songs! Take a look:

Bearwood Street Festival June 9th OTHERWOOD STAGE 2.00-2.40pm

Learn more about The Choir With No name:

https://www.choirwithnoname.org

Twitter - @choirwithnoname

Facebook - @Choirwithnoname