Somewhere2Sing - Raise Your Voice Summer Concert

Written by Kathryn 
 
Back in late 2023, I had a message from a friend, Duncan Rutherford, asking if I might be free in July to stage manage the summer concert for Somewhere2Sing, a choir franchise that he runs across Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire. Of course I replied, “yes”!

The choirs are formed of amateur singers who want to sing, create friendships and have a good time. And boy do they get the chance to do that with Somewhere2Sing! Duncan established the first choir in Stevenage eight years ago with about 15 members - and I was honoured to be one of those first singers and loved having the chance to sing around my stage management commitments. To see where the choir has developed to in that short time is inspiring and made me realise how special this set up is for so many people. It’s therefore a pleasure to head back to support the choirs with their spectacular performances. 
 
Roll forward to 13th July and I arrived at Broadway Theatre in Letchworth with my partner in life and shows, Ricky, to get the show up and running. 
 
Running a concert is usually very simple. Busy morning building the staging, sorting lights and sound, quick rehearsal and then showtime. However, with 400 choir members, doing one show wasn’t really an option…so we had the task of producing four shows, in two days, with 100 singers per show. It’s a good job we like a challenge! 
 
Saturday morning was hectic, as expected, with preparing the stage and getting everything ready for the first choir. Lots of ideas and planning had gone into the show and the support team from the choir were incredible - not only registering singers, showing them to dressing rooms and holding areas but also doing coffee and lunch runs for the crew which was massively appreciated. 
 
Once the stage was set, the choir took their places and we started teching the show, making sure the choir knew what was happening with blackouts, entrances, exits and how everything would run. Soon enough it was time to clear the stage and get the audience in for show 1. 

Curtain up, curtain down and on to the next group. With a thirty minute break, we cleared out one choir, welcomed the next one in, got them set and ready for their turn and did it all again - thrice more over the weekend!
 
Along with the choirs, we had the privilege of West End performer Simon Shorten joining as guest soloist throughout the weekend - and a nicer guy you couldn’t meet. He performed You’ll Be Back from Hamilton and Bring Him Home from Les Miserables as well as sharing some top tips for performing which the choir and audience throughly enjoyed. 
 
The whole weekend was exhausting. Having to keep the energy up so that all the choirs receive the same experience from the backstage team isn’t always easy but when they are all so passionate about what they do, it’s hard not to be swept up in their excitement and adrenalin. 
 
That being said, it was an absolute joy to hear the voices of so many excited singers over the weekend - some having never performed on stage before, some ‘old hands’ but with the same enthusiasm. Having the chance to catch up with those I used to sing with nearly a decade ago made for an even more special weekend. 
 
Congratulations to all the singers, support team, teachers and of course Duncan for creating such a wonderful experience for so many local singers. 
 
We’ve done Broadway…where next?!