JUST months after Christine Barton set up a Rock Choir in the island, she is now encouraging people to sign up to a second choir.
In August, the private singing and piano teacher – who retired from working in schools in 2010 – started a Rock Choir in Onchan, to be an upbeat choir that was accessible to everyone who wanted to sing, regardless of experience or music training.
Following the success of the choir – she is now having to turn people away because it has reached 60 members – she is now encouraging women of all abilities, over the age of 13, to join the Laxey choir.
In Onchan, the choir has so far been working on a range of rock and pop music.
This will continue at both venues, but she also plans to explore upbeat popular music from the 1940s to the present day for future concerts, including Motown.
She described Rock Choir as being a ‘dynamic combination of movement, music and teamwork’.
‘In fact, to quote a recent television programme, literally “A choir that rocks!”,’ she said.
The Onchan choir has only been rehearsing since September, but it has already performed twice in public.
The first performance was at Hospice Isle of Man’s Christmas Fair, in the Villa Marina in Douglas, at the end of November. And their second concert took place in December, at the Pavilion Ballroom, Riverside Restaurant in Laxey, in memory of Deemster Mike Kerruish and in aid of the Braddan hospice.
The plan is for the two choirs to come together for performance, which it is hoped will give more scope to tackle more exciting and adventurous projects.
The Onchan choir has already played with a band made up of lead guitar (Ken Mitchell), bass guitar (Robert Mitchell), drums (Barney Kimberley), and piano (Dave Holland), but with a larger choir, there will also be a need for a bigger band.
Christine hopes that through more numerous and larger concerts the choirs will continue to raise money for charity.
The next concert will take place at 2pm on March 25, at Laxey Pavillion, followed by a concert at Tower House, in Douglas, on June 17.
There are also plans to perform during TT Practice Week.
Tickets for the concerts will be available at Peter Norris Music in Douglas.
Rehearsals take place at the Pavillion Ballroom at Riverside Restaurant, Glen Gardens, Laxey, on Wednesdays from 7pm to 8.30pm.
For more information contact Christine on 861671/471116 or email {mailto:festina@manx.net|festina@manx.net}.