Find out how one of our residents is helping to shape our Citizen choir

Staff from across our organisation are taking part in rehearsals to become part of the Citizen Choir and perform at our staff conference in March.

However, staff may not be aware that the person transforming our choir is one of our residents!

Andy Guthrie, who owns The Workplace Choir Company, believes people don’t have to sing to be in a choir and the staff performance in March will be brilliant.

He said: “I find the transformation of groups throughout rehearsals amazing. People who have joined the choir are involved in music making and share the incredible feeling this brings – that they, along with others, are part of something big.

“Those who get the most out of the choir are often the people who are new to it and don’t sing every day.

“Some people think they could never do anything like it but singing in a choir is something that connects people emotionally and it’s a powerful thing to perform in one.

“It makes me feel like I have the best job in the world.”

Andy said over the next 10 days he will be finalising the song choice for the conference and arranging different parts.

He said: “There are six weeks to go until the Staff Conference, so it is a bit of a challenge, but I’m sure the performance will be amazing!”

Andy first started The Workplace Choir five years ago after he found a gap in the market. He applied for a Live Work contract, so he could run his business and live at the same address which is now one of our properties in Coventry.

He said: “Gareth Malone was very big at the time and I was already working for a choir company, Sing Live. I Googled workplace choir and there was nobody doing it, so I built my website and the phone started ringing.

“I had a musical background as I sang in choirs when I was growing up and I was also in a band that toured and produced a couple of albums.

“Being part of a choir is such a good feeling and I hope that everyone who takes part in the Citizen Choir loves every minute of it, the performance is going to be great – and it’s lovely to work close to home too!”

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