Creative Minds-funded choir perform at Coronation concert

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Front and centre in the choir at the Coronation concert this weekend were some of Kirklees’ finest singers: SongGeet, one of Creative Minds’ projects for Kirklees Year of Music.

SongGeet are a Kirklees based choir, championed by the Trust’s linked charity, Creative Minds. Led by Sobia and Madiha, the SongGeet choir is made up of 6 women, all from South Asian backgrounds.

Joining with other hand-picked choirs from around the country, their performance was watched and applauded by Amanda Holden, Oti Mabuse, Rose Ayling-Ellis and Gareth Malone.  Together, these celebrity coaches recruited the choirs as part of a documentary ‘Sing for the King: The Search for the Coronation Choir’.

The Coronation choir was made up of choirs from all corners of the UK. One of the choir’s leaders, Sobia Bashir, performed an impressive solo as part of the performance.

The choir meet weekly for rehearsals although their rehearsals were more frequent for this very important royal performance!

Sobia said: “All the choir members are enthused by how much singing has improved their mental wellbeing. Furthermore, what we have achieved as a group has really given us a sense of self. What we bring to the stage, with our cultural heritage, how we look and the songs we sing makes us quite unique. We all share similar life experiences and the choir has really brought us together as a sisterhood. We have the best time rehearsing and singing together and all look forward to the weekly rehearsals.”

Newest member Shazia Seedat commented: “Joining the choir has given me immense joy. This choir is not only a choir but it has become a family to me. We meet, we sing our hearts out and we forget about any stress.”

The choir are also performing as part of Kirklees Year of Music, which Creative Minds is a key part of. With support from Lawrence Batley Theatre they are running a series of singing workshops across Kirklees with a big showcase event on 6 August. They will be joined at this event by other local choirs and performers, celebrating their diverse local cultural ecology through the arts.

Creative Minds-funded choir perform at Coronation concert

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