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Whitley Women Community Choir is led by Gilly Love, an experienced singing leader who has led several community choirs around Tyneside in the last 10 years. As Head of the Adult Programme at The Sage Gateshead she also has responsibility for many other singing initiatives currently running in the North East.
Whitley Women Community Choir is for all women over 16 and our membership spans a very wide age range. There are no auditions and no experience is necessary, but experience is good too! We have a mix of working, retired, homebased and unemployed members, all of whom have made good friends at the choir. Although some of us have had experience of other choirs, many more have not sung for years, often since they were in school.
Our choir started in January 2009 and immediately attracted a high number of members, mainly through word of mouth. There was no other community choir in Whitley Bay and many people who knew Gilly from her other choirs liked her style, enjoyed the repertoire and told their friends. We cover a wide range of material - anything from Cole Porter to Annie Lennox, Gospel, Beatles, music from around the world and from Tyneside. We sing in three, four and five part harmony, without accompaniment.
We meet weekly (during school term time), in two locations, to suit different preferences and availability:
- Tuesday afternoons from 2 - 4pm in the RockShack at the Linskill Centre
- Wednesday nights from 7:30 - 9:30pm in the main hall at Whitley Bay High School
Both groups cover the same repertoire and combine forces when performing.
There are additional sessions of different types - see the Small Groups page for details.
We try to be as flexible as possible regarding fees. Most members pay them termly in advance, but if cost is a barrier to joining or remaining in the choir please talk to our Member’s Support Officer in confidence. We also offer the facility to pay half-termly, which some members prefer. Fees vary depending on the number of sessions each term:
Spring 2012 £38.50 (for 11 weeks).
In our first year we gave a variety of public performances and audience feedback has been very positive and encouraging. We work hard to present a professional and polished appearance and photographs of some of these performances can be found on the Performance page of the website more ››
In addition to our weekly sessions and performance events, we also run special workshops, social get-togethers with other choirs and run a residential weekend which enables us to get to know each other better and to extend our repertoire, with visiting leaders supplementing Gilly. more ››
Photo: Gilly Love Director of Music
We are fully insured and have first aiders available at every session.
In our first year, Whitley Women was fortunate to receive financial support towards the cost of presentation materials from The 43 Fund, managed by The Community Foundation, for which we are very grateful. The choir is a member of Making Music, the national organisation which supports and champions voluntary music.
Support Group
Director of Music and Lead Support Gilly Love
Membership Secretary Meg Middleton
Business Secretary Jean Fletcher
Treasurer and Acting Lead Support Maureen Murphy
Other Members
Linda Kay (Branding and design), Pat Mailer (Health and Safety), Margaret Aitchison (Web page), Pat Reed (Wednesday choir co-ordinator), Joanna Woodcock (Tuesday choir co-ordinator and music), Sue Paton (Tuesday choir representative), Tracy Gourley (Marketing and Promotion) and Karen Macefield.
Feedback from our members shows that they relish the singing, the leadership and the friendship they share. They regard it as “their” choir and are proud of what they have achieved.
“I waited years to find an accessible choir and to build up the confidence to join”
"I love the range of voices, the relaxed atmosphere and Gilly’s style.”
“There’s a good balance of seriousness and fun”
“the whole session is brilliant
“It lifts my depression and gives me a reason to learn my part”
"I wanted a community choir that is well-led, well organised and has a variety of opportunities to sing”
“I’ve improved my singing” "
"I’ve learnt a little about theory”
“I’m better at reading and following written music”
“I’m happier and healthier”
“I’ve gained new skills, and made many new friends”
“I have a real sense of achievement and like being able to boast a little about it”
“It’s improved my memory – or at least satisfied myself that it’s not as bad as I thought it was!”
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