Community choir for all
Welcome!
We are New City Voices. Based in Chelmsford, Essex, we are a community choir, and as a community choir we are as much about making friends and having fun as making music.
Due to the current Coronavirus pandemic and the UK wide lock-down, we are no-longer gathering to rehearse and perform.
BUT we are continuing to stay in touch via regular Zoom meetings and rather fun, if a little crazy, on-line rehearsals! We are sorry, but these are for current members as, for the time being, we are only rehearsing songs we know.
Message to members
All members should have received email updates about the Zoom meetings. If you haven't please contact Contact Mark on T: 01245 351040 Mobile: 07411 808731 Email:
Thinking of joining us?
If you would like to sing and can't wait to join us when the lock down is lifted, here are some exciting initiatives:
Sofa singers -
It's as simple as heading to thesofasingers.net and jamessillsmusic.co.uk.
If you're keen to join in, it's as simple as popping 7.30pm on a Tuesday evening in your diary and getting in touch with Sills to book a spot in the weekly sing-a-long. He'll send you a link to log in, with 500 digital spaces currently offered free of charge.
The Great British Home Chorus -
Gareth Malone has an idea, the Great British Home Chorus aims to give everyone the opportunity to contribute their voices and instruments to an ambitious digital music project, conceived in the light of many closures to communal rehearsal spaces nationwide.
Gareth’s mission is to help boost morale across the country through the power of music, at a time when the general public needs it the most.: The website is now live for people to register their interest.
When we restart do come and join us:
If you've enjoyed watching Gareth Malone starting up a choir, or see the film 'Military Wives' and think it looks fun - we are the choir for you!We meet once a week on a Thursday at St Luke's Church on Gloucester Avenue, CM2 9DT. This is a modern and warm church building. Parking is on the streets nearby.
Cost: Pay-as-you-go £5 per week, £2 per music copy (but newcomers can borrow at first).
Where: St Luke's Church, Gloucester Avenue, Chelmsford, CM2 9DT
When: Thursday
Time: From 7.30pm onwards arrive and register ready for an 8pm start. During rehearsal we take a little break to grab a drink and hear announcements and the evening finishes at 9.30pm.
How to join:
New members are always made welcome and no auditions are required.
Just come along and as soon as you walk in you'll meet someone taking the register. They will be friendly and make sure you have some music and introduce you to some other members.
Don't worry if you can't read music, you can use the music sheets for the words and our musical director John teaches all of us the notes we are to sing.
What if you have never sung in a choir before.....
Many members of the choir joined who had never sung in a choir before and can't read music. It doesn't matter. What matters is you enjoy singing along with others.
Where will you sit to sing.....
There are no auditions and you can quickly find which part of the choir you belong in, so just come in and find a seat:
The women who prefer to sing nice low notes,the lower part of a melody, and don't like to be asked to hit the higher notes, sit on the left of the choir facing John, our musical director. They are called the contraltos,or 'altos'.
Sopranos, who can comfortably reach the higher notes and sing the top notes of a song , sit on the right.
And in the middle sit the men, and a couple of women who have really low voices and feel comfortable singing there.
Who teaches the choir.....
John Trent Wallace is our music director. He will go over and over notes and words with us all so we can be confident we know what we are to sing.
He is supported on piano by Clare Penfold who does a fantastic job of making sure we can hear the note/s we are meant to be singing.
Once we have learnt our parts, we put it all together and Clare adds in the full piano accompaniment. And what a great sound we make once we are all pulling together - wonderful fun.
Concerts and fundraisers
Our very enthusiastic committee keep everything rolling along and we regularly perform concerts, fundraising for the Moulsham Lodge Community Trust (which launched the choir), and to cover choir costs. It is up to you whether you join in and sing in the concerts or fundraisers, but most of us love it!
Charitable works
Recently the choir decided we would like to help charities raise money through concerts or ad hoc performances in places like town and shopping centres. During the Christmas festive period we sang at Lakeside Shopping Centre in Essex, fundraising for Little Haven's Hospice.
More recently we took part in the 'Moments' Concert which raised in the region of £2,000 for the Helen Rollason cancer charity.
Our own fundraising performance, singing popular songs for the Helping Hands Essex and Sanctus homeless charities on 14 March 2020 raised nearly £800, a great result.
If you wish to talk to us about helping with fundraising contact Mark on 01245 351040 / 07411 808731 or email:
What we wear for concerts:
Women wear their own black dresses, tops and skirts, or trousers, plus a splash of pink scarf.
Men also put on their best black outfits.
What we wear for more informal singing events:
We all wear New City Voice black T-shirts with black skirts or trousers.
For more information about the choir:
Contact Mark on T: 01245 351040 Mobile: 07411 808731 Email:
