2021 has certainly been a rollercoaster of a year for us. While it presented many challenges, it was also very rewarding. The first part of the year, choirs and rehearsals were banned. Parents and children learned to live life on zoom, so offered private sessions to each and every child. Once lockdown was lifted, we were full steam ahead to finish recording House On Fire which had been delayed for a whole year.
We had more new songs in the can bursting to be born, but our year couldn't begin until lockdown was lifted in April when we kicked off with a wonderful summer camp in Bushy Park. This proved to be a great team-building exercise when we welcomed and integrated new singers and welcomed back many familiar faces. The children were so happy to be back together again.
A few weeks later, we filmed our video Breathe in Esher Woods! Being in amongst the trees was so much fun; the children really enjoyed every moment, as did we! Watch the Breathe video HERE The song was released to cooincide with the many tree-planting projects including the Queen's Green Canopy.
We were over the moon to learn that we had been chosen from more than 4,000 applicants to sing at #COP26 in Glasgow. We were now full steam ahead with rehearsals. At the same time, we had to contend with missing children as Covid sent so many children home from school during what became know as the ping-a-thon! In the end, after much hard work and preparation, we made it to Glasgow. We have lots of people to thank for their help. Alex Munro and Katherine Bixby at St. Peter's Church Hall for allowing us to use their space for rehearsal; Emily Boulting, Nigel Greenaway and Dan for allowing us to have our dress rehearsal at Riverhouse Barn; Friends of the Earth for partnering with us as we sang for the climate in Kingston Market Square and Esher School for allowing us to use their rehearsal space.
The children loved singing for the climate in #KIngston Market Square the week before we went to Cop26.
Alok Sharma, the President of COP26 came to see us and we proved that even dragons cry when Deborah Meaden tweated how she had shed a tear or two watching us! It was such a memorable, great experience for us all and a privilege to go on this journey with these wonderfu children.
We returned to the recording studio to finish our new song Generation, which will be released early in the New Year. Thank you to Jack at Fairlight Recording Studio for making us feel so at home and being our engineer! And thank you to #RCSherriff for their funding contribution towards this project.
We finished off the year with a wonderful performance with Elmbridge Choir at the Addlestone Community Centre. We made both mayors cry!!!
We will begin the New Year in ernest, preparing for some more lovely gigs, film-making and recording more new songs. We are based in East Molesey. If your child would like to join us, our audition process is really simple. We ask that children sing a verse and a chorus of any song of their choosing into a phone and email it to us at info@wearethevice.org.uk. We offer children a wonderful opportunity. In return, we are looking for tuneful voices, energy, enthusiasm and awareness of the environment.
Happy New Year to you all!
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