Hospital Choirs
History of hospital choirs
Choirs have been a feature of hospitals for decades. However, their popularity has grown hugely in the last 10 years, helped in part by Gareth Malone’s The Choir TV shows. There is also increasing evidence of the physical and mental wellbeing benefits of group singing, and greater understanding of how choirs can support a sense of community. Nowadays, most hospital trusts have multiple groups that sing a range of different music.
Do you know that UHBW has several hospital choirs?
Staff Nurse Sharon Chitty started The Sliding Scales at Weston General Hospital in 2016. The choir brings staff from across the hospital together for the benefit of patients and visitors. Their first performance was a carol concert which proved both popular and moving. Pre -pandemic, the choir has also toured wards, serenading patients with songs from popular musicals such as The Sound of Music and Oklahoma!
The Sliding Scales have resumed rehearsals at Weston General Hospital - contact Andrew Rix for more information: andrew.rix@uhbw.nhs.uk
The Sliding Scales (Weston)
UHBW NHS Choir
The new trust-wide UHBW NHS Choir offers staff a flexible approach to joining a choir, with the option to sing in-person and online in real-time, or in your own time. The choir travels back-and forth between Bristol and Weston, offering fortnightly sessions in each location.
Propelled by the link between singing and wellbeing, the choir welcomes singers of all experiences and abilities and begins with a nourishing warm-up before exploring diverse song genres in simple harmony.
Photo credit:https://www.midweekherald.co.uk/news/watch-new-choir-launched-at-weston-general-hospital-1-4985031
Led by professional musician Kim Samuels, the choir welcomes people of all faiths or none and unites those affected by serious illnesses – including patients, carers, family members and hospital staff – as well as those who are looking for a place to meet new people and experience the joy of singing. Taking a pause since the start of the pandemic, the Voice of Hope singers hope to resume in early 2022.
The Voice of Hope Wellbeing Gospel Choir (Bristol)
This eclectic musical group unites staff, patients and visitors in song to raise funds for Bristol’s city centre hospitals. A chorus of about 25 singers, they enjoy pop, gospel, jazz and classical repertoire. On hiatus since the start of the pandemic, the Above & Beyond singers hope to resume in early 2022.
Above & Beyond Singers (Bristol)
The NHS Chorus-19 is a virtual choir for all NHS staff, spreading positive messages through song. Find out more and keep up-to-date NHS Chorus-19 (facebook.com)
The Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir were the Christmas Number 1 in 2015 with ‘A Bridge Over You’.
Here you can see the Great Ormond Street Choir for staff and the families of patients singing a newly recorded song about Better Days.
The Voice of Hope Wellbeing Gospel Choir (Bristol) collaborated with UWE Gospel Choir on Joe Pace's "I Will Bless the Lord at All Times".