Homeless Choirs Bring Christmas Cheer to London, Birmingham & Brighton, Dec 2016

"If I hadn’t come to choir, I don’t know if I’d still be alive today. These choirs work. I’m living, breathing, singing proof."

Adel, former North London Choir member

Following a barnstorming performance at the Royal Festival Hall last Christmas, The Choir with No Name, an organisation running choirs for people who’ve experienced homelessness, will be bringing sackfuls of festive cheer to London, Birmingham and Brighton in December with their Big Christmas Singalong concerts.

The Choir with No Name Big Christmas Singalong is fast becoming a stalwart of the London festive calendar, with audience members coming back year after year to join in with a whole host of Christmas favourites, from Fairytale of New York to I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day. This year will be the first time the Choir with No Name will be spreading the singalong spirit further afield, with additional Singalongs in Birmingham, featuring CWNN Birmingham and Liverpool choirs, and a special gig at the beautiful Brighton Dome featuring their two London choirs.

CEO Heather Knight said: “Our Christmas gigs are by far the highlight of our year, with members and audiences alike singing their hearts out and feeling part of something very special. We are really excited to be bringing our unique and uplifting Christmas Singalongs to Birmingham and Brighton this year and hope that we’ll spread the festive joy far and wide, all to support our members who’ve been affected by homelessness.”

The Choir with No Name is a charity that provide welcoming choir communities for those who have been affected by homelessness or are marginalised due to other factors such as mental health problems or drug and alcohol addiction. Members get a hot, nutritious meal after each weekly rehearsal and have the opportunity to make friends, learn new skills and get themselves back on their feet. The choirs provide a platform for members to sing their hearts out on a regular basis – a hugely important way of building confidence and general wellbeing, and crucial to enabling members to find - or refind - their place in the world.

There are four CWNN choirs - in Birmingham, Liverpool and two in London – reaching over 750 vulnerable adults in the last year alone.

All profits from ticket sales will help fund the choirs and allow the charity reach out to more people affected by homelessness across the country every year.

Be part of something extraordinary, and join The Choir with No Name at a Big Christmas Singalong near you:

The Choir with No Name Big Christmas Singalong (London choirs)
10th Dec, Shoreditch Town Hall, London

Tickets £18/£15 concessions
Available here: http://shoreditchtownhall.com/theatre-performance/whats-on/event/the-big-christmas-sing-a-long

The Choir with No Name Big Christmas Singalong (Birmingham & Liverpool choirs)

17th Dec, Elgar Concert Hall, Bramall Music Centre, University of Birmingham.

Tickets £12.50/£10 concessions

Available here: http://thebramall.co.uk/events/the-choir-with-no-name/

The Choir with No Name Big Christmas Singalong Brighton (London choirs)
20th Dec, Brighton Dome, Brighton
Tickets £12/£8 Concessions
Available here: http://brightondome.org/event/10391/the_big_christmas_singalong/

Watch a video from CWNN Big Christmas Singalong 2015 here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuzUTDl8nhM

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NOTES TO EDITORS

CONTACT: Rachel Clare | rachel@choirwithnoname.org |t: 0207 202 6648 | m: 07528 099172

CWNN Staff and choir members are available for interview on request. Contact us on the above details for photos.

About The Choir with No Name:

The Choir with No Name (CWNN) runs choirs for people who have experienced homelessness and other men and women on the margins of society. Our aim is to enable our members to make friends, build their confidence and skills and find or re-find their place in the world. Whether they have been homeless, have a mental health problem or are otherwise struggling, we give them a safe, positive and supportive environment in which to sing away their worries, have fun and flourish as individuals.

Our first choir – in King’s Cross, London - was founded in 2008 by Marie Benton, a professional musician and at the time also a senior project worker at homeless accommodation provider St Mungo’s. That first choir became a huge success, and since then we have established three more choirs, one in Birmingham, one in Liverpool and another in London.

For more info visit www.choirwithnoname.org

Find out more about SOUND choir here: www.soundchoir.com