Choir with a Difference in Edinburgh.

Choir with a difference in Edinburgh – Have you Got Soul?

When you think of a choir you tend to think church or gospel sounds, but today, as with many things in the world, times have changed and when it comes to choirs, no more so, than Got Soul Choir or as it’s known locally Edinburghs Got Soul Choir.

 

Offshoot of Talent Shows:

Talent shows currently on TV, have created a situation where people want to “have a go” at singing or chasing that dream of being famous, but for many, including many with good voices, the idea of standing on a stage alone would be terrifying, especially when being faced with judgement at the end of their trial.

 

But if the idea of being a singer on stage appeals, especially if you’re not alone, then joining a choir could be an ideal alternative. Adding to the experience, at the end of each workshop series, which starts in September, Got Soul Choir holds a concert, which over the past few series has resulted in ‘sell out’ performances at the Queens Hall in Edinburgh, where the crowd are treated to a memorable spectacle and the fact that these are amateurs is soon lost in the high class entertainment, befalling your eyes and ears.

 

It’s hard to say categorically, whether the TV talent shows have influenced the desire to sing and perform, although I’m sure they have, but over the last few years there have been many new choirs appear, that have been able to get people to come along and join the fun of being part of a group of people who want to sing, but would never have the opportunity or confidence to do so outside of joining a choir.

 

Edinburgh, being the home of the Edinburgh Festival, where much merriment and entertainment takes place over a several weeks, has now become the home of the Got Soul Charity started by Maryam Ghaffari, a singer with many years experience as well as having airplay on BBC radio 1.

 

The Journey to becoming a Charity Choir:

The journey started as a small idea of just getting a few people together to form a choir and has grown, to what will be in excess of 120 people in the choir this coming 2014 Autumn workshop series, which starts  9^th September. It started out as Edinburgh’s Got Soul, but Ms Ghaffari is now looking to spread her wings further afield in 2015 by opening a choir in Glasgow.

 

When asked what drove her to form the choir into the Got Soul Charity she said “ I set up the choir from a deep desire to make available to the people of the Edinburgh community a chance to step outside their normal everyday life, to connect through a fun activity and get something so extraordinary from being part of the Got Soul Choir family. To become a charity I simply wanted to leave something worthwhile behind that could continue to serve the Edinburgh community through the love music, the ultimate universal language without boundaries”.

 

What sort of Music?

So what sort of music do they sing – well this is where this choir steps outside the box of being normal or average, because although the core sound is soul, they dive into Hip-hop, rap, funk, a cappella as well as the more traditional kings and queens of soul such as Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan and many others.

 

As a choir becomes established you build a core of people who come back time and again, because they not only enjoy singing, like to sing on stage but also have developed new friendships. Ms Ghaffari has now taken this to the next level and has formed a performance choir which has already been ‘out on the town’ singing for their supper or should we say charity at various venues, such as the Edinburgh Marathon, Edinburgh’s Christmas Light Night, Tesco Bank and various functions including weddings.

 

Unique charity:

The idea of having a charity that helps raise funds for other charities is definitely not normal, but this is what happens at each Got Soul concert at the end of each term. Each term a different charity is invited along to collect from the audience and to date this has raised £1000’s for various charities including Macmillan Care, Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centre Lothian and Waverley Care.

 

So if you’d like to take your place on the exciting and fun journey, which ends with singing live on stage at one Edinburgh’s most prestigious live music venues, take a look at Got Soul Choir’s  Facebook page and YouTube channel for a better insight into the fun they have.

 

(Newswire.net — August 18, 2014) Edinburgh, Edinburgh —