Every September, the atmosphere along the Costa Blanca shifts. The beach towels are folded away, and the visitors have gone home. People start looking for a routine again, and a surprising number of them decide that routine should include singing.
If you have ever thought about joining a choir but never quite got round to it, this is the month to stop thinking and start showing up. Between Cantãmus, Canto Mundial, TheatreSong and the Vall del Pop Singers, there is a group for pretty much anyone who wants one. Here is why this September is worth taking the leap.
1. Your body and mind will thank you
Singing in a group does something that few other hobbies manage. It slows your breathing, lowers stress, and gives your brain a proper workout as you track melody, rhythm and the people around you all at once. None of this requires effort beyond turning up. It happens simply because you are singing with other people, in a room, out loud.
2. You will make friends you didn't expect
Rehearsal rooms have a strange way of dissolving the usual barriers between people. Someone who spent thirty years as an accountant ends up standing next to someone who ran a farm, and within a few weeks they are sharing lifts and swapping stories over coffee afterwards. Choir friendships tend to be built on something more solid than small talk. You are working towards the same thing, week after week, and that changes how quickly people open up to each other.
3. There is a stage waiting for you
Every one of my choirs performs. Some years that means a summer concert in a packed church; other years it means being part of something larger, or sometimes performing in a cosy, more intimate room such as a common room in a residential home. You do not need any previous performing experience to take part. What you need is a willingness to learn a piece from scratch and stand with a group of people who have your back when the lights come up.
4. Singing is joyful
I have directed choirs for twenty years, and the reason I keep doing it has nothing to do with technique or performance schedules. It is the look on a singer's face the moment a chord locks into place, and the whole room feels it at once. That feeling does not fade with time. If anything, it gets stronger the more you sing.
Where to find us
- Cantãmus rehearses at Ermita San Josep, La Fustera, on Monday mornings and sings four-part harmony.
- Canto Mundial brings together singers from a wide mix of nationalities, singing mostly in English. They rehearse on a Wednesday afternoon in Alfaz del Pí
- TheatreSong meets on Monday evenings in Gata de Gorgos and puts the spotlight on musical theatre.
- Vall del Pop Singers is the informal group and meets in Alcalalí on Tuesday afternoons. They welcome singers of every background and ability.
No auditions, no pressure, and no need to have sung a note since school. Get in touch through the website or come along to a rehearsal and see how it feels. Autumn is here, the choirs are gearing up, and there is a seat waiting for you.
