About us
Well, you're in the right place.
Voices of Yorkshire is seven friendly, independent community choirs and one big VOY family. We're relaxed, welcoming, completely non-judgemental and open to anyone aged 18 to 118 who simply loves to sing.
We're proudly independent too. We're not part of a big national choir company or franchise — there are no call centres, automated messages or corporate rules. We're real people, running choirs across Yorkshire, getting to know our members and creating something we're incredibly proud of together.
People might walk through the door because they love singing, but they very often leave with something else too — a whole new group of friends.
Perfectly fine. In fact, plenty of our members hadn't either.
There are no auditions and no experience is necessary. You don't need to read music and you certainly don't need to know whether you're an alto, soprano or anything else before you arrive.
Whether you're an experienced singer or your previous performances have been exclusively to the shampoo bottle, you're welcome at VOY.
Come as you are. We'll do the rest.
Absolutely not!
There are no solos, no egos and nobody gets singled out. It's just not how we do things.
We usually sing in three-part harmony, so you'll always be surrounded by other people singing your part with you. The whole idea is to create a relaxed, supportive environment where you can stop worrying about what you sound like on your own and enjoy how brilliant we sound together.
Then you'll be in excellent company!
Nobody is standing beside you marking your performance. We'll help you learn your part, we'll go over the tricky bits and, yes, occasionally we'll all make a spectacular mess of something and have a laugh about it.
That's part of the fun.
Having a go matters far more to us than getting every note perfect.
Songs you'll actually know and want to sing!
Our repertoire is a big mix of well-known rock, pop and contemporary music, with some brilliant musical theatre thrown in too.
We arrange our songs in three-part harmony and we're always open to suggestions from our members. There's something pretty special about hearing hundreds of VOY voices singing a song together — particularly when you're standing right in the middle of it.
Nope.
We don't use traditional sheet music, so you don't need to be able to read a single note of music to join VOY.
We provide all the lyrics you need free of charge, and lots of members bring a pen to scribble down little reminders as we learn.
Everything is taught during the session. You just need to turn up and sing.
Absolutely — if you want to!
Every VOY member gets their own login to the Members' Area of our website, where you'll find everything you need for the songs we're currently singing, including recorded vocal parts, backing tracks and lyrics.
So, if you fancy singing along at home, want to go over your harmony part or you're new to VOY and would like to catch up on some of the songs we've already learned, it's all there whenever you need it.
But — and this is important — there's no homework at VOY!
You don't have to practise between sessions and you certainly don't need to know every song before coming along to one of our performances.
If we start singing something you haven't learned yet, you can mime enthusiastically, have a dance, enjoy listening, or simply step to the side and watch for that one. Nobody cares and nobody is keeping score.
We'd much rather you came along, joined in with the songs you do know and enjoyed being part of the day than stayed at home because you were worried about the ones you don't.
You'll soon pick up more of the repertoire as you go.
Plenty of support when you want it. Absolutely no pressure when you don't. That's VOY.
This is where being part of VOY gets even better.
We're a choir, but we're also a proper community of people.
There are friendships, nights out, trips, charity events and some genuinely unforgettable experiences along the way. We've booked large-scale theatres and filled them with VOY voices, recorded our own albums, been away on tour and we're even preparing to release our very own single.
Our tour took us all the way to Tunbridge Wells, where we joined forces with another choir very much like ours — making a whole load of new friends and extending the VOY family a little further south in the process.
We've also raised thousands of pounds for charities big and small, because using something we love doing to help other people is a huge part of what VOY is about.
There is always something happening — and some of our best memories have happened well beyond the rehearsal room.
Not at all.
We have loads of opportunities to perform throughout the year, from smaller community and charity events to our big theatre shows, and there is no additional charge to take part in VOY performances.
Want to be involved in absolutely everything? Brilliant — we'd love you there.
Prefer to come to your weekly choir, have a fantastic sing and leave the performing to everyone else? That's absolutely fine too.
There's no pressure. VOY is yours to enjoy in whatever way makes you happy.
We try to be as flexible as possible because we know people have holidays, families, work and lives outside choir!
We sing for around 46 weeks of the year, including through much of the traditional holiday periods, but unlike many larger choir organisations, we don't ask you to commit to blanket monthly payments regardless of whether you can attend.
If you know in advance that you're going to miss sessions, let us know by payment week and we'll adjust what you pay for the following block accordingly.
It's another advantage of being independent — we can treat our members like people rather than membership numbers.
There are currently seven VOY choirs:
Bingley • Keighley • Skipton • Oakworth • Silsden • Pudsey • Menston
Our sessions run Monday to Thursday, so have a look at the timetable and find the one that works best for you.
And whichever one you choose, you're joining more than that individual choir.
You're joining the whole VOY family.
Please do.
Lots of people do — and we know walking into a room full of strangers for the first time can feel a little daunting.
But those strangers don't stay strangers for very long.
VOY is full of genuinely lovely people, and creating that welcoming atmosphere is every bit as important to us as the singing. You'll be looked after, introduced to people and made to feel part of things from the beginning.
Some of the closest friendships within VOY started with somebody walking through the door on their own and wondering what on earth they'd signed themselves up for.
YES!
You just need to enjoy singing.
Come along, sing your heart out, have a laugh, meet some brilliant people and see how you feel.
Come for the singing. Stay for the friendships. Become part of the VOY family.
Find your choir