Fri, 7 Jun 2024 to Sun, 9 Jun 2024

Street Choirs 2024 : One Song, One Dance, One World, One Chance

Manchester Community Choir were delighted once again to attend and perform at the annual Street Choirs Festival, this year held in Sheffield on the first weekend of June 2024.

This event was particularly poignant as Sheffield hosted the first festival ( then called The Street Band Convention ) forty years ago in 1984. Since then the festival has gone from strength to strength, this year there were forty-five choirs attending from all over the country, from Edinburgh to Dorset, from Aberystwyth to Whitby, all intent on singing in glorious harmony, numbering over one thousand voices in total. It is always a pleasure to meet again with choir members from previous years and make friends with folk whose choirs are attending for the first time.

The main venue for the festival was the Octagon Centre, part of the University of Sheffield. As people gathered together on the Friday evening, after a welcoming speech, we took part in a brief run through of the songs for the Mass Sing the following day. We were then entertained by The Sparkle Sistaz, a project that enhances the lives of adults with a learning disability and/or autism through music and drama. They were magnificent and were swiftly followed by the always superb and hilarious Young 'Uns. As the entertainment went on, singers drifted in and out of the bar, intent on sampling the splendours of Sheffield's ale!

Saturday morning dawned fine with sunshine and a gentle breeze. Each choir was allocated two singings spots, scattered around the city, as always, tightly regimented (in a friendly way!). We sang outside a defunct Debenhams store, then in Pounds Park, attracting a good sized audience on both occasions. The residents of Sheffield must have wondered what was happening to their city, it seemed as if there was a choir singing on every street corner.

Shortly after mid-day all the choirs gathered in the Peace Gardens outside the magnificent Town Hall. We were welcomed by the Mayor of Sheffield and then we let rip, over one thousand voices singing in four part harmony. As it has been in previous years, it was a deeply moving experience. In the past we have experienced driving rain, freezing winds and blistering sunshine but on that day, the weather could only be described as perfect and, of course, we all sang perfectly.

Saturday afternoon and evening were taken up by two concerts, each choir was given seven minutes to perform their chosen songs on stage while the other choirs formed the audience.  We were slightly unfortunate to be given the first slot back on stage for the evening concert and so didn't have as large an audience as some of the other choirs but somebody has to do the graveyard shift!! We performed 'I wish I knew How it Feels to be Free' and then blew the audience away with our rendition of 'Shout', rapturous applause! Rose, as she always does, led us brilliantly and gave us the confidence to perform to a high standard. As the concert drew to a close, the tradition of late-night singing and drinking in the bar was honoured.

On Sunday morning each delegate was given the choice of two workshops. Many choir members took the opportunity to visit and support students who had set up a camp of tents outside the Students Union building in support of Freedom for Palestine. Those assembled sang in solidarity with them.

Sunday afternoon was given over to the traditional picnic, this one  in Weston Park while our hard-working delegates held a meeting to discuss next year's event. 

And then we went home. 

Onwards to Bradford 2025 !

Larraine Thompson (Soprano)
Mick Thompson (Bass)

Here are photos of the choir performing in the centre of Sheffield and a photo of the Massed Sing in the Peace Gardens.
Thanks to Mark Aherne for photos 1-6 and 8; Helen Patrick for photo 7 and Jackie Crookes for photo 9.