ABOUT THETFORD VOICES
HISTORY
Thetford Voices was launched by Thetford Music Project with funding from Youth Music in January 2007 to provide musical opportunities for children in Thetford and its surrounding areas. It is now the junior branch of Thetford Singers.
Its initial project saw six schools working with specialist music leaders to develop their singing programmes, alongside a course of six evening sessions designed to introduce non-specialist teachers to singing with junior age children. In addition to the work in schools, our summer and spring workshops were launched, culminating in the Living Songs Concert in March 2008 and All Come Together in June 2008.
Since then, we have been fortunate to work with several guest conductors alongside our regular team of musicians, including: Lin Marsh (2009), one of the most significant figures in the national rebirth of singing; Scottish singer-composer Ali Burns (2010); multi-instrumentalist and song writer Steve Grocott (2013 & 2016); choral activist Kirsty Martin (2014).
MUSIC THEATRE PROJECTS
From 2012-2016, Thetford Voices ran a series of music theatre projects, with over thirty visits to schools in Thetford and beyond. The Voices team delivered a rehearsal workshop culminating in a performance within a day at each school. The 2012 show had an Olympic theme with original songs from John and James Weeks who combined again in 2016 to tell the Earthsea story of Young Wizard. In 2013, Giant was based around Lin Marsh’s songs retelling the legend of Tom Hickathrift. Russian folk-songs arranged by John Weeks and Polina Sosnina provided the music for Meeting Baba Yaga (2014) while Masked (2015) told the story of Thetford’s Man in an Iron Mask.
Young Wizard Tour 2016:
John Weeks, Alex Ballard, Mel Settle, Polina Sosnina, Sam Trayton & James Weeks
OUR WORKSHOPS
Our workshops are designed to be engaging and educational, fostering a love for music while promoting teamwork and creativity. We believe in the transformative power of music, and our goal is to create memorable experiences that inspire and uplift the next generation of performers.
Participants do not need any prior experience of singing in order to get involved. We welcome all children and endeavour to make our workshops inclusive and accessible without compromising on the quality of music making.