Henley Big Sing

ABOUT 300 people came together to sing and dance in Henley town hall on Saturday.

They attended the Henley Big Sing, a free event organised by the Henley Choral Society to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

About 200 adults and children over the age of 12 attended in the morning and 80 younger children came with their parents and guardians in the afternoon.

Richard Harker, musical director of the choral society and Henley Youth Choir, led the groups with accompaniment from Anita D’Attellis on keyboards, Sam Wilkinson on drums and Andy Crowdy on guitar.

The musicians were on the stage in front of a huge interactive whiteboard which projected the lyrics for the singers, who gathered together in the main hall along with volunteers from the society.

Mr Harker welcomed everyone before immediately getting everyone warmed up by stomping in time to Queen’s We Will Rock You. The group then started to sing different parts before finishing the song.

The crowd then sang We Like to Boogie, learning all the hand jives and dancing together, followed by a rendition of When the Saints in six parts. Mr Harker divided the singers into groups and taught each one to sing in canon with one another.

This technique was also applied when they sang Pharrell Williams’s Happy.

For this, the singers were divided into two. They began by learning the claps for the song and once they had learned the rhythm, Mr Harker taught them the main chorus and the backing vocals, which they sang simultaneously.

To finish, they ran through the entire repertoire they had learned.

In the afternoon, children between the ages of seven and 11 came to learn a variety of Disney, pop and children’s tunes.

Volunteer Fi Harding welcomed everyone and Mr Harker began by clapping rhythms, which the children repeated.

That was followed by a song about a dog and a Hallowe’en themed one about a purple one-eyed monster which had hand gestures.

For Under the Sea, from Disney’s The Little Mermaid, the children had to think of a creature that lived underwater and act it out during the chorus. Each child did a different movement, imitating sharks, eels and starfish.

They also sang When the Saints and a Samoan song called Aue Aue Nuku I Mua in two parts, as well as songs from Disney’s Moana and Encanto. The children already knew the lyrics and didn’t need prompting. Finally, Mr Harker asked them if they wanted to go through all the songs they had learned again or sing Believer by Imagine Dragons. There was a resounding call for Believer and everyone joined in, including parents, for the final rendition.

Natasha Lambelin, of Deanfield Avenue, Henley, who had brought along her daughter Panalee, 10, said: “She loves singing.”

Panalee said: “It was super fun and it was one of the best singing things I have ever been to. My favourite was Believer because it’s really fun and very energetic.”

Kate Tysoe, from Lane End, had brought her seven-year-old son, Theo. She said: “I was trying to find a choir for my son because I think he would really enjoy it. He likes singing at home.

“I thought it was quite a great opportunity. I did it with my friend in morning and our children did it in the afternoon.

We belong to a theatre group and I think singing’s great for mental health.”

Alex Beever, from Nettlebed, brought her daughter Imogen, eight. She said: “We go to Henley Youth Choir and that’s how we knew about it. I think it’s a wonderful thing they can come to and we go every Thursday. It’s a great chance for the children to sing with their friends.”

Mayor Kellie Hinton turned up to sing along with everyone. She said: “It was lovely to see so many different people from across the community and it was a really fun event to be part of.

“I think I’m an okay singer — I normally only sing when I’m cooking.”

Tim Wilson, who chairs the society, said the event had exceeded his expectations.

He said: “What was so great about the morning session was all I could see was a room full of happy, smiling faces and a feeling of energy. That was just fantastic. Richard did an outstanding job.

“In the afternoon, that last song they were singing, they were so excited about singing it — it was brilliant.” Angela Law, who organised publicity for the Big Sing, said: “We thought that as we love singing so much and get so much out of it that we wanted everyone to get a chance to sing.

“We wanted everybody, no matter what their singing experience, to come along and enjoy singing as a big group — the more people, the better.

“The idea was to spread the joy of singing because it is so good for mental and physical health.

“When you sing, it releases feelgood hormones — dopamine, serotonin etc. — so it’s so good for you and these are tough times for people.”

JJ Jaurigue, who runs the 8Ray music label, attended the adult session.

He said: “It was so good to see the community come together. Music is such a powerful thing.

“Just seeing everyone enjoying it and smiling and being happy, I think is an amazing thing.

“My favourite part was at the end, when we ran through all the songs in one go. That’s when everyone could sing for longer and it was powerful.”

The day raised more than £1,000 for Riverside Counselling Service, a free service based in Henley.

The Big Sing was sponsored by Davis Tate, Courtiers, Beaufort Financial, the 8Ray Group and the Green Room and also received a grant from the Gwyn Arch Foundation.