Rachel Hore brings people together to sing in her Pop Up Choir. They come from all different walks of life and musical backgrounds, they don't need to audition to get in and they love being in this musical community!

I caught up with them over the last month before their end-of-year concert in 2024 and heard their stories and their incredible performances. They come because they love to sing and are a great example of how a community can come together through a love of music. All the elements are there: the skills of the choir leader, the enthusiasm and hard work of the choir members many of whom who have worked hard to overcome doubts about their own abilities, the palpable energy that they create and give to each other through participating in the choir and the pride they have in what they achieve together. 

At the centre is Rachel who radiates positive energy which the choir amplifies and radiates back. She shared the story of how she got into singing and leading choirs and the joy she experiences in facilitating choir members discovery and sharing of their singing talents. The end-of-year concert for family and friends was truly memorable and a great way for the choir to round out a year of hard work, determination and fun!

To find out more about the pop-up choir: https://rachelhore.com/popup-choir/

You might also be interested in another podcast where Rachel discussed how she writes the wonderful songs she brings to her choirs: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5k7hIHS4XfbNpYHSvyBcwB?si=JolZa3KLTyyYH2eWBO898w

In this episode you'll get the inside story on The Dept of Rock - an incredible music community that came together to participate in a battle of the bands. Apart from loving music, the common element here is that all the bands have a connection to the public service in Canberra. I can guarantee that you've never experienced public service gatherings like this though!

I caught up with many of the 24 bands in the battle of the bands, some of them appearing in their global premiere performances for the comp, and found out how they formed, what kinda stuff they play and why they signed up. There are some incredible stories about the effort, commitment and passion people put into their music.

You'll meet Leanne Thompson the secretary of the Dept of Rock, who has worked tirelessly to make everything work. You'll meet Nigel McCrae, owner of Smith's Alternative, the iconic Canberra venue that hosts the competition, and legendary sound engineer Bevan Noble. You'll meet some of the judges who have a fair bit of government experience - one is an MP and another is a Secretary of a Federal Public Service Department. You'll also hear from some of the audience members who were pretty stoked with what they were seeing.

Everyone involved in this story seemed to be having the most wonderful experience. Enjoy!