Welcome to the home of The Mighty VU!
Hi! You've found VU, Worcestershire's biggest independent adult contemporary vocal group (we don't like the word 'choir'...it's so not what we do)! With 120 keen members (and growing), we've been doing our best to entertain audiences throughout the county since 2008.
In recent times, we have sung our hearts out in such diverse venues as The Swan Theatre, The West Midlands Safari Park, The Forum Theatre, Huntingdon Hall, Worcester Cathedral, Gloucester Cathedral, Worcester Guildhall, The Pavilion in the Park, The Artrix, Henry Sandon Hall, & Pershore No. 8. We even sang on top of a furnace at one point! We've also been known to sing in the snow in the M & S loading bay on Friar Street, Worcester. (This isn't just any vocal group, this is an M & S vocal group).
Like everyone else in early 2020, we're dealing with the whole virus thing and can't get together in person to rehearse, but we're not letting that stop us. We're having weekly, full-length rehearsals online, learning new repertoire, attending weekly singing technique lessons with our M.D., and getting our teeth into new skills, like recording a "virtual choir" piece for VE Day 75. Each of us recorded our parts separately, our M.D. mixed them, and then we all contributed photos of friends and family from all branches of the military, as a tribute to all who served and still serve. We're not going to let a little global pandemic stop us from singing...
We are the original 'choir that rocks'! |
We're recruiting - come join us! |
![]() We sometimes get asked if we are part of one of the franchised choirs that have sprung up all over the UK and the answer is no, we're definitely not!
We love that people are enjoying their singing in whatever form they can get it, but we're very proud of being an independent, stand-alone and completely unique vocal ensemble with our own bespoke catalogue of one-off arrangements written by our Musical Director, Ria Keen (aka The Demon Diva / She Who Must Be Obeyed / Our Beloved Leader - delete where applicable). Ria's an internationally-renowned vocal coach so we are taught to sing properly using cutting-edge vocal technique, and we're lucky to have not just her but also her industry friends come in to work with us both in performances and workshops to help us with our skills! We revise plenty of technique as we go along in rehearsals, and most of us think Tuesday night (ahem: VUesday night) is the highlight of the week. It's such a great stressbuster! Most of all, it really is the best fun you can possibly have on a school night. And that's a promise. |
![]() We are always happy to meet new members but we totally understand that it can be a bit daunting to take the first step to join a new group - especially one as big as ours.
So the main thing is... don't panic Mr. Mainwaring! We are the most friendly and welcoming bunch you could wish to meet (see the Meet the VU-ers page for some stories about how it feels to join and then become part of the VU family), and we all felt nervous at first. We meet most Tuesday evenings at St. Peter's Church Hall (although we're a secular group) and we're always delighted for people to come along and have a listen to us first, see what a rehearsal looks like and chat to some friendly folks. If you'd like to 'try before you buy' just email us to sort out a convenient date for you to come along. Most people leave with a huge smile on their faces, eager to join in the following week! If you know from the get-go that you would like to join, again just drop us an email and we will contact you with all the details and the how-to. |