I have now stopped running Totnes Global Harmony community choir after over 30 years of wonderful singing with hundreds of people.
Exeter GH continues to thrive and explore new and old repertoire with many loyal choir members and new singers coming each term.

Here is the story so far:

In January I991, shortly after I had moved to Totnes with my husband Martin and our young son Emil, I started running an evening class in Totnes Mansion that immediately filled a gap in the music scene: a choir that anyone could join, learning songs by ear, and exploring songs with amazing harmonies from all over the world.

I had previously been running a parent and baby singing group in Stroud, after my work as an English Language teacher all over the world, a Community Artist and Yoga/Rebirthing teacher (among other things).

By the summer the choir had become an established part of the Totnes scene and we named the group Global Harmony, and gave our first performance in the beautiful stairwell of Sharpham House that Christmas. I then went on to run a sister GH choir in Exeter, which enabled some grand performances of double choirs.

Over the years we have fundraised for numerous local and international projects and charities, made 3 CD’s and performed all over the south west.
Charities include: Water Aid, Oxfam, Children’s Hospice SW, Amnesty International, RNIB, Zambian Orphanage, Epilepsy Action, Atmos Totnes and many others.

We have now performed 6 ‘Desert Island Tracks’ where the choir have sung arrangements of songs requested by a local celebrity, and are interviewed about their life, with all proceeds going to a local charity. So far we have heard from Matt Harvey, Rob Hopkins, Jacqi Hodgson, Alice Oswald, Kay Dunbar and Ways with Words, and recently George Monbiot….. who is next I wonder?

Choir members have gone onto run their on choirs, taking the spirit of GH and their love of harmony singing around the world.