Wow, 15 years of Love Soul Choir. Where has the time gone?
Love Soul Choir started in Southampton back in 2008. We noticed a gap in the choir offering within Southampton and thought we could do something about it. We wanted to launch something fresh and unique for singers in the city and eventually, we expanded to Bournemouth too.
Since then, our members have learnt hundreds of songs from a huge range of artists including Lizzo, Justin Timberlake, Ariana Grande, ABBA, Shakira, Earth Wind & Fire and Toto and have performed hundreds of times too. We’ve taken to the stage at theatres across the South Coast and have performed in shopping centres, at historic venues like the Tower of London, at sporting events and at so many other incredible venues.
The members 🚀
Over the years, we’ve met hundreds of singers. Professionals, amateurs who just love to sing and individuals who have never sung in a group before. They all have a love for singing and performing in common.
Their dedication to sessions, to working as a team to ensure that Love Soul Choir looks and sounds the best it possibly can and their commitment to making our choir a welcoming space doesn’t go unnoticed.
We still have members who joined us for our first ever rehearsal all those years ago and have been along for the ride ever since! 💜
The Highlights ✨
There have been so many highlights over the last 15 years. It makes it hard to pick out just a few. But we’ll have a go.
Back in 2019, we travelled with South West Trains from Bournemouth to Waterloo, stopping to sing at stations along the way. We were there to raise money for Mind, an incredible charity that supports mental health. It’s always a real privilege to do something that has a positive impact on the wider community and it was very special to see the smiles on people’s faces as they walked through stations that day.
We know that One Sound is a highlight for many of our members. One Sound is a show produced by Dan Cooper, Choir Leader, and best friend, Jack White of Sing Now Choir, which allows them to bring their groups together. It started back in 2016 and members have taken part in seven shows since then. Themes have included America, Space, Magic and Musicals and they’re an incredible memory to look back on.
If we’re talking about highlights, performing with Take That as part of their Odyssey Greatest Hits Tour at St Mary’s Stadium has to be up there. We were so excited to perform for thousands of people in a sold-out show at an iconic Southampton venue for this once in a lifetime opportunity.
Besides from performances, in more recent years, we’ve launched our Green Plan, our commitment to supporting the natural world, and our I’m An Ally Programme, designed to help our members strive to be more genuinely accepting of others. Both of these initiatives support our mission to be more than just a choir and we’re really proud of them both.
We wonder where we’ll be in 15 years? 👀
