Who we are

Yes, we sing to change the world. After 25 years we’re still ringing out for justice and freedom, here in the UK’s ‘steel city’. We can raise the roof with a rousing Internationale, listen here. And we like to think we can still rock the streets to radical rhythms from across the world.

Activities in 2011 so far have included the Anti-Cuts demos in London, see here and here and supporting Sheffield events to celebrate the British contribution to the fight against fascism in Spain 75 years ago, see here.

This September we gave a big welcome to our new MD, Janet Wood. Janet is a very experienced choral leader in the North of England, and we look forward to all that she will bring to us.

We are looking for another MD to job share with Janet. If you are interested, please contact our Secretary for more information: RuthHodgkinson@phonecoop.coop

We can only repeat our immense thanks to the two MDs, Emer McKay and Val Regan, who have given us so much over the past decade and more. Profiles of all can be found here

Following another inspiring trip to the choral festival in Santiago de Cuba in 2009, we are planning for Camerata Vocal de Música Áurea, a musically stunning 20-member choir from there, to visit the UK in June-July 2012. Sheffield City Council and the University of Sheffield have issued official invitations, and they will be working with local schools. Fellow choirs in Edinburgh, Leeds, Bradford, Nottingham, and Bury will also host them for workshops and performances. Thanks to everyone for donations and fund-raising, we are a good half way to achieving our budget. If you would like to donate, please go to: www.justgiving.com/VocesdeCuba For more information, please visit: www.vocesdecuba.org.uk or be in touch via: info@vocesdecuba.org.uk

Our choir has always been active in supporting local, national and international campaigns on human rights, justice, equality, and the environment. We fully support Amnesty International, and each year we host a card-writing evening to send greetings and messages to prisoners of conscience. One of our songs, ‘Under the Stars’ written for us by Ali Burns, provides a harmonised backdrop while a member reads out from the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. We performed this several times in Spanish on our trip to Cuba, and it was received enthusiastically by our audiences there. Watch this here. Last 10 December, International Human Rights Day, we performed it at Sheffield Town Hall, as part of the Acts of Memory series of recitations across the UK. www.actsofmemory.net