Sing with us


 

 

Cairn Chorus is a community choir, which rehearses in Moniaive, Dumfries and Galloway. There are no auditions so everyone can join regardless of ability, experience or background. As a rural choir, we have members from our immediate locale as well as further afield within the region.   

We started, in 2007 in Moniaive, under the name The Singers Club Glencairn, and were originally under the direction of Ali Burns who also ran the Feral Choir based in Castle Douglas. Changing both our name and musical director along the way, there are a few of us who have been with the choir since the start but are joined by a changing range of like minded folk with each of our twice yearly terms. These are Spring and Christmas/ Twelfth Night, with choir numbers vary from 35 to 45 in general. 

Our concerts feature a band of local and amateur and professional players and the programme is put together in collaboration with choir members and the Musical Director. They often follow a theme, such as hope and justice, connection and separation, and nature. We also take part in community events and festivals. This format is tried and tested over many years. We use a core theme and the music, song and spoken work weave together seamlessly. We have a track record of creating such programmes successfully and receiving positive feedback from participants and audience members alike. It makes for a unique experience for everyone involved.  

We also commission songs and other inputs to our larger scale projects from D&G-based composers, installation artists, writers, poets and others. 

We work with our choir and band members, providing opportunities to rehearse in a safe, non-judgemental way. Choir members do not have to read music to take part and we go at a pace that is suitable for all. We also make sure that new members have a buddy in their section that they can ask for help from. We surround new members by experienced singers at rehearsals to build their confidence in singing together and have a strong core of choir members who rehearse regularly and who practise themselves at home.  

We are passionate about taking our concerts to a variety of settings, from village halls to venues with large capacities, such as Easterbrook Hall in Dumfries, which seats over 1000 people. What our venues have in common is that they have good acoustics and are accessible to local audiences.