Norwich Voice Project choir members at Singing The City in May.
The beautiful East Anglian city can lay claim to be one of the earliest multicultural cities in the UK, with the first big influx of ‘strangers’ arriving in 1565 from the Spanish Netherlands as asylum seeking political refugees.
Welcomed as a valuable addition to the population, they proved to be a considerable boost to the burgeoning textile trade and at one point accounted for over a third of the city's population.
Flemish influences can be still be seen in the city's many medieval buildings and the Stranger's Hall stands as a physical reminder of the economic and cultural contribution they made to Norwich.
Now the popular community access choir, the Voice Project, is recruiting singers for a series of winter concerts called City of Strangers to celebrate this heritage by animating the city’s heritage sites whilst exploring themes of home and refuge.
“Singing The City at this year’s Norfolk & Norwich Festival was one of the most popular things we have done with the ancient streets around Elm Hill teeming with people and singers,” says Voice Project co-Director Sian Croose.
“After that we realised how much people enjoy celebrating their city so we wanted to create another project to do just that and welcome people to the choir’s “home” – the Friends Meeting House.”
There is a no-obligation taster session at the home of the Voice Project Choir, The Friends Meeting House on Tuesday October 9 at 7.30pm and rehearsals begin on Tuesday the following week (October 16), culminating in three performances of City of Strangers on Saturday December 15 in and around The Friends Meeting House.
- Full details at www.voiceproject.co.uk or contact info@voiceproject.co.uk for information.
