Did You Know That Singing Together Makes Our Heart Beat In Unison?
A community that sings together stays together you could say! The ‘Voices on Fire’ Community Choirs led by Chris James, are so much fun and offer the experience of just how beautiful and vital our voice and expression is for our health and wellbeing.

What is it about singing that can turn complete strangers into family?

‘I have never met anyone here before, but I feel like I know everyone,’ a newcomer said in amazement at the end of one of our regular choir meetings. To her this was the most exquisite point of the evening. It was not about hitting the right note or knowing the words of the song – it was the connection that we naturally developed as we came together as a group of people from all walks of life and varying ages. All pre-concepts were dropped as we were faced with the actual beauty of what we had achieved – humanity in harmony.

As we connect to the pure joy of singing, the pressures of the day drop away and personal harmony turns into musical harmony.

The motto of our choirs is ‘Everyone is born with a beautiful voice’ and you don’t have to know to ‘how to sing’ to be a member. In fact we often joke with newcomers that a prerequisite of our choir is that you have to ‘think that you can’t sing’!

And, boy oh boy, when we let go of any tension, let go of the mind, lift our voices and sing . . . all of a sudden the resounding sound of a choir of angels power-fills the room!

The natural musicality that is in us all plays out, and we come into tune together, literally, and in every conceivable way. It’s amazing what ‘opening our hearts’ can do.
Expression in all its honesty and truth shines out, held by a foundation of joy and connection . . . it’s our natural state!

And all this and more happens in our local community choirs.
This is the place to turn up and feel the true community we all have.

After one experience of Chris James’ Community Choir, I asked him to come, with a message of health, to our end-of-year Prostate Cancer Support Group meeting. Beforehand, I was apprehensive that our collective ‘I can’t sing’ would defeat his enthusiasm. But by the end of the hour we were smiling at one another, astonished at the harmony and volume of our singing I am sure our members would endorse my view that if you want oxygen in your lungs, a lift in your spirits and a sense of community, you could not do better than to come to Chris James’ fortnightly Community Choir in Lismore.
Patrick Coughlan (Convenor, Northern Rivers (Day) Prostate Cancer Support Group)

For more information on Choir email: admin@chrisjames.net
Currently running are:
Northern Rivers Community Choir – Voices on Fire
Gold Coast Community Choir – Voices on Fire
Brisbane Community Choir – Voices on Fire