Turn up, groove out, sing loud

ADULTS who love to sing can lend their unique voice to Ballarat Bar Choir’s first gig since February 2020.

Founder, performer, and music teacher Mary Card said any member of the community is invited to head down to Volta, grab a drink, and lend their voice to the informal “anti-choir” on Thursday, June 2, from 7.30pm.

“It’s for people who enjoy singing but don’t want to do it in a formal setting. You don’t have to be good at singing, you just need to want to have fun,” she said.

“It’s all about the good vibes that you get when you sing in a group. It’s very fun, casual, you can drink at the same time, you’ve just got to show up on the day.

“There’s no commitment to rehearsals like a standard choir, it’s just good singing vibes, and good times.”

Everyone who rocks up to groove out on the night can learn a basic arrangement and the words of one song and sing out amongst each other, then Card expects they’ll “walk out on a high.”

“We pick a contemporary song to sing that everyone knows. In the past we’ve done everything from John Farnham, to Beyoncé, to Missy Higgins.

“A lot of people have said they’ve had bad experiences in formal choirs growing up, and we don’t want to replicate that, so we choose very simple, fun, intuitive songs people know already, so there’s no surprises,” she said.

Card leads Bar Choir alongside two other music teachers who share the same creative philosophy; musician, singer, and composer Paige Duggan, and guitarist Harri Dale.

“We all work to make sure that music is accessible, fun, and not an elite practice. Singing is for everybody,” she said.

Volta is located at 15 Field Street, Ballarat. A gold coin donation is requested on entry, and this will be directed to a local charity.