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A year with the Mixed Up Chorus - reflections from Sohee Baek

Mon, 31 Mar 2025 09:33:54 GMT

Sohee Baek, Music Leader Intern and pianist for the Mixed Up Chorus, looks back at her first year with the choir

The reason I started accompanying the Mixed Up Chorus was an internship posting from Together

Productions that I received via email through the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where I am

currently studying. I am studying Film Music in the Electronic Music, and I previously completed my

undergraduate studies in Classical Composition in Korea. However, piano accompaniment has

always been a significant part of my musical identity.

From my high school years up until I moved to the UK, I continuously worked as an accompanist

for church worship teams and choirs for about 10 years. Additionally, whenever I had the

opportunity, I sought to establish my identity as an accompanist by working with choirs and musical

productions. However, after moving to the UK, finding piano accompaniment opportunities was not

easy. That’s why I was thrilled to see that Together Productions was looking for a pianist in their

internship posting - I had to apply immediately!

Beyond just accompaniment, I have always contemplated how I, as a musician, can contribute to

society. After graduation, I particularly hope to create music programmes for underprivileged youth,

people with disabilities or seniors. For this reason, I was deeply impressed by the ethos of

Together Productions' choir, which welcomes anyone who would like to sing, regardless of their

musical background. I wanted to experience first-hand how such programmes are operated and

developed, and I was fortunate to join as a pianist. Every week has been a time of new learning

and inspiring experiences. I started with the Mixed Up Chorus in April last year, meaning I have

now been with them for a year.

Over the past year, I have gained valuable insights through my experiences with the choir. Here

are three key lessons I’ve learned:

1. Even if you can’t read music, you can still create music together.

Among our choir members, some have previous choir or musical experience and can read sheet

music, while others have never sung in a choir before and do not read music at all. However,

Mixed Up Chorus and Sing for Freedom prove that anyone can be part of a choir as long as they

want to sing. Personally, I had always performed with formally trained musicians, so this

experience was refreshing. Yet, as members memorise notes and listen to each other to

harmonise, we gradually feel ourselves truly making music together.

2. Embracing and learning different cultures through foreign language songs.

Each term, our choir learns about four songs, and at least two of them are always in a foreign

language. Last term, we learned a song in my native language, Korean - the beloved folk song

'Arirang'. We performed it at our 10th anniversary concert! Learning songs in foreign languages presents challenges, such as reading lyrics structured differently from English, but it also allows us to understand the meaning behind the lyrics and explore their cultural background. Just like with 'Arirang' singing the music of various countries allows us to experience and express different

cultures through music, which is an amazing experience.

3. Creating a community beyond just a singing choir through tea time, small group discussions,

and concerts.

Several factors help our choir’s identity as more than just a singing group, but two aspects that

stood out to me were tea time and discussion sessions. During our break, we have tea time to

greet one another, share how our week has been, and simply connect. Those brief 10-15 minutes

help create a sense of belonging.

Additionally, our conductor and producer, Jeremy, occasionally leads small group discussions on

thought-provoking topics. Some memorable questions were: “What does 'home' mean to you?” and

“When do you feel ‘belonging’?” Because our choir welcomes people of all ages, races, religions,

and genders, these discussions bring together diverse perspectives. They remind us that there is

no single correct answer in life- everyone’s experiences are meaningful. These conversations

foster respect, provide new insights, and ultimately contribute to making our choir a true

community.

Lastly, performing is (naturally) a crucial element that fuels our passion and enjoyment. Every step

of preparing for a performance- the harmonies, the rehearsals, the collective effort - builds up to the

final moment when the audience experiences our music. This process continuously strengthens

and defines Together Productions.

On Tuesday, April 29, at 7pm, the Mixed Up Chorus will be holding a free Taster Session! If you love

singing, why not register and join us ?

The Together Create journey begins…

Thu, 06 Mar 2025 16:35:40 GMT

Something new is coming; the Together Create journey begins...

As you may be aware, a brand-new arts programme called Together Create is coming to Thurrock. Building on successful community singing, heritage and social action programmes delivered by Together Productions in Thurrock since 2017, Together Create brings together communities who may have not necessarily had the chance to meet for high quality artistic experiences happening in their local community.

So what’s the story so far?

Together Create has been getting to know local community groups in and around Thurrock by running creative engagement sessions. We have worked with diverse communities including primary school students, the sanctuary seeking community, parents and babies, neurodiverse families and others, spanning generations, cultures and locations across the borough. These free creative arts workshops have ranged from visual arts sessions to drama and singing, with each session giving participants the opportunity to try something new, express themselves and importantly have some fun!

Together Create Day – February 22nd 2025

Inviting all the communities we have worked with so far, as well as extending our invitation to anybody in Thurrock, on the 22nd February we held our ‘Together Create Day’. This day was a big milestone in the development of our new programme. With an ‘everybody welcome approach’, the day gave participants the opportunity to come together, to sing, act, learn, create visual art, and even make delicious food that reflected countries and cultures around the world.

Through the day we explored three central questions:

- Who are we?

- What do we care about?

- What do we want to create together?

Through visual arts, drama, singing, cooking and conversation, we learnt that people in Thurrock care deeply about their families and friends, meeting new people, sharing their cultures and discovering more about others. We also learnt that we care about the environment and the places where we live.

Food as a subject was a firm favourite with all those who attended, cooking up a creative storm in the kitchen. Participants got the opportunity to explore different food and drink, sparking conversation about identity, language, traditions, culture and family.

Overall the day was filled with creativity, curiosity, warmth and inspiring aspirations.

So what’s next for Together Create?

The creative inspiration shared will form the basis for cross-arts programmes starting across Thurrock later this Spring, bringing people together to to sing, tell stories, create artworks and share food. We will make art about the things we care about, with regular groups meeting in Grays and Tilbury, and other activities happening across the borough, working towards exciting public performances and events this summer.

The next chapter is yet to be written

With Together Create being a co-produced programme, we are very much on a journey with the people of Thurrock and are open to the possibilities of where we could go. But one thing we know for certain is that exciting things are happening and this is a ride not to be missed!

If you would like to find out more about Together Create, including how you can get involved, please contact our programme producer Rachel. rachel@togetherproductions.co.uk. As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts and for you to come on our creative journey, so don’t be shy, reach out and say hello.

You never know where a creative conversation may go!

With thanks to our brilliant creative team: Marsha Ashley, Gina Bonsu and Mama G's Kitchen, Esther Farinde, Salina Gani and Rachel Hopwood

Photos: Rachel Cherry

Winter News

Mon, 20 Jan 2025 11:53:33 GMT

Looking back on an amazing 2024

and making plans for 2025

As we begin a new year, we are taking a moment to reflect on all that our amazing creative communities have achieved during the autumn/winter 2024. Across London and Thurrock, we have been singing, drawing and creating together, exploring themes of identity and belonging, culture and home, who we are as a community and what difference we can make.

In September we welcomed new members to both our choirs, Sing for Freedom and the Mixed Up Chorus, and established ourselves in our new home at Christ Church, Highbury, where we celebrated the end of the year with a truly wonderful (and sold-out!) Concert for Community Unity.

In Thurrock, we launched our Together Create programme, which has seen us getting creative with a range of communities including people seeking sanctuary, those newly arrived in the area, as well as staff and families supporting neurodivergent children. These engagement sessions are building towards a regular programme of activity beginning next year, uniting the borough through music, art and creativity. Our Singing For Our Minds programme has gone from strength to strength, celebrating the joy of singing together and its incredible power to boost mental wellbeing. You can find out more about both programmes below.

We have big ambitions for 2025, and hope you will continue to share this creative journey with us!

Dwelling Together in Harmony

Thu, 11 Jul 2024 17:31:49 GMT

Leo Samuel, a member of the Sing for Freedom Choir, shares what it means to her to be part of this unique community

For some two and a half years, I have been looking after my mental health by participating in a community choir. The choir is called “Sing For Freedom”. It is one of the choirs that is led by a social enterprise company called Together Productions. Sing For Freedom used to be a therapeutic choir running under the auspices of “Freedom From Torture”: a charity (formerly the Medical Foundation for the Victims of Torture) which offers invaluable therapeutic and practical support to individuals who have suffered torture. Sing For Freedom members are survivors of torture; refugees; and allies.
More than one choir member has stated that one effect of torture is to remove one’s voice. Effectively, torture silences a person. Being part of a choir restores one’s voice - especially, being part of Sing For Freedom. In our choir, we aim to sing in different languages, and we aim to create our own material or to bring material from our own cultures. So Sing For Freedom performed “Hinnei ma tov u-ma naim Shevet achim gam yachad”: the Hebrew song generally translated as “How good and how pleasant it is When brothers dwell together in harmony” This week, we’re performing a Zulu song celebrating the power of prayer and especially the power of women praying -and we’ve adapted a song from the Disney movie The Jungle Book to portray the gift of true friendship.
I love being part of Sing For Freedom, because I get to mix with people who have demonstrated courage and resilience beyond what most of us can imagine. I know that whatever struggles I may be engaged with, they are not so painful as what some of my fellows went through. I know that in the UK I am protected from arbitrary arrest and torture. In 2024, we do sometimes have to stand up for what is right, even though this may put us at risk of retaliation. I am heartened by my fellow choir members, to keep standing up for what is right.
I feel a kinship with my fellow choir members who sought sanctuary in the UK, because my mother and grandmother also received sanctuary in the UK. My mother and grandmother were persecuted by the Nazi regime simply for being of Jewish descent. They did not need to demonstrate active dissent, they didn’t have to raise concerns which would draw unfriendly eyes toward them. Just by existing as Jews, that was sufficient to merit annihilation.
My choir celebrates the diversity of its membership. We use the power of love to help us in bridging barriers to enhance mutual understanding. Some members say that their families were snatched from them in the troubles they endured, and the choir is their surrogate family.

If you want to find out more about the Sing for Freedom Choir, including how to join, visit their page on this website.

Singing For Our Minds - Exciting News!

holly@togetherproductions.co.uk (Holly Jones) — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 15:57:41 GMT

We’re delighted to announce that we have been supported by a generous grant from the Baring Foundation to support the next stage of our Singing For Our Minds programme. In 2024 we will be working with an amazing team of singing and mental health professionals along with our singing communities to produce a new online resource that will provide musical leaders with easy and accessible tools to ensure they bring maximum joy to their singing groups.

There is a welcome growing awareness of the many positive benefits that singing together with others can offer for mental health and well-being. However, professional music leaders do not always have the tools or expertise needed to prioritise the well-being of artists and performers. And in the face of an escalating mental health crisis, many who work in musical settings are concerned to develop their skills and knowledge to ensure that they are creating a musical environment that is beneficial for everyone.

Presented in easy-to-access short video format, with links to further research and reading, this open-source resource will provide an invaluable and practical source of advice and support for anyone seeking to ensure that their singing groups or activities are inclusive, artistic spaces where people experiencing mental health problems can sing, create and thrive.

You can find out more on the Singing For Our Minds webpage, where there’s also a link to a short survey for anyone who’d like to share their views on what will make a good resource. Watch this space for updates!

And please do contact us if you’d like to find out more or get involved: hello@togetherproductions.co.uk

Our Impact in 2022-23: a Year of Growth and New Ventures

Mon, 11 Sep 2023 10:00:12 GMT

New impact report reflects on an exciting year

We are delighted to share our 2022-23 Impact Report with you.

The summer months are always a time of reflection and renewal for us at Together Productions, and we have been looking back with joy, pride and gratitude at our 2022-23 season which was a period of hugely exciting growth and internal development.

Our choirs the Mixed Up Chorus and Sing for Freedom have flourished, we’ve welcomed a new musical director Ellen Muriel to the team and have extended our outreach programme, working with asylum seekers housed

in Islington hotels amongst others.

It has been a joy to partner with the Gateway Learning Community in Thurrock on our first schools programme – Sharing Our Lives - bringing students from 5 schools together with community champions to explore heritage and create new music, artwork and films.

We’ve piloted a new leadership development programme Singing for Our Minds, working with a cohort of talented emerging musical leaders and choir champions to better understand the connections between singing, leadership and positive mental health.

And we’ve spent time looking internally, completing the Measuring the Good programme and implementing systems to help us better understand our impact and value.

It’s an ever-evolving and exciting journey and we want to thank all of our collaborators, partners, funders and co-creators for joining us on the way. We have plenty more dreams and plans in the pipeline and are looking

forward to 2023–2024! We hope you enjoy reading our Impact Report and finding our more about our work over the last year.

Uncovering Thurrock's Hidden Stories with Thurrock Museum

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 12:21:38 GMT

Did you know that Thurrock has a Museum? I should know because I’m lucky enough to work in it! If you ever fancy a visit, it’s tucked away on the 1st floor of the Thameside building, Orsett Road, Grays. The building is also home to the library and theatre.

The Museum began collecting things from the Thurrock community in the early 1900s and my latest estimate is that we have around 30,000 items! Each object in our collection helps to weave together the story of Thurrock, from the settlement at Mucking in the East of Thurrock, inhabited since the late Stone age, the building of Tilbury Docks in the late 1800s to more modern chapters, such as the development of the Dartford tunnel and later the QEII bridge. Sometime in the 2000’s though, our stores became full and we have had to stop collecting for now.

My dilemma then was, how do we continue to record Thurrock’s story if we can’t take in any new objects? And this is where the ‘Sharing our Lives’ project came in.

This project aims to collect stories of migration into Thurrock which, although a feature of Thurrock’s history since time immemorial, this most recent wave has shaped the community in a major way. These stories can be stored digitally and therefore don’t take up much space so it was a ‘no brainer’ for me to get involved. It also meant that I could start connecting with people in the Thurrock community who wouldn’t necessarily know about the Museum.

As the focus of this project is story collecting, the first objective was to attend some oral history training. The training was incredibly useful with lots of tips on how best to help people to share their stories, the main take-home message being; say as little as possible and listen, which is harder than you’d think!

I’ve helped to collect stories from the people attending Grays Gurdwara and it’s been very insightful, not only learning about a different culture but also realising that we all face the same basic challenges. I also got the chance to experience the wonderful hospitality and great food!

A bonus of the whole experience was the opportunity to visit The National Archives at Kew, where we were treated to a tour of the stores, which was fascinating. We also got to see the original passenger list for the Windrush.

For me, volunteering with the Sharing Our Lives project has been an opportunity to learn new skills and get to know people in the community that I otherwise wouldn’t usually meet. I’m hoping that it’ll be a first step of many towards making the museum more relevant to its current community and continuing to chronicle the story of Thurrock.

Michelle Savage

Museum Officer, Thurrock Council

Discover the stories at www.sharingourlives.co.uk.

Discovering our Shared Histories

Mon, 21 Nov 2022 08:16:41 GMT

This year we are excited to be embarking on a new journey - for the first time we are taking our distinctive co-creative methodology and using it to unlock hidden stories of migration past and present - specifically from Thurrock, Essex, an area in which we have been working for many years and are proud to have developed strong community partnerships.

Sharing Our Lives has been supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to find, record, curate and share the largely undocumented and unrecorded experiences and contributions of migrants to and from Thurrock throughout history and up to the present day. It will specifically seek to uncover and give a platform to previously unheard or marginalised stories and experiences, with an emphasis on locally rooted narratives.

The project began in June, with illustrator Salina Gani and facilitator Rachel Victor-Sampson inviting local people to share their memories and stories of migration at two events in Tilbury - the celebrations to mark the arrival of the Empire Windrush and Tilbury Port Open Day, where Together Productions was also presenting Singing Our Lives. Rachel told us:

" It was actually a real honour to listen to stories of people who came to England back in the 60's/ 70's, be it by boat or plane. The stories were so vivid and touching that I could also transport myself back in time to imagine what it must have been like. I met so many interesting people who initially thought that they wouldn't have much to contribute but once they started talking they realised that they had an important story to share ".

This autumn has seen us working with students from the Gateway Academy. Working with Rachel and historian Valina Bowman-Burns, the students have been exploring what heritage is, whose stories are usually told and whose are not, and gaining skills and tools to help them go out into their local area and collect stories from friends, family and other community members. They will then bring back to share with the group, reflecting on what they have found most interesting and surprising about the stories they have uncovered. So far the students have astounded us with their enthusiasm, creativity and commitment, and we feel very confident that the history of tomorrow is in excellent hands!

"What can I say about the young people who are part of this programme? They and the teaching staff are absolute joy to work with. I love the different perspectives that the young people presented on the topics of heritage and migration and how they demonstrated their creativity and imagination when tasked with creating team group names and in making short promotional films. They are so talented and I can't wait to see what they go on to produce as part of this programme" . Rachel Victor- Sampson

Once the stories have been collected, the students and a team of community Heritage Champions will be collaborating with a team of artists, including a composer, lyricist and film-maker, to bring the stories to life through a new series of songs, an exhibition and a film, all of which will be premiered in summer 2023.

We are still looking for more Community Heritage Champions to join the team, so if you have a connection to Thurrock, and have your own personal / family experience of migration, and/or a keen interest in local history, we would love to hear from you. Please contact sharingourlives@togetherproducitons.co.uk

Find out more on our project page and wat c h this space for more news and updates about this exciting project!

The Superpower of Singing

Tue, 13 Sep 2022 10:12:54 GMT

Trigger warning: Suicide

Singing is a superpower. It resonates with everyone and has the power to move, physically and emotionally. For the oppressed and voiceless, singing has always been an important form of communication, a testimony to their strength and resilience.

The Sing for Freedom Choir is made up of members of the community, sanctuary seekers and survivors of torture. Some have experienced unimaginable suffering, been separated from their children, locked up in detention centres and have had their freedom taken away. The hostile environment championed by the UK government and the new Nationality and Borders Bill means asylum seekers are faced with an impossible fight and find it difficult to make lives for themselves once they reach the UK, and this has a detrimental effect on their emotional wellbeing.

Most of our sanctuary seeking members are currently housed in Home Office accommodation and can be moved at a moment's notice, making it hard to settle or build connections. If entitled to financial support, they survive on £40.85 a week. Singing provides some respite from the struggles of daily life, builds friendships, and alleviates loneliness. For some, joining a choir has been a life saver.

One choir member, a survivor of torture, who has lived in the UK for twelve years and is still waiting for a decision on his asylum case after two failed appeals was in detention for six weeks and said music saved his life. He spent the first three days of detention in his room before being persuaded to come out and make a visit to the church. He joined the choir and found comfort in singing, at times spending six hours a day with the choir. He said, “If I just sat in my room, I could have killed myself”. Years later, he joined the Sing for Freedom Choir and continues to sing. Another rightly said, “The Sing for Freedom Choir is not just a choir, it is my family ,” and I could not agree more. There is something intimate about getting together every week to sing. It lightens our burdens, lifts our spirits, and brings us together.

Our choir is a mix of sanctuary seekers and members of the community who are not from a sanctuary seeking background, but when we come together, we are a family. Where you come from, what you look like, and your occupation does not matter. During a rehearsal, you can feel the joy when we finally get a song right or remember the lyrics and the relief and pride after a huge performance is heart-warming. But most of all, you can feel the love that we have for one another.

As the Autumn term begins, my heart feels with joy at the prospect of seeing everyone again after a six-week break. I have missed singing in solidarity with my Sing for Freedom family. I have missed singing, sharing food and just being together.

Find out more about the Sing for Freedom Choir and how to sign up for one of our free Autumn taster sessions on September 22nd and 29th here

Singing For Our Minds

jeremy@togetherproductions.co.uk (Jeremy Haneman) — Wed, 27 Jul 2022 17:35:09 GMT

Diversity, leadership and singing - reflecting on our new programme at the half way point

Singing For Our Minds is our brand new development programme that looks at the links between leadership, mental health, diversity and singing. Launched in February 2022 and generously funded by the Baring Foundation, the programme has been designed specifically for artists from ethnically diverse groups currently under-represented in the arts.

Produced in partnership by Together Productions and the Mind and Soul Choir at the Maudsley Hospital , the programme has been developed by leading practitioners in the field of arts and mental health practice. Course Leaders include Nicola Wydenbach, Aga Serugo-Lugo, Zena Edwards, Jeremy Haneman, Nadine Benjamin, Darren Abrahams and the mental health training team from SLaM (South London and Maudsley hospital).

Running for twelve months, our participants are currently learning how to embed techniques for promoting positive mental health outcomes in their leadership approach, and in doing so to build diverse, inclusive communities within group music settings. There is a particular focus on singing, and our participants are delivering in arts or education settings and regularly use singing as their medium. There are two groups involved – Practitioners who are professional and semi-professional musicians, and Wellbeing Choir Champions who are choir members passionate about promoting the mental health benefits of singing.

We began the programme with four intensive days in February and March which incorporated skills development, peer learning, resources, signposting and mental health awareness. Each of the practitioners led warmup exercises involving singing and/or movement and we covered topics such as creating a safe space, personal self-care, mental health awareness training, the art of facilitation and group dynamics, overview of trauma and its impact on the voice, current research on mental health and the arts, writing mission statements, and journaling self-reflection on our own practice.

Simultaneously, the wellbeing choir champions joined for some of the sessions and visited each other’s community choirs (the Mind & Soul Choir, Sing for Freedom Choir, Mixed Up Chorus and Camberwell Community Choir) and then had sessions identifying and creating their own roles as ambassadors for being in a choir, reflecting on what they get out of being in a choir and how it has improved their own wellbeing in a wide variety of ways.

We are now in the second phase of the project where supported placements, peer support, mentoring and leadership opportunities are being offered to the practitioners. Some of our practitioners have been observing and participating in various community choir rehearsals and many have been involved in attending and supporting Together Productions’ other big project, Singing Our Lives . This has enabled our participants to see how other choir leaders do things and to gain valuable experience leading small sections of rehearsals in a safe and supportive way.

Our practitioners have been taking what they have learned into their own practice and are benefitting from one-on-one coaching sessions with the leadership team including Nicola Wydenbach, Jeremy Haneman, Aga Serugo-Lugo, Darren Abrahams, Holly Jones and Alexandra Godfree. This has enabled the participants to develop their own projects and ideas with the support of their coach, and to reflect on what is working well for them and what they need to work on. They are setting their own goals and also some lovely friendships and unforeseen collaborations have arisen as a result. In addition, they have been observing and participating in rehearsals of our choirs and doing outreach workshops in the community in conjunction with our Wellbeing Choir Champions to spread the message about the incredible wellbeing benefits that come from singing in choirs.

Our participants are also working with some film makers to develop a new short film we are making to celebrate the amazing benefits that come from joining a choir – this will be released in the Autumn. Singing For Our Minds is being independently evaluated by an academic from the University of Derby so once it is concluded we will be able to ascertain the merits of the course and make plans for developing and growing it, widening its scope and reach and enabling more people from across the arts sector to gain valuable skills, knowledge and experience around leadership and how to successfully navigate creating sessions that have positive outcomes on mental health, balancing creativity and learning with wellbeing considerations.

We hope that our current participants will then become alumni and mentors to future cohorts and encourage more leaders from ethnically diverse backgrounds to participate. Based on feedback received so far, the course is so far proving very successful, and we have high hopes for its continuing growth and expansion.

Union Chapel concert in the news

holly@togetherproductions.co.uk (Holly Jones) — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 17:18:44 GMT

As one voice…

Together Productions’ Singing Our Lives concert at Union Chapel was the perfect end to Refugee Week, says Lucy Popescu

The grand finale of Under the Same Sun by Singing Our Lives brought everyone to their feet. Photo: Rachel Cherry

LOCAL choirs are an excellent way to build a vibrant community, improve mental health and encourage empathy. Choral singing is a big part of the work of Together Productions, a community interest company that produces creative projects with social impact.

Co-founded by Holly Jones and Jeremy Haneman, they use music to break down barriers, reduce isolation and enhance well-being, connecting displaced people and those seeking sanctuary with local communities and professional musicians to compose and perform together.

Their Singing Our Lives project (now in its 6th year) at Union Chapel proved a fitting end to Refugee Week. It was an extraordinary event that celebrated the resilience and creativity of refugees and migrants, in the UK and elsewhere, the power of community and involved several choirs.

The evening ended with the premiere of the song Under the Same Sun bringing hundreds of performers onstage to commemorate Refugee Week’s theme of “Healing”. It was created by the Singing Our Lives company of amateur and professional musicians and singers based in the UK in collaboration with artists in India, the US and South Africa.

The evening was compered by television and radio presenter, Jumoké Fashola, and included Together Productions’ two diverse choirs, the Mixed Up Chorus and Sing for Freedom, both based in Archway. Sing for Freedom (musical director: Gemma Storr; accompanist: Martha Littlehales) presented World on our Shoulders, a rousing eco-anthem composed by John Farnbury, followed by a bespoke setting of the Arabic-English poem Our Hearts Desire written by choir member EE.

To read the rest of Lucy's review in the Camden New Journal click here

Under the Same Sun, Union Chapel, Sunday 26th June 6pm

holly@togetherproductions.co.uk (Holly Jones) — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 17:24:33 GMT

Come and join us for an evening of amazing music

Come along and join us in the spirit of solidarity and hope for the finale of Refugee Week.

Saturday 25th June, Tilbury Port Open Day, 1-3pm

We're thrilled to be returning to Tilbury to premiere our new song and showcase an afternoon of amazing singing. Free and open to all, with lots of other exciting things happening too. Come along!

More information here

Sunday 26th June, Union Chapel, Islington 6pm

Together Productions presents an evening filled with incredible song and music from around the globe. Hosted by Jumoké Fashola featuring performances from Members of the Orchestra of Syrian Musicians, Mind & Soul, Mixed Up Chorus, Music Connects, Sing For Freedom Choir, United Strings of Europe, Thames Opera Company and Write to Life.

The Singing Our Lives project, now in its 6th year, brings together people from local UK and refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds to compose and perform new music together. In June 2022 the project culminates with the premiere of Under the Same Sun – a performance featuring hundreds of performers onstage to celebrate the Refugee Week theme of ‘Healing’ through music and song.

Singing Our Lives 2022 is produced in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and Union Chapel, with generous support from the Arts Council England.

Book tickets here

A guest blog for Refugee Week 2022 - Under the Same Sun

Wed, 08 Jun 2022 15:27:31 GMT

Meet the people behind Singing Our Lives - and come and see them perform in June!

“My name is Jade Jackson, and I am from… Clapham Junction!” says Jade before bursting into laughter. Whenever the clouds above London generously leave enough space for the sun to shine on the city below, it makes Londoners cheerful, almost as if they were inwardly and outwardly celebrating the brighter side of life. You may think this is why Jade is smiling today, but in fact being out and about under the sun has a very special significance for her.

This afternoon we are in a church hall where once or twice a week for the past six months Jade has been joining rehearsals for the ‘Singing Our Lives’ project, run by the community-based organisation Together Productions.

Jade is ready for today’s rehearsal and explains: “Nowadays I am very open, but I used to hide in my room and not come out because I feared that people would laugh at me and say things about me, and this is not true. I used not to let people come near me, even if I could see they were nice because I thought that I was not going to be nice to them, and it made me so afraid. When you are tortured in your own country it is not good at all … torturing people is so bad."

"When I arrived in the UK, I could not even talk to anybody; when I tried to get out of my flat, if I saw somebody walking in the street, I used to run back inside. Now I feel free, walking everywhere and singing, because everybody is the same and we are free!"

Today, under the same sun, Jade and her beautiful smile radiate kindness, joy and hope: the signs of her own courage and resilience. Being part of the Singing Our Lives project gives her even more strength: “I really enjoy this group because everybody feels so safe here, as if we are friends and family, and whether you sing well or not, they will accept you and you learn … it is very good!”

Benedikt Humm, originally from Germany, has been living in the UK for over thirty years now and is also part of the Singing Our Lives project. He explains how rewarding it is to get together with people from all walks of lives: “It really is a lovely hot pot … a mixture of different people, cultures, backgrounds, and ages. It’s a creative, slightly chaotic, mix that really involves so many different people from all walks of life with different personalities that I just find so enriching. It really brings a lot of joy to be part of it!”. One of the takeaways for Benedikt is that, “particularly working with some of our refugee singers – we are all more or less the same, all with similar needs … obviously some people have had very challenging backgrounds, but as humans we are so similar; we all want a little bit of comfort and a little bit of recognition, and this is what Singing Our Lives is really about.”

The recognition that Benedickt talks about is an important step in the process of healing from trauma and extreme circumstances. Yonas, who proudly describe himself as “one of the co-founders of the Sing for Freedom choir” is from East Africa and has been in the UK for twenty years.

The choirs and the Singing Our Lives project are catalysts for change in the community as they bring together people who may never otherwise have met, allowing them to connect, collaborate and create. They also have a positive impact on people’s lives: “Torture destroys your life,” explains Yonas, “I lost my confidence, and the choir boosted my confidence. I have the confidence to sing, to meet new people, integrate in the community … it has helped me a lot. That’s why I love this choir!”.

In Yonas’ words: “We are survivors of torture; we lost everything, we don’t have families here, but this choir is our family. We struggle to find the confidence to associate with the community. For us, this is our integration in the community: it helps us boost our confidence, to rebuild our life.”

A member of the Thurrock community, Tim Drake, explains how “within music we become one people. It breaks down differences, cultural barriers … it is so important”. For Tim too, being part of the Singing Our Lives project has helped him regain the confidence he lost due to some personal challenges: “I used to sing in a choir when I was a child, and as an adult I discovered that I still enjoyed singing. Over time, my confidence was able to grow; I’ve started to understand where I fitted in the world and what I could bring to the world”.

The Singing Our Lives project allows people to share their love for music and singing while also providing a safe space for sharing their stories. “It is interesting and revealing to hear people’s stories,” says Irene Hamilton, another member of the local community who has been part of the project for several years now. “Of course, I can’t say that I know what it is like being a refugee, but I now have a better understanding of this issue; we can’t just label refugees as if they were an alien group of people … they are just like you and I, and it made me think that given certain circumstance it could be any one of us … you only have to look at what’s going on in Ukraine.”

But how did the Singing Our Lives project start?

Co-founder Jeremy Haneman is, along with Holly Jones, co-director of Together Productions, the community-based organisation that runs the project: “My parents and all my grandparents were refugees, so this is a personal issue for me,” says Jeremy. “Group singing goes back to the dawn of human history; it touches something very profound in us and enables bonds of affinity between people to form very swiftly.”

"We (Holly Jones and myself) were very concerned about the refugee crisis engulfing Europe in 2016 and the hostile attitude towards refugees in the UK, so we wanted to do something about it. My parents and all my grandparents were refugees, so this is a personal issue for me. We decided to commission a composer and a librettist to work with our various groups to write three songs. It went very well so every year we reinvent the project, and it seems to be growing and growing, now with people contributing from all over the world. Writing an opera is the next exciting phase for us…”

***

The Singing Our Lives project brings together people from local UK communities with people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds to compose and perform new music, and this year, to mark REFUGEE WEEK 2022 , the project will culminate with a special event open to the public, “Under the Same Sun”, taking place on SUNDAY 26TH JUNE, 6 PM, at the UNION CHAPEL IN LONDON (19b Compton Terrace, N1 2UN).

Find out more and book tickets here .

IOM, the International Organization for Migration, have been partners on the Singing Our Lives project since 2017.

There is no shame in admitting you are struggling

Thu, 12 May 2022 16:37:45 GMT

To mark Mental Health Awareness Week and the work of Together Productions to promote better understanding around mental health, our fantastic team member Kushinga shares her personal story

Trigger warning: suicide, self-harm, depression, personality disorder, PTSD

My name is Kushinga. I am the Engagement & Pathways Coordinator for the Sing for Freedom Choir. My role involves supporting choir members from a sanctuary seeking background and facilitating their engagement within the choir. I also work for Reading Refugee Support Group. I am an Ambassador for City of Sanctuary and a human rights advocate.

After struggling with mental health issues since childhood and years of misdiagnosis, I was finally diagnosed with a personality disorder in my mid-twenties. It was such a relief to have a name put on the burden I had been carrying most of my life. Since childhood, I have struggled with emotional instability and relationships with others. Borderline Personality Disorder can severely impact your life and day to day living. I also have a diagnosis of PTSD and some of the symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares and severe anxiety. Sometimes I experience debilitating anxiety and struggle to get out of bed. On a bad morning, I'll cry and will myself out of bed before I get on with my day.

In the past I have been taken to A&E or been admitted to the local mental health hospital as an outpatient, after trying to take my own life. This has happened on several occasions over the years when life has taken its toll and I have felt like I cannot go on. For someone with BPD, suicidal thoughts are a regular occurrence. I have been in and out of treatment for half my life and have been taking anti-depressants for seventeen years. The catalyst was a particularly bad episode which finally made me admit that I needed help.

For many years I was ashamed to admit I needed help and refused treatment. This view was partly due to my background. In African communities there's a huge stigma attached to mental health. I thought that taking anti-depressants would mean I was weak and had failed. Growing up in Zimbabwe, no one spoke about mental illness, and if they did there were so many negative connotations attached with the condition. In Africa, being mentally ill means you are crazy, have been possessed by the devil or evil spirits. Many African people in the UK still take that view, which is a shame as it puts lives in danger.

As a former asylum seeker, I understand the challenges faced by those who go through the process. People who have travelled here dangerously, been tortured, victims of gender-based violence and war are more likely to experience mental health problems. Stigma, religious and cultural beliefs mean they are less likely to seek help. The new Nationality and Borders Bill and the prospect of being sent to Rwanda will put asylum seekers and refugees under immense emotional strain and I have no doubt that some will take their own lives.

This Mental Health Awareness Week, I want to shine a light on mental health within the asylum and refugee community and urge people to ask for help and to talk about how they feel. There is no shame in admitting that you are struggling. I want to urge people to practice kindness towards one another, be open minded and to listen.

There's a common belief that people facing mental health challenges are unable to make positive contributions to society or have meaningful lives. With the right support and early intervention having ill mental health should not be a barrier. It is said that those diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder find it difficult to hold down jobs. I refuse to believe that and am an example that this is not the case. Alongside having two jobs and juggling life as a mother and wife, I am often involved in other projects. I am living with mental health challenges and trying to make the best of my life whilst working to improve the lives of others

I hope that by being open about my story, I will encourage others to tell theirs. It's the only way to eradicate the stigma attached to mental health within our communities.

Y ou can find Kushinga on Instagram @asylumseester

Our first concert for two years!

Tue, 05 Apr 2022 10:48:27 GMT

This is what the Mixed up Chorus is all about. Its the tingling spine as you realise, through music, that we all share a common humanity.

We have just done our first Mixed Up Chorus concert since singing at the Union Chapel in January 2020, over two years ago

If felt wonderful to assemble on stage together, this time as part of Faithful Voices, an Interfaith Song Festival. It concluded on Sunday March 27th at the West London Synagogue.

After struggling to come up with what colours to wear, we moved away from black with sparkle to block colours of choice. As someone who assumed 'uniforms' for choirs is a sensible norm, I now welcome, for us, expressions of individuality within the overall unity of singing together.

Our host choir, the Zemel Choir, looked neat in their black with purple scarves. (They were amazing singers, of course) We shone out in a rebellion of colour, that somehow gave expression to our roots in wholeness and inclusion through diversity and difference.

We came together not in what we were wearing, but in the way we sang, under Jeremy’s trusting leadership. (He looked dapper in a red shirt, and black open jacket with a red hankie peeping out of his top pocket!)

How are we different to other choirs?

First off, is our sponteneity when it comes to the pre concert warm up. This time literally, with an exercise disco class in the room allocated to us. Pagan, a dancer and soprano, had most of us moving and grooving, which

did wonders for any last minute tension as we waited to take our seats in the performance space/synagogue. Peals of laughter rang down the corridor, as we gyrated, with finger clicks and clapping hands.

In that mood we took our allocated zig zag spaces and started things off with our rain shakers, before Peter came in with a solo of the Water Song. Carrying on from our riot of colour, we followed Peter with individually timed singing, creating spontaneous sound.

Jeremy’s magic touch when it comes to repertoire really came up trumps with our only song in Hebrew. It felt as though our voices filled the space despite our low numbers (two basses, three tenors, nine altos and seven sopranos). Hopefully the uplift from connection to somethingbeyond ourselves was reflected in our singing. If isolation was a feature of the last two years it felt that it need not be now.

Then the highlight of the evening.

Our regular guest singer, Hamsa Mounif, walked over to the microphone, as the soloist for Adinu, a Sufi song on the nature of love. Sitting in the front row nearest to Hamsa was the Zemel Choir cantor and the West London Synagogue Rabbi. As Hamsa stretched her arms up to the synagogue dome, sending her voice higher and higher, the historic connections between Arabic and Jewish musical traditions were clear. The common threads are usually hidden, but here they were being expressed in front of my eyes. There was a rapturous sponteneity about the audience’s response. Hamsa touched our souls.

It was a privilege to be present, and share in those moments of awe.

This is what the Mixed up Chorus is all about. Its the tingling spine as you realise, through music, that we all share a common humanity. On a planet that is crying out for us to come together and have our voices heard.

Our choir is a community. Not all choirs achieve that, and not all choir members need or want it. But as Singing Our Lives gets ready to gear up for next term, lets recognise that it is the community aspect of the Mixed up Chorus that is actively nurtured, and the result is inspired singing, with support and leadership from an amazing team.

Joining our community of singers with purpose is something to consider.

All are welcome. There are no wrong notes. We would love you to join us!

Gill

(Soprano, Mixed Up Chorus)

Singing Our Lives 2022

holly@togetherproductions.co.uk (Holly Jones) — Wed, 30 Mar 2022 16:53:03 GMT

We're absolutely delighted to have been awarded funding from Arts Council England for the 6th year of Singing Our Lives , our flagship composition and performance project that brings together amateur and professional singers and musicians from migrant, refugee and local UK backgrounds to compose new music and perform together at heart stopping events.

We can't tell you how excited we are to get going - and you can be a part of it too!

In spring/summer 2022 Singing Our Lives will bring together hundreds of people across London and the South East, including the Mixed Up Chorus , the Sing for Freedom Choir , the Orchestra of Syrian Musicians, the Mind and Soul Choir, the Thames Opera Company, Music Connects, and United Strings of Europe, as well as international practitioners from the Isango Ensemble in South Africa,Tin Can Theatre in India and Theatre of War in the US.

To be part of it, find out more about joining one of the Together Productions Choirs the Mixed Up Chorus or the Sing for Freedom Choir here . Sign up session are in April.

Or email hello@togetherproductions.co.uk for more information.

Key project dates:

Saturday April 23rd - Mass Composition Workshop, North London

Sunday 19th June PM - Rehearsals, Union Chapel, Islington North London

Saturday June 25th - Performance, Tilbury Carnival, Tilbury Port, Thurrock

Sunday June 26th - Gala Performance for Refugee Week, Union Chapel, Islington North London

Find out more about Singing Our Lives on our webpage

Welcoming Kushinga to the Team!

rakraftman@gmail.com (Rachel Kraftman) — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 17:01:35 GMT

We are delighted to welcome Kushinga Hare to the Together Productions team. We asked her a few questions so you can get to know her.

What will you be working on in your role at Together Productions?

My role as an Engagement & Pathways Coordinator will involve promoting engagement within the 'Sing for Freedom' choir members, identify pathways within the choir and outside, to develop their confidence and help them realise their full potential and to help them access other services ie, mental health support, voluntary opportunities, etc.

What most excites you about joining the Together Productions team?

I am honoured to be part of a team that does wonderful work in the community and am excited about contributing to that.

What other projects are you currently working on?

This term our theme is climate change. So I am excited to see what we come up with and to hear the choir singing together again in person after such a long time.

What does the word “community” mean to you?

I am Zimbabwean, for us community is an essential part of life, it's what keeps us going. For me, community means togetherness, "kubatana", in Shona, my mother tongue. A word that you hear often in Shona songs. Community is more important now more than ever. The pandemic has affected people a great deal and the situation is Afghanistan has displaced people and torn apart communities built over generations. The 'Sing for Freedom' choir is a community, a family and I hope we continue to come together, old members and new.

Tell us about some of your favourite pieces of music and why they are important to you.

One of my favourite pieces of music is 'The Last Emperor' by the Japanese composer Ryuchi Sakamoto. It's a soundtrack to a film of the same name directed by Bernardo Bertolucci and starring Peter O'Toole. I first watched that film during the summer holidays when I was eleven years old. I fell in love with the film and the soundtrack, so much so that I've watched it about ten times since then. It's a beautiful yet delicate piece of music and evokes sad and beautiful memories in me.

The Circle

rakraftman@gmail.com (Rachel Kraftman) — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 17:01:23 GMT

World Peace Day Premiere for Community Choirs who fought to stay together during lockdown – and went global.

Four community choirs from Islington, Camberwell and Essex, who all have a shared mission to break down barriers through song, have joined forces through the ‘Singing Our Lives’ project to create a powerful new song, which will be released in an online global premiere to mark World Peace Day (September 21).

The Mixed Up Chorus brings people together across cultural, religious and political divides, the Sing for Freedom choir unites refugee survivors of torture and their allies from across the UK. Both are based in Islington.

The Mind and Soul Choir rehearse at the Maudsley Hospital and promote mental wellbeing through singing, and Thames Opera Company in Thurrock exists to enable everyone, regardless of their background, to participate in opera and make a difference in their local community.

They have come together through Singing Our Lives , a ground-breaking project which brings displaced people and those seeking sanctuary and local communities together with professional musicians to compose new music and perform together.

Each choir has overcome numerous obstacles to stay together during the pandemic, distributing devices so that people could get online, rehearsing and recording on zoom and maintaining a strong sense of community that many say has been a lifeline and provided a much-needed boost to their wellbeing and mental health.

Choir member Kate says:

“What would I have done without the warmth, enjoyment and togetherness of the Sing For Freedom Choir during these tough times? I think I would have fallen apart, been really isolated and started to feel old”.

A surprising bonus of lockdown was that the choirs have expanded to welcome members from across the UK and around the world. The Sing for Freedom Choir have had members zooming in from Cornwall to Edinburgh, and the Mixed Up Chorus have welcomed singers from Romania, the US, Germany and Palestine.

With composer Mike Roberts and lyricist Tess Berry-Hart, the choirs have created a new piece ‘The Circle’, which reflects on their personal and collective experience of the last 18 months, and explores both what divides us, and what unites us, through the lens of the global pandemic. The music video, created by Kolbassia Haoussou, Alexander Mulugeta F and Louise Stevens, follows the journeys of choir members as they unite for their first rehearsal together in-person after lockdown.

Accompanying the music video is a short documentary, in which members of the choirs share their experience of the pandemic, and what being a member of their choir has meant to them.

Holly Jones & Jeremy Haneman, Directors of Together Productions, which runs Singing Our Lives, as well as the Mixed Up Chorus and the Sing for Freedom Choir said:

“When lockdown hit, one of the first things many people did was to connect through singing. We all remember the videos of people singing from their balconies in Italy. We’re so delighted to have been building community across the UK and around the globe through the power of music and song, which connect us all at such a fundamental level and keeps us going through some really tough times”.

The Mixed Up Chorus and Sing for Freedom Choir are currently recruiting for new members, and will be holding free taster sessions which will be taking place in-person in Islington, and simultaneously online, in a pioneering hybrid rehearsal model.

Taster sessions are taking place on September 21st, 23rd, 28th and 30th – find out more here .

The Power of Community Singing

jeremy@togetherproductions.co.uk (Jeremy Haneman) — Fri, 17 Sep 2021 16:48:53 GMT

"The ultimate antidote to the pain and devastation that comes from being uprooted from one’s home lies in being welcomed as part of a community."

Both my parents and all my grandparents were Jewish refugees who fled the horrors of the Second World War in Europe and went to Australia as young people desperate to make a better life. My father and his parents fled Berlin in the 1930s; my mother was less fortunate and survived the Holocaust in Belgium only thanks to a series of miracles and the courage of strangers. She and her sister were two of only a handful of children who survived in their neighbourhood.

When they eventually made the gruelling journey to Australia neither of my parents spoke any English. They had no money and little education. Both suffered the indignities of being at the bottom rung of society and the perils of a xenophobic culture in which their very existence was seen as a threat. Yet, in spite of these hurdles, they and their families worked incredibly hard to make and embrace a new life 'down under'.

It was only as an adult that I began to sense the impact of being the child of refugees. This took the form of some awareness of the transience and fragility of life and of the everyday securities that we take for granted, and also that my parents were both suffering from trauma. I also began to sense that the ultimate antidote to the pain and devastation that comes from being uprooted from one’s home lies in being welcomed as part of a community.

I believe that all choirs are community choirs – or they have the potential to be anyway. It's such a simple thing to join a choir and find your unique voice, and what an opportunity to reach out to those who are dispossessed and say – hey, the biscuits are rubbish but you are welcome here, I’ll teach you my song if you teach me yours!