– 3 Years of VOTT –
On November 14th we are celebrating 3 years of Voice of the Town! 3 years of passion for music, of hard work, of improvement and friendship!
“From the beginning, I was clear that I wanted to create a fun and friendly vocal group which brought people together from different backgrounds, to sing great songs and harmonies from popular music and to perform at exciting events. However, not even I could have imagined where we are now. And for that I’d like to thank all our members and everyone involved in VOTT. The enduring energy, fun and commitment that you bring to rehearsals, gigs and social events is infectious, inspiring and genuinely humbling. Across our groups I, and I’m sure all of you, have met amazing people and perhaps formed friendships that will continue long into the future. In truth, I hadn’t quite anticipated how strong these bonds between our members would become at the beginning. It’s something I am very proud and grateful of, as I know Madaleine and Ruairi are too. So once again, thank you everyone and here’s to many more VOTT birthdays ahead!” – Steve Morton, founder VOTT
It all started back in November 2011, in Newcastle, with a choir initially called ‘Voice of the Toon’. Our very first rehearsal had just 11 vocalists, many of whom stayed with us for a long time and some are even still singing with us today! 3 years later, November 2014, Voice of the Town can be found in 3 more locations: Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow, currently counting over 170 passionate members.
With every term we have become better and better! Our choirs have performed at iconic events in the UK such as Commonwealth Games, Fringe Festival, Great North Run and in some of the most recognised locations like Sage Gateshead, Glasgow’s George Square, Newcastle City Hall, The Traverse Theatre and The Hub (both in Edinburgh). Moreover, in the past year alone, VOTT made their first appearance on BBC television and radio, and collaborated with Karen Dunbar, star of BBC programme ‘Chewin’ the Fat’; Britain’s Got Talent winner, Jai McDowall and Susan Boyle.
Throughout these years, our choirs have been part of some of the most important events in people’s life. We helped a true gentleman propose to the woman of his dreams and receive an emphatic YES (well, how could she resist), and we helped another bride surprise her groom and guests as we sang Beatles Song, All You Need Is Love.
Unfortunately, life doesn’t consist only of beautiful moments like weddings and anniversaries. We have also been there to help those going through a rough time. With our performances we have brought a smile on people’s faces and helped raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust, Shelter Scotland, NSPCC, Women’s Aid, NETA, Diabetes UK, Help for Heroes and soon Breast Cancer Care, to name just a few.
Last, but definitely not least, we are very, very proud to say we have also recorded our first and very own EPs, which will both be launched on iTunes etc soon! And all these are just a small part of everything our choirs in Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle have achieved over the past 3 years!
We are very proud of and grateful to all our VOTTers for their dedication and passion, and of our MDs, who lead with amazing commitment, charisma and creativity. (And to thank you on our anniversary we have got a little surprise! Check out our Facebook page on Friday to find out more!)
Happy Birthday to us, Happy Birthday to us, Happy Birthday…