Our story
The Rock 'n' Soul Singers community choir was established in 2012 and since then has taken part in local events and concerts, occasionally with other choirs and musicians. The choir's repertoire consists of Rock, Soul and Pop songs from the sixties onwards. The choir was originally founded by Ro Lynam and Dave Gibbons joined her as Musical Director. Dave led the choir musically as it grew in size and reputation until deciding to step down in 2021. Since then, the choir has been rebuilt following the Covid restrictions and now has a strong membership of almost 50 choir members. Alan Shepherd our assistant Musical Director saw us through rebuilding the choir. Our new Musical Director, Rachel Cropley joined us in 2022 and has injected youth and enthusiasm into the choir, allowing us to go from strength to strength.
Meet the musical team
The Rock 'n' Soul Singers are proud to be directed and accompanied by a hugely talented musical team:
RAChel cropley
MUSICAL DIRECTOR
Rachel joined the choir as Musical Director in 2022 and has done a brilliant job in moving the choir forward since she joined us. Her enthusiasm is infectious, making rehearsals great fun
teresa mills
ACCOMPANIST
Teresa has been accompanying the choir on piano and keyboard since 2014. Her flexibility and musicality are a fantastic asset to the musical team
ALAN SHEPHERD
ASSISTANT MD
Alan joined the choir in 2017 and soon after was appointed Assistant Musical Director. He has produced several exciting arrangements and has conducted the choir on many occasions
Members
Comments
"In 2012, a friend and I were keen to find a Rock choir to join. There wasn’t one close by, so I thought “Why not start our own?” I approached a friend, Dave Gibbon, who was a retired secondary school music teacher. After some thought, he agreed to lead a rock choir, with the stipulation that I found people to join and it should be a mixed choir. And so, the Rock 'n' Soul Singers were born, with 13 members. Since then, we have grown and developed into a choir that gives so many people a lot of joy. It continues to be an amazing experience and a group through which I have made so many new friends. Our long-standing dedicated accompanist, Teresa Mills, provides fantastic support to both choir members and MD, first Dave, and now Rachel Cropley. Together with our assistant MD, Alan Shepherd, this is a team that we feel privileged to be led by. As well as encouraging our singing, they ensure we have loads of fun, and learn a great range of rock, pop and soul songs through the decades. I absolutely love Wednesday evenings for rehearsal and always leave feeling on a high. Thank you everyone"
Ro Lynam (founder member)
“Since I joined Rock ‘n’ Soul Singers I have felt very at home with this choir group. I have found good friends and colleagues who give their total support to the choir and each other. It is wonderful to recall the achievements we have made over the years and exciting to be involved in planning to make more!”
Gina
“I joined Rock ‘n’ Soul Singers in 2017, having been inspired by Gareth Malone’s choir series to get singing again. The first time was a little daunting as I didn’t know anyone, but I was met with such a warm welcome that my nerves soon disappeared. Singing together is such a joy. Rehearsals are a lot of fun, even when we’re working hard. I love the range of music we sing and always leave feeling uplifted.”
Helen
"Rachel has been a breath of fresh air for the choir, rebuilding after the pandemic. Her positivity and enthusiasm rubs off on the choir and makes Wednesday evening really enjoyable. Rachel challenges us, enabling us to sing to the best of our ability whilst enjoying our singing together."
Clare
“After nervously joining the choir I found a very friendly group of people that made some wonderful music. I look forward to Wednesday evenings now and wish I had joined them earlier. Having a very excellent musical director, a wonderful accompanist and a very harmonious choir I would recommend Rock ‘n’ Soul Singers to all.”
Richard
“I joined the choir very early on, since then the sense of friendship alongside the joy of singing has been wonderful!”
Trudy
“Singing in the choir is a joyful experience. I really look forward to our rehearsals on a Wednesday evening. We sing a great variety of songs spanning many decades. It always makes me smile when we learn a new song and I discover that I’ve been singing the wrong words for years.”
Maria
