Tuneless Choir in Maidenhead seeks more men to help 'lower the tone'

Maidenhead’s Tuneless Choir has issued an appeal asking for more men to pitch in and ‘lower the tone’ of their ensemble.

Since the COVID pandemic there has been a noticeable drop off in the number of members who are men and the choir’s appeal, which emphasises no vocal talent is required, hopes to encourage more baritones and tenors to come along.

The group has been running since 2016 and holds weekly meetings at the United Reformed Church on West Street in Maidenhead from 8 to 9.15pm.

Choir leader, Tabitha Beaven said: “Our difference is that we welcome all the people who don’t think they can sing.

“We do have people that can hold a tune but they like that there’s no pressure.”

Tuneless Maidenhead has nearly fifty members, the majority of which are women, although ‘you wouldn’t believe it looking at the demographics in the pub afterwards,’ says Tabitha.

The group perform pop songs from contemporary artists such as Robyn’s 2010 hit ‘Dancing on my Own’ to tunes by the dulcet tones of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.

Tabitha said she was still “on a mission to find new recruits” despite having reached out to community groups including, Men’s Matters and Maidenhead Football Club’s Community Team.

Over the past five years, Tuneless has raised £10,000 for mental health charity Mind and Tabitha also spoke of the benefits that music, and performing as part of a group, can bring.

Tabitha said: “There is no judgment here and you are welcome whoever you are, its somewhere to feel safe. I’ve seen transformations in people.

“Coming together as a collective and how that makes you feel is a really liberating experience, especially in the world we’re in where there’s a lot of stress.”

The next meeting takes place on Wednesday, 20 September and more information, including how to sign up, can be found through the following link: https://tinyurl.com/y3m9a8rx