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As the festive lights twinkle across Manchester streets and the scent of mulled wine drifts in from the markets, a different kind of Christmas magic is quietly taking shape in rehearsal rooms, community halls, and local churches across the city.
Here, voices rise in harmony, laughter echoes off brick walls, and strangers become friends.
From the Manchester Pride Chorus to the Manchester Community Choir, to Salford Choral Society – from local church choirs to carolling groups in Didsbury, Urmston, and Salford, Manchester’s community choirs are more than just a soundtrack to the season. For many, they are a lifeline: a place to connect and to lift spirits.
In a city where the festive season can be as isolating as it is joyful, these groups are keeping traditions alive and proving that sometimes, the most powerful celebrations are the ones that are sung together.
The joy of singing in a choir
Manchester Lesbian & Gay Chorus
When Shell Hebborn-Gibson first moved to Manchester in 2002, she felt unmoored. “I’d lost my community,” she said, recalling how coming out meant she could no longer stay in the Salvation Army church where she had once sung wholeheartedly. Then she came across a small listing in Diva magazine for what was then the Manchester Proud Chorus. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh my God, I love singing.’ I joined straightaway.”
Back then, the group consisted of barely a dozen people. Today, it is a bustling chorus of close to 90 voices, and Shell has been there for every stage of its growth. What kept her coming back wasn’t all music, but friendships that blossomed between rehearsals, the laughter during warm-ups, the camaraderie that settled over the group like a soft blanket. “It’s just so good for my mental health,” she explained. “I’m a social worker, and I spend my days helping people through really tough situations. Walking into a rehearsal is like switching on a light in my head.”
The choir has carried her far: to Paris, to Canada, to the World OutGames in Copenhagen, but it has also brought her closer to home. “I met my wife in the choir,” she said, smiling. “And I know several others who met their partners there, too. We’re not a dating app… but sometimes it works out that way.”
At Christmastime, when the days are short and the city glows under strings of fairy lights, the choir becomes something even more intimate. “Christmas used to be religious for me,” Shell said. “The choir gives me that same sense of togetherness, but without the religion. It feels like a chosen family.”
Why should you join a choir?
Manchester Pride Chorus
For longtime member John Anderson, that sense of family is not poetic but literal. He joined the Manchester Pride Chorus nearly a decade ago, encouraged by someone who recognised he needed a place where he could feel safe and seen.
“The choir has done so much for me,” John said. “They helped me through extremely hard times. My mental health wasn’t good. I’d lost people close to me. Christmas used to be really difficult because I was on my own.”
Rehearsals became a beacon. “When I go in, I always feel positive when I come home,” he said. “There’s such a good vibe. Even if I start the day feeling low, by the end of rehearsal, everything feels lighter.”
John lives with learning disabilities and struggled with bullying in his youth. For him, the patience and acceptance he found in the choir were transformative. “They see me for me,” he explained. “If I have trouble with the music, people call me, send recordings, and help me learn the parts. Nobody laughs at me. Nobody judges. They support.”
His confidence has grown hugely. But it’s the simple act of being surrounded by others at Christmas that feels most special. “Even if you’d otherwise be on your own,” he said, “it’s so nice to have people around you, singing all these joyful songs. It feels like you belong.”
An instant warm welcome
For Caro Dixey, that feeling of belonging arrived instantly – with a single, unexpected gesture.
Caro moved to Manchester in May without knowing a soul in the city. “I joined the choir because I wanted to meet people,” she said. “I studied music at university, so singing was always part of my life. But walking into a room of 80 complete strangers… I felt suddenly very exposed.”
Then someone across the room gave her a thumbs-up – a small moment that changed everything. “It was like they were saying, ‘You’re okay. You’re one of us.’ That’s the kind of choir this is.”
Caro works at an English language school, and Mondays are notoriously demanding. “There are weeks when I think, ‘I can’t possibly go to choir tonight; I’m exhausted,’” she said. “But the moment I walk in, it just lifts me. It’s like shaking off the whole day. It’s the best part of my week.”
As a straight, cisgender woman in an LGBTQ+ choir, she also worried about whether she would fit in. But her first mention of an ex-boyfriend was met not with surprise, but with openness. “Someone said, ‘Oh, are you bi?’ And I thought – how amazing, that people don’t make assumptions. That they just accept you. It made me feel even more at home.”
Caro is not a Christmas obsessive, she admits with a laugh, but even she recognises the power of group singing at this time of year. “There’s something inherently festive about it,” she said. “It’s not even about the song – it’s the act of people coming together. That’s Christmas to me.”
Manchester Community Choir
“You cannot beat the sense of unity”
At the Manchester Community Choir, chair Wendy Godfrey has observed the same sense of unity play out over her 15 years with the group. She originally joined after seeing a small notice in a local paper.
“Until then, choirs meant either church choirs or very formal, audition-based groups,” she said. “This was the first time I realised there was something different – something welcoming, informal, accessible. I turned up and thought, ‘Yes, this is for me.’”
The choir now has around 90 members and sings an eclectic mix, from Paul Simon and Fleet Foxes to Joni Mitchell. “We’re not a carol choir,” Wendy said, smiling, “which does limit us a bit at this time of year. People expect choir = Good King Wenceslas. But we always get lots of invitations because live singing adds something very special.”
Singing in the choir, she said, creates a kind of community that is impossible to manufacture. “There’s no room for prima donnas,” she laughed. “You have to listen to each other. You have to blend and collaborate. You rely on your section, the altos, tenors, and basses, and they rely on you. It’s incredibly good for your wellbeing because you’re constantly tuned into other people.”
The choir performs at venues across the city, including The Christie and Manchester Central Library, and is celebrating 25 years of singing together.
“It’s joyful,” Wendy said simply. “And that joy is contagious.”
“Unsung Heroes” of Christmas
Salford’s Chorus Society performing at the RNCM
For Salford Choral Society’s publicity officer, Libby Howard, the value of community choirs to the region cannot be overstated.
“I think choirs are the unsung heroes of Christmas,” she said. “There are so many performances this time of year, and many are free or very affordable. They’re incredibly important to the cultural life of Manchester, and perhaps a little undervalued.”
Libby joined the choir three years ago after stepping back from her demanding PR career. “I wanted something creative, something just for me, and I wanted to sing again,” she said. “I tried a few choirs, but as soon as I walked into Salford Choral Society, I felt welcome. It’s a very friendly group, you’re never left standing on your own.”
Their choir spans generations, and their performances range from Mozart to modern choral works. “Our conductor, Tom Newall, has so much energy,” she adds. “You leave rehearsal feeling completely uplifted, even after the most stressful day.”
Their Christmas concerts include a mix of contemporary and traditional pieces, plus much-loved audience sing-alongs. “There’s nothing like the feeling of a room full of people singing together,” Libby said. “It’s not something you can replay or repeat. Everyone there is part of the moment. It’s magical.”
Why Manchester Needs Its Choirs
The same themes keep cropping up in all of these conversations: belonging, renewal, joy, confidence and connection. But beyond individual stories, these choirs reveal something deeper about Manchester itself, a city defined not just by its buildings or businesses, but by its generosity of spirit.
When people join a choir, they often discover far more than they ever expected. New friendships. New confidence. New communities. New ways of being themselves. And at Christmas, when the city fills with noise and colour, these groups offer something softer and more intimate – a reminder that joy does not have to be loud to be meaningful.
At a time when loneliness rises, and the pressure to feel festive can be overwhelming, these choirs offer warmth without conditions. You don’t need to be a great singer. You don’t need to know anyone. You don’t need to be any particular age, identity or background. You just need to show up, and someone, somewhere in the room, will give you a smile or a thumbs-up and make you feel at home.
“Come Sing With Us”
Ask any of the singers what they would say to someone hesitating at the door of their first rehearsal, and the answer is always the same: come in.
“You don’t need to read music,” Wendy said. “Just come to a taster.”
“Come even if you think you can’t sing,” Shell adds. “It’s a safe space.”
Libby is emphatic: “Finding the right choir can genuinely be one of the best things you ever do. You gain friends, community, and a whole new part of your life you didn’t know you needed.”
And John, whose story reminds us what a lifeline these places can be, offers perhaps the most moving invitation of all.
“If you’re lonely at Christmas,” he said softly, “come sing with us. You’ll never be on your own.”
You can find out more about Manchester Proud Chorus here, Salford Choral Society here, and Manchester Community Chorus here
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