Open Centre

Meet the choir, find out a little more about them here...

Amanda Bishop

Amanda is 21 and a Graduate Mentor for Aimhigher. She has passed grade eight singing from the Associated Board of Music, sung in concerts, been part of a church choir for five years where she gained the highest accolade and has been a part of an am dram society for three years. She has dual nationality and can speak fluent Finnish although she has never lived there. In 2006 she completed her theatre degree at Coventry with a first class honours. She loves to sing, it is her passion. 

Amanda would love to share her passion with others and be able to bring Coventry alive with music. She believes that music lifts the soul and can brighten lives and that by being a part of a group can allow you to share your experiences and bring voices alive. Coventry is now her home and she thinks it is a vibrant city and festivals like Godiva bring the city together in momentous occasions and that is something that she is excited to be a part of.

Angela Northam

Angela is 23 and a Stage Manager. She has been in several choirs before and has performed solo many times, she also has experience at recording songs too. Last Christmas she worked on a pantomime as a crocodile and met people like Roy Hudd and David Griffin. Angela took part in BBC Coventry & Warwickshire's RaW Lyrics course last year. She really enjoys singing and is very enthusiastic and willing to learn. She is really excited about the opportunity to perform at the Godiva Festival.

Ben Clempson

Ben is a singer/songwriter and glass sculptor and joined the choir a little bit later as we were short of men! Ben is Sue's son, which makes the choir have two parent and child choir members. Ben has been in bands since the age of 7 and played his first live gig at 13. In late 2006 he was signed to Leamington based record label, Pillar Box Records and has been recording his first solo album with them ever since. His first solo gig was 10 years ago at The Cambridge Folk Festival. It was a very hot day and he was very nervous on stage, a lovely mix of cheap sunblock and sweat found their way into his eyes. Apart from it really hurting, the audience thought he was crying because he was having trouble tuning his guitar! It was a horrible experience but he kept going and played there last year and was much better! He loves the Singing City so far and is looking forward to sweating into his eyes at The Godiva Festival!

Bianca Joyce

Bianca is 16, still at school and currently taking her GCSEs. She has performed in her primary school choir, church choir and has sung in shows produced with her local drama group. She really enjoys singing and thinks that it will be a great experience to sing in front of people from her own city.

Camille Archer

Camille is 34 and is a Community Development Officer. Camille was part of an international students choir about three years ago. She was born in Trinidad, lived and studied in Canada, and is now living and working in North Warwickshire. She described herself as an alto with a sense of humour.

Christina Palmer

Christina is 37 and is a Professional Development Coordinator. She used to be in a choir at school but has not sung much in adulthood, she doesn't consider that she has a good singing voice but would love to be able to sing, it is something she dreams about! She loves music, she owns about 10 musical instruments although can only play some of them (and most not very well at all!). She has had piano and saxophone lessons but has always wanted to sing and has recently been considering taking singing lessons. She used to do belly dancing (and has the coin belt to prove it!). She isn't from Coventry & Warwickshire but think its a great place to live and work. She is enthusiastic and says she doesn't have the best voice in the world but would really love the opportunity to learn. Christina says that to perform at the Godiva festival would be fantastic. Her partner plays in a band so she describes herself not as a footballers wife but a 'band wife'. She'd really like the opportunity to show him what she can do! 

Clare Hooper

Clare is 23 and a Social services escort. She sang at Warwick University as a child. She appeared on the X Factor on the 2 May and has also been in several other vocal performances, including a function band. She describes herself as fun and out going, she loves to sing in front of people and believes she brings great sparkle and enthusiasm to the choir.

Coral Romer

Coral is 70 and a part time sales assistant. She has no formal singing experience, she used to sing in a small choir and attended the Songs of Praise service at the Cathedral. Coral trained as a teacher and since retiring she has taken on a part time job at Marks and Spencer's at 70 years of age. She wants to show her granddaughter that she can sing. She loves singing and thinks she is of a certain age where she should sing.

Duncan Jones

Duncan is 42 and is the Assistant Editor of BBC Coventry and Warwickshire. He loves music and has always been an enthusiastic performer though, until now, his audience has been restricted to his two cats, one of whom is stone deaf. Duncan recently decided that he’d like to turn singing into a hobby and has started taking lessons. He’s working on a mean “Let There be Love” but only in private so far.

Elga Riman

Elga is 46 and is an IT Manager. She sang a lot when at school (including Warwickshire Youth Choir) and has done some barbershop on a course a year or so ago. She is interested in most things, she loves meeting people and talking. She is very good at mirror writing and once met James Stewart. She loves the songs of Leonard Cohen and has been snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef.

Gemma Packer

Gemma is 22 and an Assistant Management Accountant. She sang at Warwick University as a child and regularly at Karaoke's. She has a strong, powerful voice and sang in a fund raiser as Anastasia to raise money for Tiverton school. Gemma loves martial arts and describes herself as fun and outgoing. She loves to sing in front of people believes she can bring great sparkle and enthusiasm to the choir.

Gordon Henderson

Gordon is 45-54 and a Process Operator. He has had singing lessons, he has a Baritone voice but could get away with a Tenor voice. Gordon is an outgoing person and mixes well with people and can make them laugh.

Heather McGrouther-Bradley

Heather is 30 and is BBC Coventry & Warwickshire's CSV Action Desk Producer. She did a performing arts degree at university but singing was not her strongest subject. However she loves singing and at Christmas can be found with the rest of her family singing around the Christmas tree! She is taking part in the Singing City to make her husband stop moaning whenever she belts out a tune.

Helen Maoudis

Helen is over 55 and is a florist. She performed in La Boheme at the Royal Opera House when she was just 13. She sings and chants at church. Helen has bucket loads of enthusiasm. Helen says that this is her moment, her life dream.

Ian Sykes

Ian is 32 and a residential children’s worker. He has done lots and lots of karaoke and last year had eight hour long singing lessons.Ian is married with two lovely kiddies. He used to be a skilled sheet-metal worker but he is now a residential children’s worker with social services. He loves football but can’t play anymore after a recent hip operation. He supports Liverpool but his biggest love is Duran Duran and singing, and he yearns to be in a band. He says that the Godiva festival was great last year and is looking forward to being part of it this year and thinks singing to a crowd would be awesome.

Joanne Taylor

Joanne is a Travel Planner. She has no previous singing experience. Her claim to fame is that her knee is in a training video for surgeons! 

Johanna Kennedy

Johanna is taking part in The Singing City choir alongside her mum, Johanna O'Neill. She is a student back at college studying and currently on placement at a day nursery. She has a 4 year old child.

Johanna O’Neill

Johanna is mum to Johanna Kennedy and is a case worker from Coventry. She has no singing experience but did sing at university. She loves to sing.

John Crass

John is 51 and a Warehouse Manager. He says he has little singing experience and he sings out of tune. He performed in a pantomime at work as one of the bailiffs in Cinderella and had to sing the theme tune from friends. John and his friend once convinced ten people in a pub in Bolton that he was an Elton John sound alike and was there to confirm their New Years Eve booking. John wants to have his voice trained to be able to sing in public as music is such a wonderful thing and makes people happy.

• Click below to watch the video diary John & Melonie have been keeping of their journey.

John McGowan

John is 50 and unemployed. He has sung with WorldSong, at the REP in Birmingham and regularly performs karaoke. He used to be in the choir in the Cathedral and sang at the Butts College as President Kennedy. 

Julie-Ann Williams

Julie-Ann is 29 and is a voice over artist. As a child and teenager she sang a lot, mainly in plays in roles such as Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls and Miss Hannigan in Annie. She auditioned for Stars in their Eyes when she was 14! Julie-Ann does voiceovers for children's cartoons and has recently set up business as a voiceover artist from home. She has a fabulous bassett hound called Columbo.

Kim Arnold

Kim is a Marketing Manager. She can hold a tune and is involved in amateur theatre, but as a dancer and sings in the chorus. She has performed at the RSC. She says there is a myth that dancers can’t sing and she'd like to prove it wrong!

Leanne Norris

Leanne is a civil servant. She used to be in am-dram and appeared in Pirates of Penzance in Leamington.She says she can belly dance and fire eat, but not at the same time! She is looking for a challenge and want to perform as it has been a long time.

Lynne Cooper

Lynne is 29 and unemployed. She is originally from Glasgow but has settled in Coventry. She is a keen karaoke singer and wants to learn more. She has met Jason Donovan and is a huge Bob Brolly fan.

Margaret Ferraro

Margaret is 77 and is a retired housewife. She says she has had a good life and has enjoyed it all and she loves to sing. 

Mark White

Mark is 33 and is a teacher. He says in his head he sounds like an angel but in reality it is more like an animal in pain! He has no singing experience though with training he feels he could be quite good. He is an Art Teacher and Head of Arts at his school, he paints portraits and have a bald cat called Margot. 

Melonie Roberts

Melonie is 32 and a housewife and mum. She has a Performing Arts Degree. She has worked in all the expensive shops on Bond Street and Harrods. She describes herself as really bubbly and outrageous! She has a new baby girl who is only 4 months old.

• Click below to watch the video diary Melonie & John have been keeping of their journey.

Peter Whitehead

Peter is 51 and the manager of a furniture re-use project. He has little singing experience. He describes himself as loud and enthusiastic. He has had one season with the National Youth Theatre when he was 17 and where he performed on a London stage alongside Daniel Day-Lewis, he wonders where he could be now if he had followed the dream?! All his life he has been promising himself that he would try and see whether the loud, bass voice he has could be developed into something that just doesn't only make children's heads turn when he sings in church. He would like The Singing City to give him the opportunity to see if singing is something that he should spend more time on in the future.

Russell Spivey

Russell is 47 and an engineer. He has no singing experience unless you count the shower and very loud and badly to meatloaf in the car. He was part of BBC Coventry & Warwickshire's Team Trish and ran the Godiva half marathon with Trish Adudu. He is very confident in performing in front of a crowd and is not shy and embarrassed easily. Russell says he has always wanted to be able to sing properly but always thought he was untrainable he wants to be proved wrong.

Samantha Ferry

Sam is an Actor/Make-up Artist. She trained in performing arts acting, singing and dancing. She works as a supporting artist and has worked alongside Johnny Depp, Peter Kay and John Simms. She loves singing but is not as confident with is as she is with acting, so she is using the Singing City as the chance to be more confident with her voice.

Sharon Robinson

Sharon is 40 and is a mother and carer. She has had some singing experience but has had no professional lessons. She thrives on trying anything new to do with words and music, she enjoys a challenge and does everything to the best of her ability. Sharon took part in BBC Coventry & Warwickshire's RaW Lyrics course run in the Open Centre last summer and has since written and recorded a few of her own songs.

Sue Clempson

Sue is the Director of SureStart Children's Centre although she is currently on long term sick leave. She has no singing experience officially but she has done lots of singing with children and her family. She also sings a lot in her car and says she becomes a singing machine when she drives! Sue says she has a child like enthusiasm for things and is an out of the box thinker. She is able to positively enhance the self-esteem of others by helping to recognise their genius. Sue is delighted to be part of the Singing City as it will harmoniously unite people via the universal languages of emotional expression – sound and singing.

Terry Myers

Terry is 25 and a Sales Assistant from Coventry. He loves karaoke and he has recorded a few tracks with his friends in the studio. Has travelled and lived in lots of places from Wales to Spain! He is always being told he can sing and he loves singing. He will give us his all. He has picked up his musical talents from his mum who is also a singer and he hopes to impress her and the rest of his family at the Godiva festival.