Open Centre

Ilona works mainly in theatre and film, composing and conducting. Being involved with The Singing City choir came as a complete surprise, as she says she is not renowned for her teaching skills, but she's learning week by week how to cope. A confirmed spinster, Ilona is now extremely happy with her adopted family of 34 larger than life (singing) children. She loves them all.

Siobhan is the Creative Programmer at BBC Coventry & Warwickshire. Her role is to provide free and exciting creative activities with projects such as The Singing City and last year's Big Bard. Her background in theatre, arts administration and creative education enable her to bring all these skills together. She is coordinating this project within the BBC and at every rehearsal is there armed with microphones, cameras and video cameras to capture every moment! Siobhan is very proud of the choir who met as strangers only a few weeks ago but are now a close knit community and who sing like angels. 

Jane Howard is a well known figure in Coventry, she is involved in many music networks and was a founder member of Spires Music. She developed and runs the Second Hand Band, a musical group made up from new communities, including refugee and asylum seekers but mostly migrant workers. Music is the international language and the Second Hand Band - aka the "International Band of Friendship", regularly has at least nine languages represented. The players are at all levels, some professionals but their English is generally weak. Jane collects unwanted musical instruments and gives them a good home where they get played regularly at Second Hand Band events.

Leigh is part of local band, The Bellows. This rag tag bunch of instrument swapping musicians stir a swampy cauldron of folk, country and blues cooking up varying moods from Cossack style upbeat to dreamy melancholy. The Bellows' songs are set around a dusky fairytale narrative and their stories inevitably end in the gallows or at least rib cracking heart ache for the songs many unfortunate characters....…

Ash is the drummer in G Factor finalist's band The Hearing. The Hearing are a noisy musical collective from Coventry who have just finished putting the final touches to their debut mini-album which will be released on BHBB Records. The band have been together for three years but drummer Ash joined only three months ago. The Hearing are a largely instrumental band who create dense, layered post-rock soundscapes. They've received airplay and praise from Radio 1's Steve Lamacq as well as favourable reviews from The Fly, Rocksound and NME magazines.

Lucy started her musical life when she was about 4 years old when she became jealous of her older sister who could play a mean riff on a recorder! Growing up in Norfolk, she spent a lot of spare time playing in ensembles and orchestras playing a variety of instruments including percussion, piano and the flute. In 2001, Lucy came to Coventry University to study a degree in Music Composition and Professional Practice. Since then she has been teaching percussion for the Performing Arts Service as well as performing around the city as a solo-songwriter and general musical enthusiast.

Established in 1924, the BBC Singers have grown from a small group, singing in the broadcast daily act of worship on the Home Service, into a virtuoso 24-voice ensemble, forming the UK’s only full-time professional chamber choir. The Singers’ versatility and breadth of repertoire make the group a vital resource in the broadcast music-making of the BBC and a major force in British concert life. They can regularly be heard performing on BBC Radio 3.

St Mary’s Guildhall. 4 July

Some of the stops will be Pool Meadow Bus Station, Priory Place, Millennium Place, Memorial Park (Park & Ride), Coventry Arena Shopping Park. They will also be performing on the move through the streets of Coventry City Centre, Earlsdon High Street, Ball Hill and many more. Keep an eye out of us and cheer us on!

Godiva Festival. 15 July