Being Welsh, I grew up singing and performing at school and in chapel, singing festivals and eisteddfodau. At the age of ten I competed In a group of 6 singing in the ancient Welsh tradition of “cerdd dant” - singing a tune against a different one played on the harp - at the National Eisteddfod and, as a teenager, I sang, with a friend playing guitar, at concerts, care homes and events wherever we were invited, harmonising popular songs by Bob Dylan, Joanie Mitchell, Simon and Garfunkel, The Seekers and the like. Although I never had any formal training and couldn’t read music, I picked everything up by ear and could easily hold a line once learned. All that came to an end when I moved away to study in England and developed other interests, working, marrying and raising 2 children along the way. I dabbled in musical theatre but hated the stage work, preferring to lurk in the back row of the chorus. When I was diagnosed with otosclerosis and suffered hearing loss, I lost a lot of confidence and stopped singing altogether. Then one day , over the kettle at work in Market Harborough, a couple of colleagues mentioned they were in a local choral society - “no need to audition, just come along and enjoy singing in a choir. “ I eventually took the plunge, joined MHCS for the Dvorak Mass in D major and got completely hooked, learning a whole new genre of music, going back to my roots in a choir and loving every minute. Nearly 20 years later, with 2 hearing aids and the support of a lovely, welcoming alto section, I am still loving the challenge of learning choral music, harmonising with soprano, tenor and bass singers and performing with talented professional musicians and soloists on a regular basis, not to mention the thrill of singing pieces by great classical composers, both ancient and modern. All my friends and family have learned not to invite me to anything on a Tuesday evening, knowing that I’ll be at “choir practice “ and that, I think, says it all!