Midlife Choirsis

Kerrie Polkinghorne
  • 4.8 (4)
  • MUSIC INTERVIEWS

Midlife Choirsis is a celebration of the joy, connection, and magic of choir singing in communities all across the world. Far from being the “poor cousin” of choral music, community choirs are vibrant spaces where people come together to make something extraordinary - in many cases, with little formal training.  Each episode uncovers inspiring stories of group music-making, while shining a spotlight on the creativity and skill of a wide variety of directors, leaders, composers and arrangers who bring these voices to life. At its core, the community choir is the beating heart of music-making: joyful, messy, powerful, and absolutely worth celebrating.

Episodes

  1. 25 APR

    Ep1: Be Brave Enough to Suck at Something New

    Send us Fan Mail We kick off Midlife Choirsis with a clear mission: to celebrate community choir singing as a place for joy, connection, and unity. We share our own winding path into choral directing and make the case for starting before you feel ready, even if you’re going to suck at first.  • why we choose the name Midlife Choirsis and what the show stands for  • community singing as a practical antidote to division  • the lonely parts of choir directing and how comparison can make it worse  • early choir leadership stories that prove we learn by doing  • the university choir moment that turns choir into a calling  • starting Vocalize Choir and the steep learning curve of director craft  • being brave enough to suck at something new and why singers need that safety too  • Jonas Rasmussen’s reminder that the choral world needs openness over gatekeeping  • the sing-along tradition and why we end with a song  If you've enjoyed the episode today, please share it! You can subscribe to the show on your preferred podcast app, or you can share the episode on social media, or you can go super 'midlife choirsis' and share the link via email - mlchoirsispodcast@gmail.com. If you've got questions, thoughts, feedback, ideas, I'd love to hear from you from wherever you are listening around the world!  Find us on Facebook !

    21 min

  2. 25 APR

    Ep2: If You Were Organised You’d Be Dangerous

    Send us Fan Mail A choir can change your life, but not always in the tidy, planned way you expect. I’m joined by Adelaide-based musician, performer, and choir director Carol Young, and we trace the real-world path that takes her from a childhood where everyone sang in harmony to a working career across classical voice, jazz choir, theatre, teaching, and community music. Carol talks candidly about the moments that shape a midlife creative life: choosing opportunities that keep you connected, learning to trust intuition (even when it looks like chaos), and rebuilding after losing a job. We dig into what choir leading actually looks like behind the scenes, from teaching singing through ensemble repertoire to wrangling community choirs on stage, and why humour can be both a tool and a tell for nerves. A big focus is Carol’s work with Tutti Arts and Tutti Choir and what inclusive choral singing demands when disabled and non-disabled singers share the room. We cover practical disability allyship, pacing, anxiety, flexibility, support workers, and why owning a mistake out loud can keep a group safe. Carol also shares a surprisingly moving COVID story about online rehearsals, isolation, and the joy of simply seeing your mates again. We finish with a sing-along that doubles as a reminder: Enjoy Yourself, because it really is later than you think. Subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review so more people can find these stories of community choirs, inclusive arts, and finding your voice. Got thoughts or questions? Email me at mlchoirsispodcast@gmail.com. Find us on Facebook !

    52 min
  • 2 Episodes

4.8
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Midlife Choirsis is a celebration of the joy, connection, and magic of choir singing in communities all across the world. Far from being the “poor cousin” of choral music, community choirs are vibrant spaces where people come together to make something extraordinary - in many cases, with little formal training.  Each episode uncovers inspiring stories of group music-making, while shining a spotlight on the creativity and skill of a wide variety of directors, leaders, composers and arrangers who bring these voices to life. At its core, the community choir is the beating heart of music-making: joyful, messy, powerful, and absolutely worth celebrating.

Information

  • Creator
    Kerrie Polkinghorne
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    2
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Midlife Choirsis
  • Show Website
    Midlife Choirsis

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