Midlife Choirsis

Kerrie Polkinghorne
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  • 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. Nov 4

    Jacqueline Larsen: A Whole Lotta Soul and a Whole Lotta Song

    Send us Fan Mail A choir can look like a weekly hobby from the outside, but from the inside it can be the one place your nervous system finally unclenches. I’m chatting with Jacqueline “Jacq” Larsen, founder of Soul Song Choirs, about how she went from early violin training in the UK to leading a fast-growing community choir network across Australia and beyond, without losing the warmth that makes people feel safe enough to sing.  Jacq takes us through the turning points of her career, leading her to launch of Soul Song in Cairns in 2010 with a handful of singers and a lot of heart. She shares about how the choir struggled, pivoted and pranced through COVID, transforming into a network of choirs across Australia and online. We unpack the wonderful highs and tricky challenges of administering a large membership base, whilst ensuring consistency of culture across each local group. For Soul Song, the central objective is to get people singing, and get people connected - to their own voice, to the audience, and to one another.  After You Listen If you’re a singer looking for a welcoming choir (either in person in Australia or online from wherever you are), check out this incredible network: www.soulsongchoirs.com.au or find them on socials. Support the Show Enjoyed the episode? Please subscribe, share this with your favourite choir geeks, and leave a review so more people can find their way back to singing!  Find us on Facebook !

    Jacqueline Larsen: A Whole Lotta Soul and a Whole Lotta Song

  2. Oct 3

    Mark De-Lisser: The Story Behind the Sound

    Send us Fan Mail Lionel Richie, a pocketbook and taking the bins out. Choirs can look like they’re all about polish, perfection, and big moments on stage, but the real story sits underneath the sound. I’m joined by renowned choral director and vocal coach Mark De-Lisser, whose work spans community choirs, children’s choirs, dementia choirs, pro ensembles, and major TV productions like The Masked Singer and The Voice UK. With credits that include royal concert performances and huge public events, Mark has every reason to talk about achievement, yet he keeps steering us back to something more useful: people first, music second. After You Listen Check out Mark's work on his website, as well as Singology choir, and the awesome pocketbook co-authored by Mark and Dominic Peckham, Inspire Your Choir: 100 Ways to Raise the Bar. Support the Show Subscribe, share this with a choir mate, and leave a review so more singers can find us. Find us on Facebook !

    Mark De-Lisser: The Story Behind the Sound

  3. Aug 28

    Angela Sharp: Breaking the Mold

    Send us Fan Mail “Only shooting stars break the mold,” according to Smash Mouth - and Angela Sharp is absolutely one of those shooting stars!  In this chat, Ange and I get into what happens when we stop trying to squeeze singers into a one-size-fits-all model and start shaping choir around the actual humans standing in front of us. Ange takes us on her wonderfully winding musical journey into community choir directing, and the decades of singing, connection, chaos and impact that have followed. Ang is the perfect cocktail of passion, courage and comedic relief.  At the heart of it all is Ange’s fierce belief that choir should be for everyone. Anyone who needs a place to sing, belong, laugh and maybe find a little bit of themselves along the way.  We wrap things up with a sing-along, a few laughs, and a prison performance story that STILL makes Ange sweat.  Support the Show If this conversation makes you want to sing or gets you thinking, please subscribe, share it with the person who needs a little more singing in their week, and leave a review so more people can find Midlife Choirsis. Find us on Facebook !

    Angela Sharp: Breaking the Mold

  4. Aug 10

    Emma Rowland-Elsen: Choir Wellbeing - Fundamental or Fluff?

    Send us Fan Mail Is “wellbeing” just fluffy choir talk, or is there more to it? How healthy is your choir, really? The warning signs might surprise you — and it could be time for a choir health check! Tune in as I talk accessibility, accommodation and inclusion with Emma Rowland-Elsen, a specialist consultant in choir inclusion and mental health, and the mind behind Sing Out Strong, a model built to help singers feel they genuinely belong while still making great music. If you lead a community choir, school choir, or even professional choir, or any ensemble that wants both warmth and musical excellence, press play.  After You Listen To find out more about Emma's work, go to emmarowlandelsen.co.uk and follow @emmarowlandelsen on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.  You can find out more about the Healthy Choir Toolkit here: https://www.emmarowlandelsen.co.uk/toolkit.html Support the Show Subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review and tell us one change you'd like to make in your rehearsal room. Find us on Facebook !

    Emma Rowland-Elsen: Choir Wellbeing - Fundamental or Fluff?

  5. Jun 3

    Jonathan Bligh: From Cathedral Choir to World Stage - Playing the Long Game

    Send us Fan Mail You can feel the difference between a choir that’s technically fine and a choir that communicates every word. That’s the gap we explore with Jonathan Bligh, founder and artistic director of Festival Statesmen Chorus, as he shares the real work behind building a world-class choral sound. We hear Jonathan’s story from boy chorister to scholarships, school ensemble formation, and his life-changing training abroad. Along the way, we unpack what “culture first” actually looks like in a rehearsal room: who thrives, why willingness to learn matters, and how playing the long game makes a difference. Jonathan shares about forming and building the FSC, and discusses why heart, contrast, and connection to text is worth the time and effort. And for the truly geeky, we also chat about singing fundamentals: basic voice science, alignment, efficiency and pedagogy. After You Listen Check out Jonathan Bligh and Festival Statesmen Chorus. For further learning about vocal pedagogy, below are some links and notes from Jonathan's chat: Dr Dan Robinson (based in QLD) - www.youtube.com/@DrDanRobinsonEstill Voice Training - Level 1 and 2 is good* https://estillvoice.com/find-a-course/ *Just spend some time on learning the physiology of the voice beforehand so that you're not overwhelmed. Dr Sam Webster - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtqpyzS48zA&t=263sHistorical perspectives of singing - Brenton Coffin and Stephen Austin -https://www.thepracticalpedagogue.com/about - they'll cover the heavy hitters Garcia and Lamperti.Modern Lens - Ingo Titze, Kenneth Bozeman, Scott McCoyThomas Hemsley's singing and imagination. Accent method is good for breathing (based in Australia)Support the Show If this episode encouraged you or sparked an idea for your choir, subscribe, share this with a fellow singer, and leave a review so more people can find the show. If you have an idea for an episode please get in touch - mlchoirsispodcast@gmail.com, or via Facebook.  Find us on Facebook !

    Jonathan Bligh: From Cathedral Choir to World Stage - Playing the Long Game

  6. May 26

    Make The First Move - Building Real Community Through Singing

    Send us Fan Mail Fancy a spot of speed dating, choir-style? In this episode we talk about how choirs become places of real support and belonging. We share practical ways to build connections within your choir, collaborate with other groups, and learn from other directors without letting imposter syndrome run the show.  After You Listen If you've enjoyed the episode today, please subscribe to the show! Share it via social media to friends and like-minded geeks, and let's keep the conversations going. If you have ideas for an episode or would like to get in touch, please get in touch at mlchoirsispodcast@gmail.com or via Facebook. Find us on Facebook !

  7. Apr 26

    Carol Young: If You Were Organised You’d Be Dangerous

    Send us Fan Mail Any choir 'stumblers' out there? We love a good story about stumbling (or free falling?) into choir directing. I’m joined by Adelaide-based musician, performer, and choir director Carol Young, and in this hilarious interview 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 singers 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 ally-ship, pacing, anxiety, flexibility, support workers, and why owning a mistake out loud can keep a group safe. After Listening If you enjoyed today's episode please 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, questions, or you're keen to be a guest? Email me at mlchoirsispodcast@gmail.com or get in touch via Facebook. Find us on Facebook !

    Carol Young: If You Were Organised You’d Be Dangerous

  8. Apr 25

    Be Brave Enough to Suck at Something New (I Started a Choir For My Birthday)

    Send us Fan Mail Found yourself in a Midlife Choirsis? You've come to the right place! This is the show for singing geeks and directing nerds, especially those involved in community choirs. Celebrate the magic and mayhem of singing across the world as we share stories of joy, connection, epic fails, lessons learned, and overcoming obstacles. You'll meet our host, director and music educator Kerrie Polkinghorne (queen of the choir geeks), from Adelaide, South Australia, and hear how she started out in music, started a choir, and started this podcast! You might find yourself reflecting on your own winding path into choir singing or directing, or be challenged to put yourself out there if you're thinking of starting something new. This show is relational, silly and awesome - just like the best choirs! We hope you can join us for the ride. After You Listen 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! - Kerrie Find us on Facebook !

  • 8 Episodes

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
    2026
  • Episodes
    8
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Midlife Choirsis
  • Show Website
    Midlife Choirsis

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