Pop Chorus welcomes adults of all abilities
You don’t need to audition, have any experience or read music. With 8 groups across Suffolk, daytimes and evenings, there’s something for everyone. Many of our singers had never sung in a choir before, and you only perform if you want to.
TWO new choirs launching in SEPTEMBER 2026
This autumn sees new groups starting in East Bergholt on Monday evenings, 7.45-9.15pm at the Constable Memorial Hall, and on Wednesday mornings you’ll find us, 10-11.30am at Burstall Village Hall. More details on the choirs page. Come for a taster session!
Come and try a session to see if you like what we do and how we work. We’re enormously proud of our choir ethos, which sets out our standards to help everyone have fun, develop and flourish within an outstandingly positive and supportive environment.
If you want to join we’ll ask you to complete a short registration form so that we can contact you and keep you up to date. There’s a one-off joining fee of £10 and membership costs £106 per term, payable monthly to spread the cost (£26.50 per month, although concessions are available so talk to us if affordability could prohibit you joining). You’ll then receive your welcome pack which includes our ethos, a folder for your music and we’ll get your Pop Chorus name badge printed.
What our members say
We unashamedly sing POP songs in multi-part harmony to professional backing tracks, from popular favourites to current hits and obscure classics. We tend to leave classical, choral or musical theatre numbers to other, more specialist choirs.
Each song is then expertly arranged in multi-part harmony to professional backing tracks by founder Yula Andrews, a professional singer and experienced choir director and vocal coach.
Blondie, Radiohead, Florence, Queen… we love them all. Songs are often given their own twist, and we do love a ‘mash up’! Sample some recent choices on this Spotify playlist, or click the Spotify and YouTube links to check out older repertoire.
With a choice of 8 daytime and evening groups across Suffolk, there’s something for everyone:
Monday 7:45pm: East Bergholt (Constable Memorial Hall) NEW CHOIR
Monday 7.30pm: Halesworth (Holton Village Hall)
Wednesday 10am: Kesgrave (Millennium Hall)
Wednesday 10am: Ipswich West (Burstall Village Hall) NEW CHOIR
Wednesday 7:30pm: Ipswich Central (Northgate Arts Centre)
Thursday 10am: Felixstowe (Welcome Hall, Trimley)
Thursday 7:30pm: Framlingham (Castle Community Rooms)
Thursday 7:30pm: Stowmarket (Stowupland High School 6th Form Hall)
Choir sessions last 90 minutes and run every week throughout each term (starting September, January and after Easter, usually 10-11 weeks per term) with a membership fee of £106 per term – a concessionary rate is available for those who need it. Membership is payable by monthly DD. Members can attend as many groups as they like each week at no additional cost. We have a small team of engaging and experienced choir leaders who work regularly with all the groups, so you’ll always know the person leading your session. You can try a free taster session and we welcome new singers at any time during the term.
Our choir ethos means that we take collective responsibility for each others’ wellbeing, and naturally, we do our best to ensure the safety and comfort of all our members and team. Venues are risk-assessed and the robust procedures we introduced during the pandemic taught us a lot. Our exceptional online learning resources are always available for anyone unable to attend, and we can even offer Remote membership if needed.
How
WE LEARN
We sing in 5-part harmony with voices arranged into ‘tops’, ‘middles’ and ‘bottoms’, and supply MP3 guide vocal recordings, lyrics and video tutorials to teach your part’s harmonies.
Each session starts with exercises and warm-ups before we get into singing, and lasts 90 minutes. We’re a really friendly bunch and other members will be more than happy to help you find your feet.
Find out more below.
FIND YOUR 'PART'
Our choirs sing in 5-part harmony and voices are arranged into ‘tops’, ‘middles’ and ‘bottoms’.
You may already have a clear idea of your vocal range. You’ll discover that your choir leader is like a mystical sorting hat, helping you to find the best part to sing!
Fun, focused rehearsals
Each session starts with breathing exercises and vocal warm-ups, followed by learning new repertoire (we tackle several new songs each term, so it’s pretty fast paced) and singing through songs from our existing repertoire.
We teach the songs part by part, and most members scribble arrows, diagrams and notes on their lyrics as they learn – whatever works for you. And of course, this is all backed up the fabulous home-learning resources we provide.
Practise at home
On the members’ area of our website you can access MP3 recordings, lyrics and video tutorials to teach your part’s harmonies. The MP3s use guide vocals to emphasise your part against the others, or you can hear all parts singing together. (We don’t provide ‘notes’ or sheet music).
HELP AT HAND!
Don’t worry if you’ve not sung before – we can ‘buddy you up’ with a member in your part to help you find your way. We have an active, supportive Facebook members page. And the Pop Chorus team are easily contactable for additional help.
Participation in performances is optional, but many of our members have loved singing at local events, festivals and our own concerts.
We’ve raised over £120,000 in the last few years for St Elizabeth Hospice, Iceni, FIND (Families In Need), Bumblebee Children’s Charity and 4YP, amongst others – and hit the singles chart in 2017 with our fundraising single ‘Always’.
We also host fun, informative workshops and run social excursions, usually centred around singing – from collaborating with other artists to recording sessions, attending soundchecks and Q&As at gigs.
Find out more below.
We didn’t start as a performance choir, but we’re often asked to perform at events locally and sometimes further afield.
We’ve supported many local community activities from school fetes to Christmas markets and charity launches to the Suffolk Show, we’ve also played Latitude and First Light festivals, performed at the iconic Tower of London, and sold out our own concerts at Ipswich Corn Exchange and Regent Theatre.
Performing is entirely up to you, people are often nervous about singing in public, but we usually find that once singers give it a go they are hooked!
You can register your availability for gigs on the members’ area of the website and we ensure that everyone who wants to, gets opportunities to perform.
Constellation
A compilation from our celestial run of 6 intimate venues over 2 weekends in winter 2024, ‘Constellation’.
Tower Of London
In what’s become a Christmas tradition, among a privileged bunch of choirs playing the Tower Of London.
‘Human’
Rag ‘n ‘ Bone Man’s ‘Human’ from our December 2018 concert of the same name at Ipswich Regent Theatre.
We support many charitable organisations, but we particularly love finding local charities to throw our collective support behind and make a real difference.
We’ve raised thousands in the last few years for St Elizabeth Hospice, Iceni, FIND (Families In Need) and 4YP, amongst others – and hit the singles chart in 2017 with our hospice-fundraising single ‘Always’.
Throughout 2024, we took a very regional approach, with each of our choirs supporting a small organisation local to them. We raised a staggering £57,000 throughout the year for The Pear Tree Fund (Halesworth), Jam Community Pot (Stowmarket), Library Children’s Area (Framlingham), Eden-Rose Coppice Trust (Ipswich Central), Bumblebee Children’s Charity (Ipswich West), Cafe 66 and Project 21 (Kesgrave), and First Responders (Felixstowe).
2025 saw the choir support events for local charities, as we always do – from singing at 4YP’s 25th anniversary celebration at The Hold, to the moving Suffolk Remembers service on Felixstowe seafront for St Elizabeth Hospice, an appearance at Suffolk Gift Fair at Milsom’s for the East Anglian Air Ambulance, and a chilly sing for the runners doing the Ipswich Half Marathon, amongst others (including numerous visits to care homes, dementia cafes, and other care settings throughout the year).
2026 sees us partnered with Cancer Support Suffolk
In addition to core membership, we also run fun, informative workshops and some amazing road trips, always centred around singing.
We’ve hit the charts, beatboxed with Shlomo, sung with Rolling Stones backing singer Lisa Fischer, recorded backing vocals for pop artist Jack Robertson and during lockdown we recorded a new arrangement of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ for Bruce Munro’s ‘Ribbon Of Light’ art installation. In 2025 we partnered with another independent choir, Pop Voices from Solihull, to completely take over a West End Theatre and had our own private performance of Choir Of Man – culminating in a very special performance of their stunning arrangement of Chandelier, sung with the cast.
‘It’s A Sin’
An epic arrangement of the 80s classic taught in one ‘come-and-sing’ pop-up, featuring Ian Curnow on keys.
80s Singalong
Belting out over 25 songs to on-screen lyrics, with Rob Lewis on guitar. Keep your head up, movin’ on….
Gospel workshop
A joyous Sunday morning learning some gospel basics with the inspiring Themba Mvula. A wonderful day indeed!
