There is nothing quite like singing with other people to make you forget your worries and feel connected to a community. I’ve lived in several places in the last five years, and know it can be hard to meet people in a new city, not to mention during a pandemic. So one of the first things I did when I moved to Valencia was search for a local(ish) choir to get involved with. All of the groups I found were either very far away or had complicated Latin names, old-fashioned repertoire, and/or intimidating auditions. So I decided to start one - and am so grateful a mutual friend introduced me to Tim.

El Cabanyal is an amazing neighbourhood with a growing population, dozens of nationalities and a rich local music scene. Yet it’s also undergoing rapid changes. The hope for this choir is to create a radically inclusive place where anyone - regardless of their background or musical experience - can take part and sing, because we’ll build a happier, stronger community with many voices.

‘If I cannot fly, let me sing’

I discovered this phrase in a Sondheim song and it expressed perfectly how I feel when playing, singing, performing and conducting music. Music has a major role in my life. It has been my refuge. It allows me to disconnect. It comforts me, calms me, enlivens me, inspires me, lets me express things that I cannot express in words, makes me want to dance, to cry and I do not think that a day has gone by that I have taken it for granted.

My aim, both as music educator and conductor, has always been to provide opportunities for my students and singers to share the experiences, discoveries and benefits from music in the way I have. For me, this community choir provides the possibility that anyone who loves music, loves singing, regardless of their level, ability to read music or level of musical knowledge, can come and sing and learn to fly!

If you’re up for it, come and join us, be armed with a sense of humour and bring a pencil.

I've been fortunate to live in and enjoy several countries, and now I call Valencia my home. I love nature, and here I enjoy the beach in the summer and the mountains during the rest of the year. I love to sing, and I happily learned about the choir when it was formed a couple of years ago. Since then, I've felt like a part of this great community, which is not only made up of wonderful people with a strong social conscience but also of cheerful and fun individuals.

I've tried many activities in my free time. I'm a scout, I've done aikido, archery, theater, climbing, and many more that I can't remember. I haven't stuck around for long in many of them, and I've only lasted years in those that had two fundamental ingredients, which I found in Coro del Cabanyal from day one: excitement and welcoming company. Tim's direction has allowed me to enjoy singing "from the heart" from the very beginning, and the post-rehearsal drinks feel like being among friends from day one.

About me: I'm a statistician, educator, university professor, scientist, scout, gamer, Alcorian, sarcastic, reader, pessimist, optimist, counselor, tardy, forgetful, understanding, and I love lists, hehehe.

Hello, my name is Rosabel. I'm a family doctor, and I love the sea, spending time with my friends and cousins from the village, and above all, traveling with my family, especially to Italy, which is why I'm studying Italian and English.

I have two daughters who were fortunate to attend a school where Tim was the choir director, and they were part of it throughout their school years. As a result, music has always been very present in our lives.

I always dreamed of being a part of something like this because I love to sing, and I was blessed to find it in this choir with the same wonderful director they had in school, alongside my younger daughter, Cristina.

The choir is also a wonderful community where I've found great friends from all over the world, which makes me feel doubly happy, and I'm very grateful for it all.

Hello, my name is Raffaello, and in 2022, I started singing in the Coro del Cabanyal.

I've always enjoyed singing, and in this choir, I've found a fantastic group of very friendly people with whom we share many laughs during rehearsals. I found the choir on the Internet and immediately thought about joining. The songs proposed are mostly unfamiliar to me, but I like that they stray from what is typically considered "classic choir" music. It's incredible to hear how each individual voice doesn't express much on its own, but together with the other voices, it creates an amazing melody.

About me: I've been living in Valencia for about ten years. I'm a physiotherapist, I enjoy traveling, reading, hiking, and spending time with friends. I like to make jokes and have a somewhat ironic way of relating to people, which can be a bit challenging to understand at first. When it comes to going out with choir members for pizza, to the beach, or into the mountains, I'm always up for it.

I am from Iran, grew up in New York City, and lived in Miami for 13 years before moving to València 3 years ago. I have 3 girls, hundreds of plants, 5 chickens and a dog named Pomelo. When not in Coro practice, you can find me biking or on the beach at sunset.

Hello, I'm Paola, and I'm Italian. I enjoy reading, going to the cinema, going to the beach, and traveling. I love the choir because of the idea that together we can go anywhere and achieve a lot.

I am originally from Hungary. Since my childhood I was a member or a leader of a choir or I was singing with other people together. When I moved to Valencia with my family, my very first thing was to find my choir tribe. :)

As for my job I am a photographer as well as a conductor of early music development for children and their families.

I really enjoy my time in our choir with all these really kind people with similar interests.

Originally from London I have been fortunate to travel the world with work and have lived in 6 different countries in 3 different continents. I enjoy exploring cities, understanding their history and culture, discovering amazing architecture, indulging in wonderful food accompanied with a glass of something sparkling! The wonderful thing about singing in a choir is the sense of belonging to a community, creating beautiful harmonies and being totally in the moment, free from any cares or worries. I think of Spain as my spiritual home, having lived in 4 different cities and feel very lucky to have made Valencia my home.

I am from Valencia. I work as an architect, designer, airbnb host, gardener and handy woman. I love beautiful things: design, houses, cities, but also nature, beaches and hidden places. I love dancing, singing, eating, travelling, dreaming and helping others. My family and friends, cinema and music, martial arts and meeting new people. Happy to be here, singing with all of you.

Hi, I'm Natalia from Poland. I’m a born traveler, interested in arts and languages. I love social gatherings and connecting with people.

Born in Brasov, Transylvania, studied Architecture in Bucharest, moved to Rabat for a couple of years and then lived until recently in Montreal, where I worked as an architect and a teacher.

Happily retired in Valencia and still travelling a lot.

I'm Canadian with 4 children born in US, NL, AUS and SGP, one of whom is Chinese, all with the same wonderful wife. I love to argue and I go to choir instead of church. I dream of cycling across Europe.

Hi I'm from London. I'm a former history teacher and senior leader in schools. The last 6 years I've built my own company as an Educational Consultant & Executive Coach. I love singing, dancing & swimming. I joined the choir because I was moving to El Cabanyal & wanted to sing and socialise with local people. My dream has recently come true as we have moved into our new house in Cabanyal!

My name is Maria Jesus Ferrer, but I've been affectionately called Machus since I was a child.

I was born and raised in Valencia, although my parents are from Zaragoza. I am the third of a large family with 6 girls and only one boy. We have an artistic gene that runs in the family because my grandparents played the piano and the violin.

I am passionate about music and art, but I studied Law because my parents were lawyers, although I never practiced as a lawyer. At the same time, I pursued a degree in classical ballet, although I prefer modern dance styles like jazz.

Now that my two children are older and in university, I have a keen interest in History and Art in general, and in learning languages like English, for which I already have a foundation, as well as others like French or Italian. That's why I love this international choir.

Currently, I dedicate myself to my family and children and have hobbies that I'm passionate about, such as playing the piano, singing in the choir, dancing, and traveling.

Arrived in Valencia from UK in February. I'm a retired teacher. I used to sing in a community choir called Loud Mouth Women in Newcastle under Lyme. I love Spain and love singing!

I'm from Valencia. I've discovered this fantastic choir, and I love the people, the rehearsals, and our director who is the best.

I am Hannah from Germany. Being true to cliche, I love my work as a brand strategist and writer. My favorite thing, I think, is learning and connecting the dots. But I also love reading, hiking and going by bike - and singing of course, which is why I joined the choir after Ayse invited me. Plus I am notorious for baking my own sourdough bread. Unfortunately, I also have a chronic disease that often keeps me from doing what I would like t do but I try to ignore it as best as I can.

Fabio, from Rome 🇮🇹 and Basel 🇨🇭; Ph.D. in Philology; retired professor, former employee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Living in Valencia since 2019.