Claire Byatt – Rock Choir Sutton Coldfield
Sometimes the most unexpected conversations can lead somewhere completely new.
Claire first heard about Rock Choir through someone she met on a date. She had never come across it before, but curiosity led her to search for her nearest local choir.
When she entered her postcode, she discovered that rehearsals were taking place somewhere very familiar: the school she had attended as a child.
“It just clicked for me.”
Claire joined the Sutton Coldfield Rock Choir in September 2014, beginning what would become a hugely important part of her life.
Finding friendship and a place to be herself
When Claire first joined, she was going through a period of change following a divorce and felt that her life had begun to drift.
Over the years that followed, Rock Choir became a constant in her life, bringing new friendships, performances and opportunities to spend time socially with people she had met through singing.
Then, in April 2019, Claire transitioned while continuing to be part of her local choir.
“The support I had was overwhelming.”
For Claire, having the freedom to simply be herself within a community she already knew meant a great deal.
“Being in choir has allowed me to be me, the true me.”
A community that transformed her life
Looking back at the difference those friendships have made, Claire doesn’t underestimate their importance.
She describes the support she received during a significant period of her life as something that helped her when she needed it most.
“I believe it literally saved my life as my life was drifting after divorce.”
The friendships she has formed, the social occasions they have shared and the experiences that have come through singing have all become part of a life that feels very different from when she first walked through the rehearsal doors.
“The friends, performances, social outings have transformed my life.”
Recording at Abbey Road Studios
Among the many experiences Claire has enjoyed, one particular opportunity stands out: recording at Abbey Road Studios.
The world-famous London recording studio has played a part in some of music’s most recognisable recordings, making the opportunity to record there a particularly memorable part of Claire’s own singing journey.
But when she looks at what has mattered most since joining, her answer isn’t a venue or a performance.
It’s the people.
“Making lots of new friends.”
More than a decade after that unexpected recommendation first introduced Claire to Rock Choir, those friendships and the freedom to be herself remain at the heart of what being part of her local choir means to her.
