Cirencester is well known for its strong sense of community, and a big part of this is the number of community choirs in the town.

One of these choirs is the Corinium Community Choir, founded and lead by singer Sophie Sterckx.

“I’ve always loved singing and felt comfortable doing it,” she explained.

“I joined a big community choir in Devon when I lived in that area and ended up teaching some of my own compositions and loved the experience.”

Now living in Stroud and leading two choirs in Cirencester and Painswick, Sophie began the Corinium Choir following the success of her ‘I Wish I Could Sing’ course at the New Brewery Arts Centre.

The choir began in 2011, and 8 years later features around 30 singers, who meet weekly to rehearse.

She continued: “We get together every Wednesday evening during school term time at The Parish Centre in Cirencester. We have a really good general attendance and always welcome newcomers, there’s no auditions, all abilities are welcome!

“We sing a lot of world music, because I love to teach and sing in different languages and we enjoy exploring different harmonies and musical forms from around the world.

“We sing in a 3 or 4-part harmony, acapella style, without instrumental accompaniment.”

Sophie teaches the choir “by ear”, meaning her singers aren’t required to be able to read sheet music, making the choir a lot more open and accessible.

“I love it, it’s incredible building up each part by ear,” she explained. “From my point of view, the sound of the harmonies coming together is extraordinary.”

The choir performs around two to three times a year, at nationwide events like the ‘Big Sing’ choir conventions, as well as local fundraisers, including last year’s Midwinter Medley, a concert organised by Cirencester Male Voice Choir, where the Corinium Choir performed alongside some of Cirencester’s other community choirs.

Sophie added: “I think it’s great how many choirs are around at the moment.

“There’s something for everyone, we all support each other and it creates a lovely atmosphere when we come together.”