Choir moves to southside beat

The SPCC is an amalgamation of the three former police choirs; Lothian and Borders, Tayside and Strathclyde, all joining up in April last year as the Scottish police forces came together.

There are now 140 members under the directorship of Andrew Russell — and the Glasgow contingent are moving their rehearsals from the city centre to Cathcart Old parish church.

Manager and vice chair Emma Fletcher told The Extra: “I saw the then Lothian and Borders and Tayside choirs perform and thought: we need a choir in Strathclyde — I accosted Andrew that night and Strathclyde Police Choir started in 2012.

“It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done — I get a massive amount of satisfaction seeing the gang continue to grow.

“Our strapline is ‘Popular Music, Breathtaking Performance’ and we always aim to be surprisingly good — we thrive on the opportunity to wow audiences.

“The SPCC is open to serving and retired police officers and staff, but we also welcome non-police personnel too. 60 per cent of our members aren’t employed by the police, which is exactly why we’re the Scottish Police and Community Choir — we are proud to welcome members of the communities we serve.”

The choir has performed at the Edinburgh Fringe, Murrayfield and various charity gigs, as well as smaller community events.

Emma added: “We estimate we helped raise over £50,000 for charities across Scotland in 2013, and we aim to raise more this year.

“We’re thrilled to be based within such a strong community now, and really hope our move will allow southsiders to join us.

“The Glasgow section is recruiting all voice types and members don’t have a formal audition. They’re welcome to come along, and our musical director will check they’ve joined the correct voice sections by carrying out a brief vocal range test — no one is made to sing on their own.”

The Glasgow rehearsals take place on Tuesdays, 6.30-8.30pm for new members and 7.30-9.30pm for experienced members.

Anyone interested is asked to email Emma at [email protected] to confirm attendance, or to find out more about the choir.