Govanhill Voices Memories and Tributes by https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd As we celebrate our 10th birthday please share any special memories you may have - we hope to include them as part of our concert on 10th December. en-us 2022-12-04 16:22:17 UTC 2025-10-18 22:24:16 UTC hello@padlet.com Govanhill Voices - what can I say? The last 10 years have been a blast. I joined after a tough time in my personal life and GV quickly became my safe place - thank you! I've made some amazing friends, become part of a supportive community and learned to sing in ways I'd never imagined. Here's to many more years of friendship and song! Rosie xx rosiequin1_1 https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2408116047 2022-12-04 16:33:37 UTC https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2408116047 https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2408134920 Every week it makes me so happy to see the smiling faces and hear the happy blethers in the break. Little signs of a safe, joyful space! 
And oh, how amazing the sound is that the choir creates! Warm, rich, balanced, deep, just beautiful. ]]> 2022-12-04 17:07:03 UTC https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2408134920 I joined Govanhill Voices just over a year ago. This was just as Covid was easing, and choirs could start to meet again in-person. My first few rehearsals were therefore outdoors in the bowling green in the Queens Park! This was great fun, and the friendship and support I received from everyone from those early sessions onwards has been amazing. I love being part of this choir, and the safe and welcoming environment it gives us all - and the music is brilliant too! Martin McK https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2408149949 2022-12-04 17:31:43 UTC https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2408149949 I didn't ever see myself as a singer and the first time I went it was to keep a friend company. At the end, Loic announced, 'And afterwards, some of us go the pub...' 'My kind of choir,' I thought, and I stayed. I'm glad I did. I discovered the joy of singing amongst such lovely, friendly people. https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2408241637 2022-12-04 20:13:28 UTC https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2408241637 I joined when GHV were on Zoom lead by the lovely Kasia, back during that first lockdown when life was all a bit strange and unsettling, and I found it such a cozy and nourishing thing to do. Having songs to learn and a lovely little group to sing with every week was just what I needed. It was fun to make our videos and even do an unexpected solo šŸ˜‚ Now we have been back in person for a while, it's great getting to be part of live performances with a great bunch of people. (Thanks Rosie Q for inviting me into this little musical circle!) Martha x https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2408286224 2022-12-04 21:43:01 UTC https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2408286224 I joined govanhill voices at a time where I was looking for a positive experience in my life. I had always sung but never with a choir. Simply, it was one of the best choices I ever made. Being a part of creating some beautiful harmonies every week was so uplifting and inspiring for me. And through GV I have met so many lovely, amazing people...all with a common love of making music...and having fun doing it. https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2408411364 2022-12-05 01:14:35 UTC https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2408411364 Singing as a sculpture, wearing huge sheets of cardboard, in the wind and rain, is the first memory that springs to mind when I think of Govanhill Voices. The second is being gently encouraged by the voice of another singing close by, just close enough so I could hear the notes and hear my own attempts. And the third ... well it's hard to pin down. Something warm and fuzzy and uplifting is simply the feeling I get when I think of us. And challenging, always challenging. In a good way ;-) https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2409752929 2022-12-05 20:42:06 UTC https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2409752929 https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2411247769 I retired back home to Glasgow ten years ago and my cousin, Hugh, knew I was looking for a choir and invited me along to Govanhill Voices. Iā€™d tried a different choir but it wasnā€™t for me. The open friendliness of the members at GV and Debbie and Kathā€™s listen-and-copy teaching style was just perfect. It was so uncomplicated but so effective! What fun we had and still have! Weā€™ve sung in the street, the MOMO, the library, the canal boat, Queenā€™s Park and various pubs, of course! Weā€™ve been led by Harry, Debbie, Cath, Zoe, Kasia, Laura and now the lovely Dorothee. All different but all bringing wonderful energy and talent and bringing out the best in the enthusiastic singers. Long live GV! Mari]]> 2022-12-06 20:20:23 UTC https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2411247769 https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2411284065 It has been nothing short of a privilege to watch GV flourish over the past ten years. From not having enough folk in the room to sing harmonies at least once a month, to this thriving and important community asset. You should all be incredibly proud and I look forward to coming back for a visit in another ten years! ā¤ļø]]> 2022-12-06 20:59:26 UTC https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2411284065 https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2413461413 We were committee members for 3 years. In that time we saw huge change. 4 song leaders and a global pandemic didn't put a dent in everyone's enthusiasm and joy for singing together. There are so many lovely memories we have shared together. For us a moment that captured the heart of Govanhill Voices was when you sent us a video of you singing Long Time Sun after the birth of our son Seamus. We saw the ceiling of the hall that we've come to know so well and heard your beautiful voices rise up to the ceiling. We could feel the love and heart. It brought us both to tears. Thank you and keep on singing. Love from us all xxx

Bethany, Loic & Seamus]]> 2022-12-07 20:30:26 UTC https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2413461413 I moved to Glasgow in 2016 and I went to a local Hallowe'en event at the Pollokshields East Quad. There was a performance by a choir. When they finished, their leader (it was Debbie at that time) turned around and said "we are a community choir, and we welcome EVERYONE." Then she pointed to people in the crowd and said "You could join, and you, and you..." I've never forgotten how powerful that was- it worked for me, and I'm still there. Highlights are the friends I've made, the gigs we've done (especially in GOMA where we sounded amazing), benefitting from others' inclusive and welcoming attitudes, challenging ourselves and each other to sound really good, which is great when it happens! And of course I have happy memories of David Stevenson, who was at the heart of GV until he died just before lockdown, and who many of us remember fondly. Finally- an impromptu comedy sketch from Ann: word for word delivery from an old record that she remembered, hilarious! https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2414410639 2022-12-08 14:41:31 UTC https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2414410639 I joined Govanhill voices not long after moving to Glasgow. With covid life had been bereft of meaningful connections and things were not as they used to be. My first session was outside and the wonderful Dorothee was teaching. Her magical energy, warmth and enthusiasm was so infectious and I instantly felt connected to the group. Although it was so cold, it was January and I was a stranger, so many choir members spoke to me, welcomed me and smiled at me. So, I smiled back and I thought ā€œYes, this feels like homeā€ . Thankyou Dorothee and GV for you open hearts and beautiful harmonious voices. https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2416051996 2022-12-09 21:00:22 UTC https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2416051996 Happy Anniversary to the best Govanhill VoicesāœØ https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2416264020 I very often come back to our recordings done during the pandemic, as it reminds me of all the wonderful people from the choir! Iā€™m always so proud of what we achieved despite the very little means we had. Govanhill Voices is a choir full of people with big heartsšŸ§”as a choir leader I have never experienced that before and it was so very inspiring to witness!
Iā€™m so so happy that you are singing now with Dorothy and I cheer for you always even if Iā€™m far away!
I really miss YOU ALL and I hope to see you one day soon!
Have an amazing celebration! You deserve it!
Hugs from the North!
Kasia šŸŒ¼]]> 2022-12-10 08:18:13 UTC https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2416264020 https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2416333853 From the moment I stepped into Govanhill Voices 6 years ago, I felt warmly welcomed, a sense of community, where I can belong. I LOVE that its a space to have fun, be playful and definitely not take ourselves too seriously. The songs are diverse, and people are diverse. I have made new friends through this really special community choir. Feeling really thankful to be a part of this amazing group and seeing how it is growing all the time with different folks. ]]> 2022-12-10 12:05:10 UTC https://padlet.com/rosiequin1_1/z5a2ig7zob6txvyd/wish/2416333853