choirs | Polina Shepherd

…Polina Shepherd’s choirs are different. They are soulful, sublime, rousing, ethereal, liberating, and always with a good proportion of men. There is no audition, so voices are real – some booming, some tiny whispers, all textures. Everyone enjoys it – the sounds surprise us and encourage us. Polina, the director, is engaging and inspiring.

Pam Hewitt, choir member

…She is fantastic. She teaches us the songs, some of which she herself arranges for four parts. Her conducting owes little or nothing to Sir Simon Rattle or Sir Colin Davies. In the more energetic songs she may pirouette, turn to the audience and even dance as she extracts the utmost verse from us and from the audience.

Sydney Levine, choir member

POLINA IS OPENING A NEW RUSSIAN CHOIR IN LONDON, PLEASE GET IN TOUCH TO JOIN.

The Polina Shepherd Vocal Experience covers many aspects of vocal music from solo voice to large scale choral improvisation or highly arranged and conducted choir pieces and smaller chamber groups. Polina leads several choirs locally and also teaches choral workshops internationally.

Current choirs:

past choirs:

East European Choir at UCL (London)2009-2013
Chutzpah choir Brighton 2007-2011

Her specially developed choral teaching methods are based on specific East European sound, ornamentation, modal experimentation with attention to spiritual and emotional sides of musical creativity and also history and context of choral material.

For Jewish music based choral workshops, she teaches Hassidic Nigunim – the age old songs without words (originally, the term refers to religious songs and tunes that are sung by groups) and Yiddish and Hebrew songs. Polina’s Russian choral repertoire covers ritual calendar songs for pagan holidays, exorcism and sibylline song, circle dances, wedding songs, weeping songs all with correct attention to history and style.

Music lovers of all backgrounds and singing levels are invited to join Polina Shepherd’s choirs at any time. Teaching both by ear and with sheet music. No knowledge of foreign languages necessary. Polina is a member of the Natural Voice Practitioner’s network who believe that singing is everyone’s birthright regardless of musical experience or ability.