Slavic Voices is choir in London and Brighton & Hove for singers of all backgrounds. We present music of all styles from the Slavic world: Orthodox chants, beautiful classics by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Schnittke and others, refined XVIII-XIX-centuries Art songs and gritty folklore from the far corners of Siberia to the banks of the Black Sea.  The repertoire is sung mainly in Russian but also in Polish, Ukrainian, Croatian, Bulgarian, Macedonian, Belorussian, adding a guest visit by a song in Yiddish or Georgian.

Join us on the journey to explore and share this culturally unique and musically diverse repertoire with the wide world. The choir is non auditioned and always welcomes new members as well as collaborations with other choirs, ensembles, bands and soloists.

Led by Polina Skovoroda-Shepherd, granddaughter of a Cossack, an internationally acclaimed performer, educator and cultural activist. 

photo by Steve Churchill

See our playlist on Youtube

We opened in September 2023 and now have over 70 singers with all kinds of backgrounds. Slavic Voices' first season presented five concerts in London, Brighton and Steyning. We've performed joint concerts with a Macedonian Folk Duo Filip Arilon and Stojan Stojanov from North Macedonia (Macedonia) and Maspindzeli Georgian choir (London) and even collaborated with Buffo’s Wake - a Klezmer-punk carnival chaos band.

Please get in touch if you have any questions or join Polina's monthly mailing list to receive the news.

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LONDON CHOIR

Thursdays 7-9pm near Victoria / Pimlico

Taster session free, full term fee when joining the choir. Discounts available when joining half way through the term.

Our Autumn, Winter and Spring terms are usually blocks of 10 sessions with a fee of  £80 (£60 students) term fee payable in cash, cheque to Polina Shepherd or via PayPal using Friends and Family option here 

Our 2024-2025 season started in September. Please get in touch if you are interested in joining. 

Autumn term dates are 12, 19, 26 September, 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 October and 7, 14 November. 

Our 'Winter' block will start on 21 November. Here are the dates (TBC): 21, 28 November, 5, 12 December, then Christmas break, 9, 16, 23 January (no 30.01!), 6, 13, 20 February. 

Polina’s singers from previous choirs filmed for The Crown

BRIGHTON & HOVE CHOIR

Tuesdays, 6-8pm in central Brighton

Taster session free, full term fee when joining the choir. Discounts available when joining half way through the term.

Our Autumn, Winter and Spring terms are usually blocks of 10 sessions with a fee of £75 payable in cash, cheque to Polina Shepherd or via PayPal using Friends and Family option here 

Our 2024-2025 season started in September. Please get in touch if you are interested in joining. 

Autumn term: 17, 24 September, 1, 8, 15, 29 October, 5, 12, 19, 26 November.

Winter term (TBC): 3, 10 December, then Christmas break), 7, 14, 21 January (not 28.01 and 4.02), 11, 18, 25 February, 4 and 11 March. 

There will be a concert in Lewes on 7 December. Watch this space for more information. 

photo by Anna Bogodist

Choir member Graham Tuthill (Brighton) writes:

"In 2023 I saw Slavic Voices perform in Hove and was deeply moved by the beauty and variety of the pieces performed. Little did I know that four months later I would be participating in this friendly choir and also impressed by the intelligent and varied songs that capture the essence of each Slavic country represented.
By my own admission I am linguistically challenged at the best of times especially with my own native tongue!
Taking on the pronunciations of Macedonian, Yiddish, Russian, and Slovakian is indeed an uphill challenge as my main exposure of these languages has been through watching films and relying heavily on subtitles to interpret plot and content. I still half-jokingly say to my colleagues during practice “Where are the subtitles?..” To be fair the learning of the songs adds immeasurably to the pleasure of performing.
Saturday's performance was a joy to not only participate in, but also to know that I and sixty other members touched a sacred place in audience and choir members alike.
To be a part of Polina's vision and love of musical styles outside of the constraints of expected ‘Western’ listening brings a freshness to these songs we perform and makes them as new as they were at their inception. This is no ordinary choir and all the better for it.
If you want to experience something out of the ordinary look no further this is the best place to be."

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