News
16th February 2023
"Chasing the buzz, the fun, the magic"
Don’t miss our Open Arts Community Choir Taster Nights on Monday 20th & 27th February
Do you like singing and meeting new people? We are looking for new singers to join the Open Arts Community Choir!
We will be holding auditions on the evening of Monday 6th March, if you are interested in auditioning we invite you to attend one or both of our taster nights on:
Monday 20th & 27th February, 7-9pm
Divis Community Centre, Ardmoulin St, Belfast BT12 4RT
We are particularly keen for disabled people to join and you can read about our commitment to your access.
No musical knowledge is required and it will be the perfect opportunity to meet the choir and get a taste of our repertoire!
Not convinced yet?
We asked choir member, Jolene Flynn to tell us about her experience with the choir and how it positively impacted her life.
Jolene says:
I discovered the Open Arts Community Choir while attending an event at my local library in Antrim and I know that was the right one for me.
What I enjoy the most about the choir is the company and how it gives me the opportunity to get out and meet people. I also love performing and learning all the music.
Being part of the choir has made me more confident, helped me to believe in myself, and have the confidence to do things that I wouldn’t have done previously like doing a ‘Stars in Their Eyes’ charity event as Kate Bush or writing a poem about the choir that was published in Open Arts’ anthology, ‘Words out.’
I also loved performing as one of the princesses in ‘The Spellbound Boy’ an Open Arts adaptation of Ravel’s opera, ‘L’enfant et les sortilege.’
Performing in an opera was an absolute dream of mine! I never in a million years thought I would sing in one, wearing an amazing costume! It was a great experience, all thanks to Open Arts.
If you’re looking for a place where you can just be you, somewhere where you’re not just a mum or an employee, something just for you to enjoy and feel a sense of pride and really fulfilled, something exciting with beautiful, fun music then Open Arts Community Choir is the right place for you!
To register for one or both taster nights and for more information please contact Bev McGeown, Musical Director, bev@openartsni.org
You did it!
by Jolene Flynn
A darkened room.
A blinding spotlight.
No faces, only figures.
You step out onto the stage
Taking a breath to calm your heartbeat.
Again you take another breath, this time to calm.
In the silence before the music begins:
You know this, you can do this, you have practised.
It’s muscle memory now.
You take another breath and begin.
In through your nose out through your mouth.
You feel the energy in the room.
The electric energy, the rush,
The pull that makes this moment so special.
The draw that makes you keep bringing yourself
Back to this medium.
You did it and you will do it again.
Chasing the buzz, the fun, the magic,
The excitement, the adrenaline, the atmosphere.
In this moment you are free.
In this moment you can shine.
You did it and it feels amazing.
from Words Out (2022)
An anthology of work from Open Arts’ participants, a very limited number of copies available from Crescent Arts Centre.
14th February 2023
Our new Blog is live!
A monthly space where we will showcase our participants’ work but talk about arts and disability, disability equality, representation, disability rights, ableism, and much more.
Check out our first post where powerchair dancer and Luminous Soul member Cinzia Savonitti shares her thoughts on the ableist backlash to the news that Strictly Come Dancing intends to cast a wheelchair user celebrity for this year’s series.
