Oxford Kalta Choir

The aim of this project is to build a community of women who sing Georgian songs together. So I would encourage everyone to commit to as many sessions as possible. However, I know this is not always possible, so there is the option to drop-in. Please note that if you drop-in mid way through the term, we will be recapping songs we have already learned and these will not be taught from scratch each time. You can listen to learning tracks beforehand to familiarise yourself with the songs.

‘Kalta’ means women in Georgian. I have decided to focus this project on women’s voices because there is an intangible magic created when women come together to sing. In traditional Georgian society, some songs are only sung by women (though our repertoire will not be limited to these). 

Of course, this begs the question ‘what is a ‘woman’s’ voice’?, especially in our modern society where people of all genders or no genders are recognised (at least that’s the society I want to live in!). While I want to be as inclusive as possible, I am aiming for a specific aesthetic in our group sound.

It’s not about how high or low your voice is – some cis women have a wonderful bass range for example. It’s more about the quality or timbre of your voice. So if you identify as a woman or non binary, and you think your voice blends well with women, then you are welcome. If you’re not sure, please reach out to me and we can have a chat about it.

There are no auditions for the choir, it’s a self selection process.
Georgian singing can be more challenging than western songs as the harmonies are unusual to our ears.
But singing in an unknown language can also be very freeing, and confidence building.
I have recently taken Natural Voice leader training, which involved helping singers find their unique voice, so I hope that this choir will be inclusive and empower singers to feel confident in their voice.
You do not need to:
– read sheet music
– sing solo
You do need to:
– match pitch (sing the same notes) as other people in your part
– keep a steady rhythm

I don’t recommend this choir for your first ever sing! 

You are very welcome to book for the first session as a drop in and see how it goes.
Having said all that, there is a small minority of singers who are unable to blend with others and affect the overall sound of the group. In those cases I may have to ask them to leave. But this hasn’t happened yet!

Parking is very limited at the church. There is space for 3 cars along the side alleyway, and some street parking (no evening restrictions). Otherwise there is a public car park on Windmill Road and at Waitrose. There are bike racks outside the venue.