Musical Director

Vanessa Young

My name is Vanessa and I have been passionate about singing since I was a
child. I came from a musical background with a drummer father (he was in a
concert party during the war) a pianist mother and aunt and a grandfather who
was a song-writer. My mother adored classical music, especially Handel, but it
was my father’s music that I was particularly drawn to – jazz standards – from
Oscar Peterson to Gershwin.

In my early 20s after training to be a teacher with a specialism in music, friends
and I formed a folk/rock acoustic band called Sky (yes - we got there first!).
Then classical music drew me back via a range of choral societies and chamber
choirs. (I still sing in two chamber choirs today)

In the late 90s, my partner and I took over the village Christmas choir. There
was demand from some of the singers for something more regular during the
year so the ‘Adisham Occasional Singers’ was born! We were a group of about
12 and rehearsed in our sitting room which we eventually outgrew! At that
point in 1999, ‘The Eclectics’ was formed. It was very informal and we only met
about once a month, doing occasional concerts in the church.

We later became The Eclectics Community Choir, our name reflecting our
repertoire which includes a wide range of genres – gospel, folk, jazz standards
and music from around the world, mostly acapella and ethnic songs often sung
without music. Although based in Adisham which is a small village, we now
attract singers from all over east Kent.

I’ve always been committed to the notion of an ‘all-comers’ choir – meaning
that there are no auditions, and anyone who is prepared to join in with
enthusiasm and commitment is welcome (no one is ever turned away!). Some
members read music, but many do not. We pride ourselves on achieving a
surprisingly good standard!

We’ve been through some difficult times. My partner sadly died in 2015, but I
was determined to carry on, and the love and support from members and
audience alike carried me through. Lockdown was also a challenge of course
but the discovery of Choir Community at the beginning of 2021 changed things
for good! Having struggled, like many choirs, with trying to run rehearsals
through Zoom (me trying to bash out parts and never hearing the singers
mouthing silently back at me), I suddenly realized how potentially useful
learning tracks would be. Sending them out electronically along with the scores
meant that singers could prepare for our rehearsals and learn at home. This
was transformative - especially for those who did not read music! When at last
we were allowed to come together in a friend’s garden for the first time in
June 2021, we reaped the reward. Hurray! They could pretty much sing all the
pieces we’d silently rehearsed to date! What joy there was in coming together
and singing for the first time in 18 months!