Hello from Emily
Hi! My name is Emily and I developed Birch Tree Folk Choir. I have always been drawn to music and singing – and to folk music in particular. It connected me to ancient stories and ancestral wisdom , and to a sense of belonging to both a people and a landscape. Following this passion led me to completing my degree in Music, and training through the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. There I gained a deeper understanding not only of the mechanics of singing, but of the deep interaction between human development and music making. I ran choirs and workshops with young people to build aspiration and self esteem, and learned to appreciate the power that singing together can have.
After completing my degree I moved to Surrey, and found myself connecting with the beautiful landscape in a much more meaningful way. I began my training as a psychotherapeutic counsellor, working with Sutton Women’s Centre and Catalyst drug and alcohol support.
My interest in the body and it’s role in experience and healing led me to develop this choir, as a means of consciously embedding the healing resources accessible through singing together. In this modern world it is so easy to feel adrift; this choir aims to reconnect you – to your body, to each other, to a sense of shared history and culture, and to the landscapes from which these have sprung.