How do you grow a choir from 15 to 50 members, raise much needed funds for a worthwhile charity like beyondblue, perform to sell out concerts and community festivals and record two original works in a short 6 months? This is the Melbourne Contemporary Choir (MCCHOIR) story so far. Founder and Creative Director Jason Simmonds started the choir with a vision to bring choir into the 21st century with contemporary arrangements of popular tunes and original Australian works that appeal to a wide range of audiences. Jason Simmonds and well-known Melbourne musician Jared Haschek recently teamed up to write these two original songs for the choir. The title track “Time To Shine” was inspired by the choir members themselves, who have created electric performances enjoyed by audiences across Melbourne. From a pumping horn section, soaring electric guitar and Jared on the ivories, this tune is set to become a crowd favourite. MCCHOIR is always open to new singers and prospective members can register on line at any time and attend their first rehearsal free. Here’s what some of our members are saying about the choir: “My beautiful sis, a dear friend and I joined MCCHOIR this year, to catch up regularly and partake in the often indescribable joy that can be found through song” - Neets Walker “Rehearsals are fun, new music is introduced regularly and there’s a good mix of genres – upbeat, soulful and more. People are friendly, lots of laughs and conversation over supper mid-rehearsal. You can listen to tracks after rehearsal thanks to the members-only section of the choir website. - Michelle Poke “High quality leadership and just the best group of people – diverse age range and come from all over the place to be part of MCCHOIR’s great sound. How fabulous to work through each of the parts of an original song and sound awesome when the parts come together on the same night. Performances have been varied and exhilarating experiences.” - Jacque Ross At MCCHOIR we value Artistry, Belonging, Community, Development, Excellence and above all Fun. Every rehearsal is different and engaging and our repertoire includes artists like Adele, Sam Smith, Anastacia, Lorde, Sheppard and Meghan Trainor. The choir hosts regular music workshops and masterclasses which have been extremely valuable in developing our sound. The choir has a strong on-line presence and are all over social media, contributing to their in-bound marketing strategy. This together with word-of-mouth and live concerts has seen the choir expand in a very short time. Our rehearsals are geared to welcoming new people, and this friendly group have really established a sense of community and captured audiences with electric performances.