Who Are we?

We are a cross-cultural black gospel style, community choir of around 60 members. We enjoy singing a mix of American style black & pop gospel music. Our audiences love our energetic enthusiasm and our blend of musical harmony. We are a multi-background choir with people from Zaandam to Australia! Yet we sing as one voice under the gifted talent of Bob Brussel, who has been directing FireChoir since 2008.

• We have two rehearsal seasons per year: Spring and Fall.
• We rehearse weekly for 12-14 weeks, followed by concerts in Amsterdam and other cities in the Netherlands and sometimes other countries.
• Also included is voice & diction training, stage presence technique and choreography instruction to prepare you for onstage performances.
• Social activities and workshops are provided as time and schedules permit.
• Experience FireChoir for yourself. Visit one of our rehearsals to see what it’s like.

Who can Join?

FireChoir is open to everyone. All cultures, nationalities, and religious or non-religious persuasions are welcome! FireChoir is a professional and exciting musical experience, lead by amateurs. We do not exclude anyone because of beliefs, race, or experience. Anyone is welcome to visit a rehearsal before committing to join.

• Age limit: We accept members from 15 years old and up. We will consider requests to allow younger members (13-14 years old) on an individual basis.
• Auditions: We do not audition people to select the ‘best’ voices as some choirs do. We audition people for voice placement purposes (soprano, alto, tenor & bass), to insure everyone can sing on pitch/carry a tune, and to evaluate individual progress of members so they will have a better chance at achieving their potential.
• Experience: Previous choir experience or the ability to read music is NOT REQUIRED.

Rehearsals

Our weekly rehearsals take place at Keerpunt in Amsterdam.

19:30 – 20:30

• The choir divides (sopranos, altos, tenors, basses) into sectional practices for the first hour.
• We learn 2-3 songs each week. At your first rehearsal, you will receive the tools to help you with memorizing your music. Don’t panic, we have never had anyone not do a great job and many in the choir do not read music. We perform American produced arrangements in English.
• We then take a coffee break; it’s a great time to socialize and give the vocal cords a rest. After 15-20 minutes of coffee time, the whole choir reunites.

20:30 – 21:30

• Learn to sing parts and to blend as a choir.
• Vocal training
• Learning stage presence
• Practice simple choreography