The People’s Show Choir that recorded a song that went viral

Every local group in The People’s Show Choir(TPSC) family is different, which is part of what makes them all so special. One community choir that’s probably the furthest afield, up in the Highlands of Scotland, even had a viral hit with their music.

The People’s Show Choir(TPSC) for Black Isle in Scotland is led by choir leader Ula Weber. She started the group up from scratch with her husband Baz Chapman, who is the accompanist, but explains how her experiences with the choir have been surprising in many ways.

That includes when the choir recorded a Christmas charity track with members of the local RNLI lifeboat crew and it caught the hearts and attention of people nationwide.

“We didn’t expect much when we started up this People’s Show Choir branch, but since then it’s kept growing,” said a delighted Ula, who is also a trained choral conductor and was responsible for founding the National Teachers’ Choir.

“When Baz and I first started up this choir, we didn’t know what to expect. We’d moved to a small village where no one knew us, so we thought we’d be lucky to get 20 people at our first rehearsal in September 2022.

“You can imagine our surprise and delight when nearly 90 people showed up. Most of those people are still singing with us and we’ve picked up a few more members since then. Our rehearsal venue is at capacity so we may have to start a waiting list.”

Ula, who is also Choral Development Manager for The People’s Orchestra(TPO) and was conductor for the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra(CBSO) SO Vocal community choir, has been nurturing singers in her Black Isle choir that span a vast age gap.

The youngest member is just 17, while the oldest is in their 80s, but that seems to have only helped strengthen the versatility and breadth of this motivated TPSC.

“I love starting up a new choir,” added Ula. “You get to mould a group of random singers into a collective sound. It takes time to build a choir and I’m loving the journey.

“It’s a hugely diverse group. We have lots of people who come as a couple or in family groups. Whilst we have quite a few members who read music and sing in other choirs, most don’t.

“I also love the Black Isle spirit that permeates through our choir. It’s not just the members who make the choir, it’s also the families who come along to help put out tables and chairs, bake cakes, serve refreshments, and support us whole-heartedly in every performance.”

The level of support from the community and wider public rose to another level over the festive period when they teamed up with Kessock RNLI volunteers to perform Phil Coulters’ track Home From The Sea. The Just Giving page went into overdrive in December 2024, smashing through their £500 target to reach £1,112.

Money raised was for a worthy cause – RNLI Kessock Lifeboat Station. It’s one of 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland that runs a 24-hour service and is vital in saving lives at sea, despite continuing to run only thanks to donations and volunteers.

Seeing the song go viral online emphasises the power of music in bringing people together and inspiring them to take action.

Reflecting on the past year, Ula is contemplative: “It has been quite a time for TPSC Black Isle. Joining forces with the local RNLI crew and recorded a song which went viral at Christmas led to us raising lots of money.

“Since then, it’s been all hands on deck to organise the Highlands Tour. A highlight of that was the appearance of the Depute Provost of Inverness, who even started the standing ovation at the end of our massed concert.”

Ula’s enthusiasm appears to have rubbed off on the choir members, especially as her approach to leading them is about motivating “anticipation” but also “happiness”. One parent has even described how being part of Black Isle TPSC has made her daughter more confident that you can read about here, radiating happiness during a recent performance.

“I want people to feel a sense of excitement and anticipation when they arrive at choir,” explained Ula. “But I want them to feel a great sense of achievement and happiness as they walk out of the door.

“I am quite a task-master, and I set high expectations of the choir. We work hard during our rehearsals, but we also have a huge amount of fun doing it.

“The choir trusts me to make them sound the best they can. They’re a super keen bunch of singers and I look forward to my weekly post-choir buzz!”

Despite being up in the Scottish Highlands, the choir hasn’t stopped the distance from socialising with fellow TPSC singers.

“It’s a very long way from The Black Isle to Birmingham, but 10 of our members made the journey to take part in our massed choir and orchestra at Birmingham Symphony Hall in March. A few months before that, we hired a minibus – the ‘Bazzy Bus’ as we call it – and drove all the way to Shrewsbury to sing in the TPSC Choirs Showcase.

“Just 10 of us sang Follow The Herron without music, in front of the other choirs.

“As scary as it was, it was one of the most inspiring and magical moments I’ve had the pleasure to be part of.

“We’re getting quite a name for ourselves up here and we’re being asked to sing in more and more events, so who knows what next year will bring.”

Find out more about The People’s Show Choir for Black Isle here. The choir meets for rehearsals at North Kessock Primary School in Ferry Brae, North Kessock, every Monday from 7.15pm to 8.45pm during term time. New members can sign up on the website for a two week free trial to see if they enjoy it.