Singers sip and serenade

HUNDREDS of Hobartians have signed up to sing in a Pub Choir this week, as the concept proves to be one of the biggest hits of this year’s Festival of Voices.

At a Pub Choir event there are no auditions, no solos, and no sheet music — just a few beers with hundreds of new friends, who spend 90 minutes learning a song in three-part harmony before ending the night by belting it out a couple of times.

Three Pub Choir events have been held — at Kingston Beach’s Salty Dog Hotel on Saturday night, the Brunswick Hotel on Monday night, and finally at the Hobart Brewing Co last night — with dozens of people turned away at the door after the venues reached capacity.

The choirs have been run by Brisbane-based Australian Pub Choir founder Astrid Jorgensen.

Her previous Pub Choir events have sold out across Queensland, but this is the first time she has taken the concept to another state.

“It’s like a regular choir rehearsal, but people get really keen when they hear it’s in the pub,” she explained.

“It’s an opportunity to sing without judgment — a lot of people feel embarrassed to sing, or have been told at some point that they don’t have a good voice. Pub Choir is anonymous; you can just let your voice out and not have to worry about being judged.

“We’ve done lots across Queensland and they’ve all sold out, but it’s humbling to think we’ve come to a different state and the response is the same. It’s very cool.”