‘I haven’t met anyone in Derry who can’t sing’
Physiotherapist and services manager Teresa Sweidan (54), a mum-of-four who is originally from Tyrone, joined the choir in January last year.
“I would have sung at school from an early age. I sang in my school choir and I did a diploma in music and piano. I joined the Western Area Youth Orchestra where I played the violin and then the viola. I’ve always been involved in music.
“When I went to live in London I worked at King’s College Hospital and that gave me the chance to join the King’s College Hospital Choir.
“I have asthma, which only developed when I lived in London, and I blame the pollution for that. It’s not as bad now that I’m back in Northern Ireland, it’s just something that is affected by cold air or stress.
“When I came back to Northern Ireland and when the children were grown up a little bit more, I was told that there was a choir set up here in the trust for people with respiratory conditions called the Warbling Wheezers. I was part of the first cohort of that and we sang at the Millennium Forum.
“While I only have mild asthma, some of the people had their oxygen equipment with them and were struggling to breathe. It was very humbling to sing in a choir like that and there was a real sense of achievement.
“Then I had the option to join the Altnagelvin Hospital Choir so I joined in January last year. I’m a relatively new member, but I’m really enjoying it.
“We did Handel’s Messiah in May, which was quite an ambitious piece of work, and we’re doing Vivaldi’s Gloria at Christmas. Last week we did a Christmas carol concert with traditional carols which the audience could participate in and some Christmas pieces they wouldn’t really have known.
“I knew a lot of people in the choir already through working in the trust, so when I walked in that first day it wasn’t as if I didn’t know anybody. There was even one person who was in the youth orchestra with me when I was 12 or 13.
“Derry is a very musical city and I haven’t met anybody here who can’t sing — there are some fantastic voices in the choir. The musical director, Derek Collins, has a great sense of humour and he keeps us working hard and strives for perfection, but he does it in such a way that it’s enjoyable.
“With the asthma, I suppose when I had that break with the children and then came back, I didn’t have the lung volume I would have had before.
“But singing is great exercise and it has really helped my lungs, I can feel the health benefits. Everyone knows that singing is great for reducing stress and there is such great camaraderie as well.
“We’ll be singing around the wards in Altnagelvin Hospital at Christmas, which is really lovely, and we always finish up in the baby unit with the newborn babies: as far as I can remember, we always sing Away In A Manger!
“It’s a nice thing to do when there are so many people ill in hospital who can’t get out for Christmas and we hope it brings a little bit of cheer to them.”