Last week was Vivamus’ first rehearsal of 2025. After a break over Christmas, we were all eager to get back to singing together.

It was one of the coldest nights of the year, so I was somewhat surprised to see a large group of choir members huddled outside St Clement Dane’s Church on Thursday night, rubbing their hands to keep warm and adjusting their coats to protect themselves from the bitter cold. At first, I thought perhaps we were waiting for the verger to throw open the heavy wooden doors, or even gathering for a spot of impromptu carol singing, Christmas only being a recent memory.

However, I was soon told that there had been a slight hiccup… the church hadn’t been booked. Never in the fifteen years or so that I have sung in Vivamus have I experienced a scheduling mishap before.

No one was sure what to do. While someone desperately called local churches, other suggestions were put forward: the pub? A nearby university room? Someone’s workplace?

Then, a fellow alto confidently suggested her workplace: the office of a tech firm, complete with a big room where we could sing. So off we trundled, led by our intrepid alto.

We marched through the streets of central London, continuing to brace ourselves against the frosty weather. Our intrepid alto in front, it felt somewhat like a school trip or holiday led by a tour guide.

We arrived at the tech firm’s offices, grateful for the warmth which met us as soon as we whirled through the revolving doors. A rather surprised security guard looked up and raised his eyebrows when our intrepid alto explained what had happened.

And so…

We all diligently signed our names on a piece of paper.

We made jokes about tech firms knowing everything about us and not needing to hand over our personal details.

We waited for a while in the lobby area, chatting with people from different sections.

We waited for our intrepid alto, who had gone off to get the relevant permissions.

But the wait became longer.

And longer.

Our WhatsApp chat started to have a constant ping of messages. It was not looking promising.

To make the most of our time, copies of the music for our forthcoming April concert were handed out. We continued chatting.

We suggested hurdling the security gates.

We suggested singing in the lobby. The security guard said no.

And so, when it was clear there was nothing more we could do, we dispersed into the night. Some to our homes, some to a pub. We never did any singing together that night.

But it reminded me of the other reasons why I sing in a choir: for the new friends I have formed, for the opportunity to explore new architecturally interesting churches and spaces (even if they are tech firms), and, for above all, the sense of community. We all had such an amazing laugh together, making the best of an unexpected situation. At Vivamus, even the rehearsals which aren’t rehearsals are worth every second.

Find out more about Vivamus’ plans for 2025 – including no more scheduling mishaps!

Post written by Aurelie Hulse.