Our Dementia Choir: Chris Connell, Julie Hill, Ahmed Pochee Interview Part 2
Title
Our Dementia Choir: Chris Connell, Julie Hill, Ahmed Pochee Interview Part 2
Date
19 October 2022
Description
Oral history interview with Chris Connell, Julie Hill, Ahmed Pochee, members of the Nottingham Our Dementia Choir about their performance at the Royal Concert Hall in May 2019
What's the story?
‘Our Dementia Choir’ began as part of a documentary created for BBC1 in 2018. Local Nottingham actor Vicky McClure formed a choir of people all living with dementia to see whether music can make a measurable difference in their lives. Joining forces with some of the country’s leading experts, the choir took part in ground-breaking scientific studies to measure their emotional and physical responses to singing over three months of regular sessions….proving that people living with dementia can still achieve something truly remarkable.
In this interview Ahmed, Chris, Julie talk about appearing at The Royal Concert Hall
Transcription
[Julie]: I think it was really busy, I just remember it being really busy and we were in a really big room, weren’t we, to practise and then I just remember the stage being really cluttered at the back. We were climbing over things, wires and things like that. And did we have a couple of practice runs on stage? [Ahmed] We did, yes.
[Chris]: Can I just say about that? The dress rehearsal was the first time that Vicky wasn’t with us. She was doing Line of Duty in Belfast or something and couldn’t be there. But she said at the dress rehearsal she’d have like a Zoom meeting with us. So because it was the first time she wasn’t with us, I found images on Google of all her faces in every role she’d ever had and even some, because she’s such a superstar, various fans do artwork and post it and some of them have actually sent it to her. You know, beautiful paintings. So I downloaded all these and then printed off full size versions that we put on a stick (which we held up). So when she called us on the Zoom, there were 24 Vickys looking back at her. Everyone had a mask on. It was so funny.
[Ahmed]: The only thing I can remember is us waiting for a long time to get on. That was the worst thing for me, but otherwise I remember that this chap that sang next to me was a guy from the Kingdom Choir, and I remember commenting to him afterwards that he made me sound good. And then the other thing I remember is that my wife and younger son were in the audience and they were in the front and I could see them.
In this interview Ahmed, Chris, Julie talk about appearing at The Royal Concert Hall
Transcription
[Julie]: I think it was really busy, I just remember it being really busy and we were in a really big room, weren’t we, to practise and then I just remember the stage being really cluttered at the back. We were climbing over things, wires and things like that. And did we have a couple of practice runs on stage? [Ahmed] We did, yes.
[Chris]: Can I just say about that? The dress rehearsal was the first time that Vicky wasn’t with us. She was doing Line of Duty in Belfast or something and couldn’t be there. But she said at the dress rehearsal she’d have like a Zoom meeting with us. So because it was the first time she wasn’t with us, I found images on Google of all her faces in every role she’d ever had and even some, because she’s such a superstar, various fans do artwork and post it and some of them have actually sent it to her. You know, beautiful paintings. So I downloaded all these and then printed off full size versions that we put on a stick (which we held up). So when she called us on the Zoom, there were 24 Vickys looking back at her. Everyone had a mask on. It was so funny.
[Ahmed]: The only thing I can remember is us waiting for a long time to get on. That was the worst thing for me, but otherwise I remember that this chap that sang next to me was a guy from the Kingdom Choir, and I remember commenting to him afterwards that he made me sound good. And then the other thing I remember is that my wife and younger son were in the audience and they were in the front and I could see them.
Type
Oral interview
Location of item
Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Rights
Theatre Royal and Royal Concert Hall Nottingham
Contributor
Interviewers: Diane Jones and Jennifer Sherwood
Transcriber: David Chilton
Transcriber: David Chilton
