Location
Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
Nature-based community choir, workshops, outdoor, families, festivals and wilderness camps.
I am a musician, singer, and outdoor educator. For me, singing and working with the land are inseparable, song is part of our oldest way of being human in relationship with place, each other, and the living world.
Through training in primitive skills and long periods immersed in nature, I came to understand how deeply heart-led singing supports connection, a bridge between people and place, community, and self. Singing became a natural and essential way for me to offer presence and gratitude, find connection, listen more deeply, and give something back.
I believe singing brings people together. When we share our voices, we attune to breath, rhythm, and shared feeling. We listen, support one another, and create spaces of acceptance, connection, and care. Singing together feels like a remembering, of belonging, of harmony, and of being human.
Singing has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I rarely stopped singing as a child, and later learned piano and guitar to accompany my voice. Over the years, I have sung in many different settings: as a lead singer in folk and blues bands, as a backing singer, in a disco/folk/Ceilidh fusion band, and in an a cappella group formed with fellow Oxford choir leaders during lockdown, meeting and singing together in the woods.
I am currently involved in several ongoing projects, including an a cappella trio called Raven River, formed with two wonderful women and soul sisters I met through my Feral Voices community choir. I also sing as lead vocalist in a blues band and am developing my own compositions for choirs.
I began leading singing groups in 2017 as part of the Call of the Wild outdoor leadership programme with Wildwise. I was deeply moved by the connection singing created within the group, as well as by the joy of guiding harmonies and holding space for voices to emerge. In this work, singing was not something added, it is how we arrive, how we listen, and how we build relationship with place and with one another. With the encouragement of my Wildwise leader and mentor, I found the courage to begin leading singing beyond this programme. From there, I took every opportunity to lead group singing, creating spaces where people feel supported, heard, and encouraged to explore their voices. I have led singing at Medicine Festival (annually since 2021), as well as at wilderness camps, retreats, forest schools, and standalone workshops.
Alongside this, I am deeply engaged in collaborative vocal improvisation and circle singing. Discovering CVI had a profound effect on me, opening up a way of listening and responding even more deeply in the moment, to another person, to their voice, and to what is emerging between us. I have been in regular training for over six years with the brilliant vocal coach and improvisation facilitator Guillermo Rozenthuler, and I am part of a small Oxford-based CVI group that meets monthly to practise and explore together.
My work is rooted in the belief that voice and song are part of our deep humanity, used to mark time, hold ceremony, find presence, offer gratitude, tend connection, and remember our place within the wider living world
Songs to ground you, to lift you, inspire and connect you. 💚
A nature-based community choir. I teach simple songs with 3 or 4 part harmonies and rounds, all with a nature-based theme. We’ll cover some songs that can be learnt in a single session, and some that we’ll build over a few weeks. All songs will be taught acapella and there is no sheet music, although occasionally I may provide word sheets for more lyric dense songs.
We gather weekly on a Wednesday evening in a beautiful ancient Tythe Barn with incredible acoustics. We are an inclusive and friendly community and all abilities are welcome. There is always plenty of tea and biscuits. We have a tiered pricing structure for all incomes, and block bookings and drop ins are both available.
Arrival from 7pm
Singing starts promptly at 7.30-9pm
Oxford Community Choir
We are a friendly, inclusive community singing group based in Oxford.
The choir is led by Elena Harris, a member of the Natural Voice Network (NVN). This means we work with a philosophy that singing is for everyone – no auditions, no pressure, no need to read music. We focus on healthy, joyful singing in a supportive environment, where every voice is valued.
We learn all our songs by ear, usually in three or more part harmony, and we sing unaccompanied. The songs are taught in simple, accessible ways and are easy to pick up, whether you’re new to singing or have years of experience.
Our repertoire changes with the seasons. Some sessions we work on a few short, simple songs; other times we take on longer, richer pieces that develop over several weeks. The songs are often nature-based, sometimes slow and emotive, sometimes lively and playful, and frequently explore themes of community, belonging, connection, and nature.
We usually share what we’ve learned in a few low-key, informal performances each year – nothing stressful, just opportunities to sing together and connect with others.
All are welcome. We sing in the main church, a beautiful space with wonderful acoustics.
So why not come along on a Tuesday evening and give it a try? You don’t need any experience – just a willingness to sing and be part of a welcoming community.
We meet every Tuesday evening during term time from 7:30–9:30pm
