Local choir on song to feature in hit West End show at Sunderland Empire
“Opportunities like this don’t come around often, and it means a huge amount to our singers and our community,” says the director of a local choir chosen to appear in a hit West End show.
A Hebburn community choir has been selected to perform alongside the internationally acclaimed stage production The Choir of Man at the Sunderland Empire, after applying to take part in the show’s opening night.
Raise Your Voice Hebburn, a fast‑growing 75‑strong mixed choir founded in May 2025, was chosen by the production team following an open call for choirs across the region.
The group will join the cast for the finale on Tuesday 12 May, adding the power of local voices to the show’s signature pub‑singalong atmosphere.
The performance falls in the middle of the choir’s first birthday celebrations, marking a landmark year that has seen the group grow from a small start‑up ensemble into a large, confident community choir.
Choir Director Becky Smith said: “We’re thrilled to have been selected. Opportunities like this don’t come around often, and it means a huge amount to our singers and our community.
“For this to happen as we celebrate our first birthday makes it feel even more special.”
The production invited choirs from across the North East to apply, with several groups chosen to take part across the run.
Raise Your Voice Hebburn will perform on the opening night.
In under a year, the Hebburn‑based choir has expanded from 30 to 75 members and performed at events across South Tyneside, Gateshead and Newcastle.
Highlights from the choir’s first year include featuring on the BBC, releasing an original Christmas single, and performing at major regional venues including Beamish and Newcastle Cathedral.
The group welcomes singers of all backgrounds and experience levels, with a focus on community, confidence and high‑quality music‑making.
Direct from the West End, the Olivier Award-nominated The Choir of Man is on its first ever UK tour and makes its Sunderland Empire debut from May 12-16.
Billed as the ‘best pub in the world’, the show features songs from artists including Queen, Luther Vandross, Sia, Paul Simon, Adele, Guns & Roses, Avicii and Katy Perry.