Who we are

The Gasworks Choir is a community choir of over 150 people in Bristol, UK. The choir was formed by Dee Jarlett and Ali Orbaum in 1997 and has been going strong ever since.

The Gasworks choir is directed by Ali Orbaum and Julia Turner. There are no auditions and we welcome beginners and experienced singers alike. All the songs are taught by ear in a friendly, fun and relaxed atmosphere. We learn new songs every term and reach an extraordinary standard in a short time thanks to skilled and experienced duo-teaching and the mutual support our choir members give each other.

We perform a diverse repertoire of songs, mostly arranged by Ali. Dee and Julia. Our material ranges from pop, soul and gospel to jazz, folk and funk, with ethnic songs from around the world as well as the occasional classical piece. If you are interested in our arrangements for your choir, please contact us.

The workshops for the Gasworks Choir are fortnightly; we meet in smaller groups of approximately 40 people during Autumn and Spring terms on Monday or Tuesday evenings, or Tuesday afternoons. There are six workshops each term, and the sessions are held at the wonderful Gasworks Studio in St Werburghs, Bristol. We learn new songs every term and provide recordings of the parts for you to practice at home.

There are also 2 or 3 rehearsals all together every term in a larger hall before the end of term concert in St Georges (a wonderful old church with fabulous acoustics that is situated off Park St in Great George St, and converted to a world class music venue holding 550 people).

Every term we also offer a couple of advanced songs for those who want more of a challenge and the opportunity to perform as a smaller group.

Ali and Dee Jarlett formed and co-directed the choir together until December 2013 when Dee retired from the main choir. Dee still arranges songs for the choir and she leads the Gasworks Singers and Classical Gas. Ali and Dee both used to direct and sing with Naked Voices, a professional band who tour arts centres and festivals. Previously they were also members of Sweet Soul Sisters and the Tea Ladies. They run harmony singing workshops all over the UK and are part of The Natural Voice Practitioners Network. They also run workshop and singing holidays known as Sing Your Socks Off with their colleagues Chris Samuel, Fran Bolton and Elaine Wilson. Click here to check out the website and see what is offered.

Julia Turner was our youngest member of the choir when it formed in 1997 at just 11 years old. Having subsequently completed a music degree, led her own choirs and performed as a singer songwriter in the UK and abroad, she came back to Bristol in 2013 and came in to assist Ali in leading the choir in Jan 2014.

Gasworks Singers:

This is a smaller version of the Gasworks Choir, made up mostly of members who have been in the choir for a few years. Directed by Dee, they perform regularly at a varied range of community events in the Bristol area. See Gasworks Singers page for more information. Contact Dee (dee@deejarlett.co.uk) if you have an event at which you'd like the Singers to perform.

Contact Us:

You can contact Ali and Julia, or Pip Morgan our administrator, by emailing info@gasworkschoir.co.uk

You can contact Dee by emailing her directly: dee@deejarlett.co.uk