Breathe Harmony NHS Staff Choir - Breathe

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Breathe Harmony NHS Staff Choir

Our Guy’s and St Thomas’ staff choir promotes health and wellbeing through the power of singing

Music Singing NHS staff wellbeing
Breathe Harmony, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS staff choir was established in 2017. It was created to help NHS staff combat stress through a creative outlet and to provide a sense of community amongst colleagues, who may not necessarily encounter each other at work.

Breathe Harmony is led by talented Musical Directors Mike King and Katie Rose, who have worked with the likes of Florence and The Machine, Quincy Jones and Boy George.

The choir has around 30 core members, is non-auditioned and made up of staff who work across the NHS Trust in a variety of roles: occupational therapists, nurses, health care assistants, IT staff, medical scientists, doctors, physiotherapists and hospital volunteers.

Breathe Harmony has a repertoire covering a variety of contemporary pop, soul, R&B and jazz songs. Songs are often chosen because they are motivational, uplifting and fun or because they spark memories or associations for the choir members.

Breathe Harmony rehearsals

Open to Guy’s and St Thomas’ staff and official volunteers  

Mondays evenings on Zoom and in-person

Contact: Natalie Craven, Project Manager natalie@breatheahr.org

Sign up in advance is required.

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Breathe Harmony cheers me up and takes my mind off my worries. The music and voice together are so calming and soothing, I feel uplifted and ready to face the future. It means a lot to feel connected to others. The joy of music is very powerful.
Alison, Breathe Harmony Member

The choir has performed at world-class venues such as Southbank Centre, Brunel Museum, Greenwich Theatre and St John Smith Square, alongside a number of community festivals, events and award ceremonies.

Breathe Harmony has received national and international media and press coverage, including features on Sky News, CNN, BBC, Channel 4 and abc News.

100%

100% of Breathe Harmony members report that the choir has a positive impact on their wellbeing

Media

Watch Breathe Harmony’s official NHS single ‘Anytime You Need a Friend’.
Watch Breathe Harmony's virtual performance of Coldplay's ‘Fix You’, commissioned for the HSJ Awards 2020 to support and shine a light on the NHS.
Breathe Harmony NHS choir performing at Guy’s Hospital. Photo by Richard Eaton
Hear from members of Breathe Harmony NHS staff choir.
Breathe Harmony NHS choir performing at St John Smith Square. Photo by Christopher Mariani
Album cover from Breathe Harmony's first NHS single, released in April 2020

Anytime You Need a Friend: Global message of solidarity for the NHS 

In April 2020, Breathe Harmony created an international recording of Mariah Carey’s Anytime You Need a Friend in partnership with Musical Director, Mike King and MyCool Music Foundation. The virtual recording brought over 100 musicians and singers together from across the world to show their appreciation for the NHS amidst the COVID-19 global pandemic.  

This was the choir’s first official single, and since then has been viewed on YouTube thousands of times. Choir members appeared on television in the UK and internationally, messages poured in on social media, and even Mariah Carey herself tweeted her thanks!

76,000

We've had over 76,000 views of the Breathe Harmony’s NHS single ‘Anytime You Need a Friend’ on YouTube

The choir is something that’s bigger than all of us and it’s brought us together at a time when there’s a lot of discord in the world.
James, Breathe Harmony member

Frequently asked questions

Yes! We learn songs by ear, taught by our talented Musical Directors. No previous music experience is required. 

Come along to try a session! Our staff choir members have different experiences of singing, anyone is welcome.  

We are always looking to expand our staff wellbeing programmes to other NHS Trusts, get in touch with Project Manager Natalie to find out more.

Yes! If you would like to make an enquiry for the choir to perform at your event, contact Project Manager Natalie. Please bear in mind when sending requests that our choir members are working NHS staff who may not be available during the day so as much notice as possible is appreciated for all requests.

Our Partners

Evaluation Report 2020

Read 'Compassionate Care in a Year of Change', a full Evaluation Report on our Performing Arts Programme at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust.

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