Hitting the HIGH NOTES

It's never too late to discover the power and pleasure of music - and to share it with other people

- KIM WILLIS

'SINGING CAN PROVIDE RESPITE FROM PROBLEMS'

Yula Andrews, 50, lives in Suffolk with her husband John, 54, their children Jasper, 14, twins Seren and Cole, 11, and their dog Denver.

As a conductor, I have the best seat in the house. When my choirs sing, it is so powerful, it can stop me in my tracks. Collective singing bonds singers and audiences long after the final note fades.

My childhood dream was to act, but at 15 I was in a play that required me to sing. In the audience was a singing teacher, Janice, who offered me lessons and taught me that the voice is a versatile instrument.

It took a while to find what I wanted to do. I dropped out of a conservatoire, convinced I had nothing new to bring to Mozart. Disheartened, I stopped singing for a year. After a few drinks in a pub on New Year's Eve 2002, aged 27, I sang a song. Opening my eyes to find everyone listening intently, I knew I couldn't live without singing. I undertook a degree at Dartington College of Arts, then sang in a covers band, an ABBA tribute act, and even performed opera in Harrods.

I met John on a blind date in 2008 and when we moved to Suffolk, I started Pop Chorus with a vision for a choir that welcomed everyone. Eight people came to the first session. In 2018, we opened the BBC Sounds stage at Latitude Festival and attracted a crowd of 4,000.