The idea for Pop Voices was ignited during one of Anya’s many gigs as a lead singer with a Pop and Rock function band. She could see how much the children on the dancefloor were enjoying singing along to the music of all decades and an idea to start a Pop themed choir for children was born.
In 2013 Anya ran her first successful children’s summer workshop and from this continued to offer weekly choir sessions for young singers. A chance conversation with a parent one day led her to consider starting adult classes too. In September 2014 Pop Voices opened its doors to 20 adult singing enthusiasts in Solihull. A great night was had by all and over the past 10 years those first 20 singers, most of whom are still with the choir grew to over 400 singers in 9 different locations across Solihull, Warwickshire, and Redditch.
The idea to make choral singing accessible to anyone who just loves to sing in a fun, relaxed and friendly environment has continued to bring joy to many for nearly 10 years. We are very much a family and great camaraderie and friendships have been and continue to be built through the power of singing.
Anya has been professionally singing for over 20 years, gaining vast experience with function and tribute bands. Her passion is a live performance in a range of genres including pop, rock, jazz and musical theatre. In 2005 she enhanced her practical experience by achieving a Diploma in Musical Theatre from the London College of Music and Media. She is a firm believer in continual professional development and attends regular training in vocal technique and choral leadership to keep up to date with current practice and knowledge. She has a talent for harmonising which stems from years of working as a vocalist and session singer. She uses these skills to produce bespoke arrangements for the choir and create audio teach tracks and video tutorials. She has coordinated, led and tutored the choir in some amazing performances such as Christmas shows at Disneyland Paris, Total Vocal at Lincoln Centre and Carnegie Hall in New York and most notably The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games mass choir.
She has been fortunate to herself perform at some of the top Midlands venues such as; The Birmingham Symphony Hall, Birmingham Repertory, Alexandra and Hippodrome Theatres and her biggest claim to fame is supporting Sister Sledge and Gloria Gaynor at the Burj Al Arab, Dubai!! Over the years she has played leading roles in local theatres in a variety of shows including Fiddler on The Roof, Hello Dolly, Carousel, The Sound of Music, and Witches of Eastwick. She now regularly arranges and performs with Vintage Vocal Harmony Trio, The Boogaloo Babes.
Anya balances a busy choir schedule with being a wife and mum to her young son. Anya’s husband Richard also sings with the choir after many years of supporting in the background he now gets to experience being part of the choir family. Without the support of her boys, she could not give as much to her dream job and is eternally grateful for the years of patience and understanding of the constant singing at home!
Anya is delighted to be sharing the thrill of singing to enthusiasts of all ages as the Director of Pop Voices and hopes it lasts forever!