Our Twentieth anniversary at St John’s Waterloo 9th October 2026
The Mind & Soul choir was formed in 2006 to promote mental wellbeing through singing and to reduce the stigma around mental illness.
Currently based at the Maudlsey Hospital in south London, the choir opened its doors to anyone that wanted to join in, including service users, staff, family, friends, carers and people from the local area. Since the outset, the choir has helped to create uplifting and positive experiences for members and audiences through the joy of shared singing.
From 2006 under the careful guidance of Musical Director Lea Cornthwaite, the choir built a wide repertoire and performed on many occasions in a wide variety of venues. We made our Wigmore Hall debut in 2014 singing in the World premiere of Jocelyn Pook’s ‘Anxiety Fanfare and Variations for Voices’.
In September 2018 Nicola Widenbach took over as Musical Director bringing her fantastic style, experience and commitment to further develop the Mind and Soul Choir and in particular sharing our experiences with other Community Choirs.
We registered as Charity no.1209558 in August 2024.
See us above celebrate our twentieth anniversary of singing together on 9th October 2026 at St John’s Waterloo, led by our MD Nicola Wydenbach and Associate Artist Aga Serugo Lugo, and joined by our friends from the Camberwell Community Choir, the Sing for Freedom Choir and live musicians.
