Feature writer Jess Bourne speaks to long-serving member of the Military Wives Choir Kate Carmichael about her interest in music and her life moving around the world
Travelling the world is some people’s dreams. Living and breathing a whole new culture, experiencing life in different countries, trying new foods, meeting new people, and making a home away from home is the ideal lifestyle for some.
But when you’re a military wife, it’s not always so enjoyable.
The constant fear of turning on the TV or radio in case of a newsflash, the continuous wait for any type of correspondence, running the house single handedly and needing to provide extra love and attention to your children is the reality for many.
The Military Wives Choir provides a sense of community that can be so vital for those living in similar situations. For Kate Carmichael, who’s lived this life for 28 years, the choir gave her exactly what she needed.
“It is a huge community, whether it’s the choir or just the military, you meet up and have that shared understanding of the life because it is a very different life,” says Kate Carmichael, 56, long-serving member of the Military Wives Choir.
Kate’s connection to the military comes from her husband, Tim. They got married in 1989 when Kate was 20 years old while Tim was an officer in the Royal Signals.
“We were at school together, and being in the military is all he has ever wanted to do, so that’s all I’ve known, and I was very proud of him and I’m proud of the person he has become,” Kate says.
The pair started off their married life in Armagh, Northern Ireland, which would become just one of the several places that the married couple would travel to and live.
Following Northern Ireland, they have also lived in Paris, Belgium, Wales, Yorkshire and a range of other countries and cities.
“It’s been fun but also hard moving on sometimes. But it’s been great seeing different places and meeting different people,” says Kate, as she reflects on her life. “I’ve become far more independent than I would have done and far more resilient and empathetic to others.”
Kate first learned about the choir after seeing a TV show hosted by Gareth Malone, who formed a choir made up of military wives. The program showed the lives of different military wives and what they had to go through, while also showing the power of music and how it was able to bring women together.
After the show aired, it touched women all over the UK and the world, including Kate, and it wasn’t long until more and more women wanted to be a part of the choir. And only a year after the show, in 2012, 60 choirs had been formed. More than a decade later, that figure has risen to 70, with the most recent choir set up being in Kenya.
“The choir is for any ladies with a military connection, so it’s serving personnel, veterans, veteran wives, mothers, sisters, daughters and anybody who has lived with that impact,” says Kate.
After watching the TV show, Kate heard that there was a Military Wives Choir setting up in South London, but as she was going to be moving to Gloucester, Kate wanted to find out how the choirs were run and the people that she needed to speak to.
Once Kate and her family had moved to Gloucester, she decided to set up a choir for people living nearby. Kate then found other ladies that were also interested in joining and carried on putting out posters and emails.
“You don’t know those ladies or recognise them but it’s like going home. You’re in a comfort blanket and there are people there that have shared your experiences,” she says, as she looks back on the choir.
It wasn’t long until the Gloucester choir performed live together. During their third month of being established, they got the opportunity to play at Gloucester Cathedral. The choir played in front of 1,400 people and were given a standing ovation.
“All of a sudden, we had a voice, and we were doing something quite incredible,” says Kate. “We belonged in a community together.”
Kate also performed on BBC Radio 2’s morning program with Laura Wright and sang at a Gloucester rugby match.
The choir then had the opportunity to record an album. Recording studios were hired out across the country and each regional choir sang one song specific to them – while, collectively, they all sang two songs together. This album then made it to the top of the classical charts.
On occasions, Kate does find it difficult to sing. Her parents would always attend every concert she did in Innsworth, Winchester and Portsmouth. Unfortunately, her mother passed away from Alzheimer’s a couple of years ago and Kate was able to sing a military wives’ song at the funeral.
“I find it a bit tricky now because suddenly my parents aren’t there,” Kate says, quietly.
Like many other musical groups, 2020 was a difficult time for the choir. They ended up moving everything online but this proved a challenge as they found it difficult to sing effectively on their own or in a group, especially over Zoom.
“It was really hard, but for some ladies who were on their own, at least they could join online and still meet their friends,” Kate says.
Eventually, they got back to singing again but had to adhere to social distancing rules.
“It was a really bad winter, and it was absolutely freezing, and we were stood there in layers of coats and boots, but we were singing out hearts out and laughing,” says Kate.
In the future, the Military Wives Choir are looking for more members that aren’t just serving personnel, but also daughters and mums to expand the choir numbers.
“The bigger the choir is, the more fun you can have with the music,” Kate says, with a smile.
The choir will soon be busy thinking about their next show. They will be performing on Sunday, October 5, at the Stamford Corn Exchange.
Visit the Military Wives Choir website here to see their upcoming shows and book tickets.
