CLAIRE INGLEHEART

Music, Community

Suggested by Sally Smith, Mandy Lancaster and John Roberts

Sally and Mandy: “Claire Ingleheart is an inspirational choir leader, multi-instrumentalist and a woman with a huge love of humanity.

As well as leading two community choirs, The Ingleheart Singers and The Suitcase Singers, Claire runs a female shanty group, Femmes de la Mer, and is a member of the band, Jaclarabag.

We want to nominate her for her beautiful songs about Cornish women for which she has created melodies and harmonies that bring their stories to life. Through Claire’s work we learn about extraordinary, ordinary women of Cornwall. Her songs enable the stories of the likes of Jenny Mopas, Anne Glanville, Dolly Pentreath and Gracey Briney to live on.

We know her best in her role as choir leader having sung with her for 18 years. She teaches in an accessible way, helping us to find our voices and sing out. Throughout the pandemic she kept us together through Zoom and as we came out of lockdown she was and remains thoughtful, caring and determined to make things as safe as possible for our community to get together.

Singing with Claire raises everyone’s spirits.

Claire’s choirs raise funds for local and worldwide charities including ShelterBox, Georgia’s Voice, Man Down and CPR Foodbank. Alongside money raising gigs, Claire runs concerts in Memory Cafes and Care Homes. One of her special joys is when someone who maybe hasn’t spoken for years, joins in a long known Cornish song.”

John: “I joined Claire’s choirs 15 years ago on retiring and have sung with her twice a week barring holidays since then. I have performed in hundreds of concerts all over Cornwall and beyond, and with her encouragement have taken part in musical theatre with Wildworks, Knee-high and Miracle. Claire’s passion for the promotion of music, Cornwall and Cornish women shines through in all her work.”

@claireingleheart
@thesuitcasesingers
@femmes_de_la_mer