Songhaven is a professional concert series in central London that welcomes people living with dementia or memory loss as well as their carers and companions.
Hosted by mezzo soprano Vivien Conacher, each Songhaven concert features special guest musicians, who perform an engaging 40 minute programme together. Repertoire includes famous operatic arias, well-loved musical theatre tunes, and popular songs from the past.
Everyone is free to be themselves at a Songhaven concert and we pride ourselves on our warm and relaxed atmosphere. Audiences are encouraged to respond to the music as they choose – whether this be closing their eyes, moving to the beat, singing along, or even dancing. Noises and movement will not be viewed as disruptions.
Every concert finishes on a singalong item, where audience members can join in with the professional singers to perform a well-known song together – always an uplifting experience for audiences and performers alike!
A post-concert afternoon tea then provides a wonderful opportunity for performers and audience members to mingle, and chat about their favourite music.
All of our Songhaven concerts will be professionally filmed: stay tuned for our online archive of performances coming soon!
Audience feedback:
“It’s been a long time since I’ve enjoyed a concert so much”
“I loved every minute of it.”
“Fabulous quality… vivacious… such beautiful voices”
“It was all very welcoming, everything explained in the introductions. Lots of favourites”
“Brilliant – so friendly and the beauty of the voices and the selection.”
“I loved the operatic bits. I don’t get to go as much as I’d like to so this was perfect for me.”
“Beautiful and very professional”
“Beautiful and very inclusive, especially when they got everyone singing.”
“Singing is wonderful- even when the short-term memories are gone, you can still remember words from 40 years ago!”
“People come alive here… it’s a privilege”
“It made me smile and cry, very emotional. Because it was a small space and we were so close, it created a wonderful atmosphere.”
“The way they performed was superb.”