Over the last twenty five years, I have had the privilege of working with countless choirs across the length and breadth of the UK. From the small village choir to the 1000 voices at the Royal Albert Hall in London, I have enjoyed their hospitality and companionship. I don’t need to tell members of existing choirs how infectious this camaraderie can be, and that goes someway to explaining why a typical chorister gives up, normally two evenings a week for rehearsal and maybe a third for a concert. Divorces come about for less! From the individual chorister, multiplied by the number in the Choir, times the number of choirs in that country, further extended by the number of countries across the world with choirs – and that is some equation. Yet, when you then glance at the countless websites of choirs across the world, they paint a picture of the choir but from a chorister perspective, there is another story to be told. And that reflects the basis of BlackMountain.me.uk –to focus more on the participating role of the chorister. Also there are many exemplary sites which are there to examine the finer points of the art form, others which reflect the representative bodies – but what of the chorister? To many, choral singing is a complete way of life and a fun hobby to have. We hope that we can reflect that with stories, articles and correspondence from across the world. There is a huge, worldwide community of choirs and it will be fascinating to reflect it. We don’t have to recruit special correspondents, each chorister will have their story or view and now it can be heard. As you come across the various categories, we will suggest ways that you can contribute. As these are then edited and included in this site, you will be able to regularly check the periodical as it will be constantly upgraded. You will be able to take from BlackMountain.me.uk what you’ve put in and give the role of the chorister a higher profile.