If you want to shake off winter blues, A Capella Spring Fest at Didcot’s Cornerstone could be the answer.

This one-day workshop on March 11 offers chorus sessions and technique classes for singers of all ages and abilities in a supportive environment, and is jointly run by men’s choir Oxford Harmony and sister choir Harmony Inspires.

“There are a lot of people who sing in choirs who do not know a lot about what they’re doing,” says Gerry Holland, main instigator of the event. “They don’t have time in a normal rehearsal to ask questions they are probably afraid to ask — like, how do I sing better? How do I breathe better? How do I present myself better?”

Gerry’s passion for singing goes back to childhood, but it wasn’t until a trip to Disneyland during his career as a pilot that he came across a barbershop quartet, and was inspired to bring the idea to the UK.

In 1969, Gerry set up a barbershop choir in Reading, with singers drawn mostly from church choirs, and membership quickly reached 25. The discovery of similar choirs in Crawley, Newcastle and Plymouth led him to set up the British Association of Barbershop Singers (BABS), which is still going strong, and boasts 70 member choirs across Scotland, England and Wales.

“The association runs a Harmony workshop ever year, so we thought, why don’t we run our own down here?” Gerry explains.

A Capella Fest follows on from last year’s inaugural event, and once again offers a range of styles. There are four choruses – Gospel, modern a capella, classical a capella and mixed voice barbershop — as well as three class sessions exploring different genres. As before, Gerry has gathered first-rate tutors, including ‘Mr Gospel’ and Songs of Praise veteran Ken Burton; former musical director of the Swingle Singers, Joanna Forbes L’Estrange; award-winning barbershop director and vocal coach Dale Kynaston; and David Crown, Director of Music at Somerville College, Oxford.

Call Barrie Bridgeman on 01235 764898, email 2jannandbarrie@talktalk.net or text ‘ASF’ and a mailing address to 07580 752422.