Why do we sing together?

And who are the women behind the harmony?

Why Sing - Especially Together?

Valley Echoes rehearsing on the risers Valley Echoes performing on stage Valley Echoes performing on stage Valley Echoes in rehearsal Valley Echoes performing at a community tea Valley Echoes performing at Winter Harmonies 2025 Valley Echoes performing at the Abbotsford tree lighting Valley Echoes singing with audience at Clayburn Village 2025 Valley Echoes performing at Winter Harmonies Bateman School

There's something that happens when a room full of us lock into four-part harmony that you just don't get singing alone in the car. The sound stops being twenty separate voices and turns into one thing - bigger than any of us could make on our own. You feel it and my goodness the goosebumps!

And it's not just a nice feeling - there's real science behind it. Group singing has been shown to improve heart rate, blood pressure, and immune function in ways that just listening to music can't match. Complete strangers have been found to bond after singing together for as little as an hour (BBC Future). It even raises your tolerance for pain - researchers with The SingWell Project think it comes down to the bonding that happens when voices line up together.

We hear it from our members all the time - a hard week feels lighter by the end of rehearsal. Turns out that's not just in our heads: saliva tests show real drops in cortisol (the stress hormone) after singing, likely because the long, controlled exhale singing requires triggers the same calming response as slow breathing exercises (Victoria University). For our older members especially, that seems to add up over time - a UCSF-led study that followed community choirs for six months found singers reported less loneliness and more interest in life than non-singers, across every background in the study (UCSF).

It's good for your body too, and not just because you're having fun. Singing trains you to breathe slower and deeper, and to really empty your lungs on the long phrases - which takes the strain off your neck and shoulders and makes breathing easier even outside of rehearsal. It's also one of the better posture coaches around (you can't sing well slumped over!), and our members often say it leaves them feeling more in control of their own breath (Asthma + Lung UK).

And it happens everywhere, not just on a concert stage. We've sung on risers in rehearsal, in full costume for a holiday show, carolling outdoors in the cold, and at community teas and summer events around Abbotsford, Chilliwack & Mission. Wherever we're singing, the feeling is the same - that moment when we lock and ring those chords.

Who We Are - The Women Behind the Harmony

Valley Echoes members sharing snacks and laughs at a holiday gathering Valley Echoes singing karaoke together A Valley Echoes member enjoying the holiday party Valley Echoes members at Auditioned Chorus Retreat 2025 Valley Echoes friends taking a selfie together Valley Echoes members performing a costume skit Valley Echoes singing along at a holiday party Valley Echoes members at a campfire during the chorus retreat Valley Echoes auditioned chorus at retreat Valley Echoes members celebrating St. Patrick's Day together Valley Echoes enjoying a pub lunch together

Valley Echoes Chorus is an a cappella women's chorus based in Abbotsford, BC - a safe place for women from 18 to 118 to rediscover their voices and sing. We're really two choruses in one: the Community Chorus (VECC) is non-auditioned, open to anyone who wants to come out on a Tuesday evening, while the Auditioned Chorus (VEC) is for singers ready for tighter harmonies, performances, and competition.

But look through these photos and you'll find more holiday parties than concert stages - karaoke nights, costume skits, gift exchanges, selfies after a long rehearsal. That's what over 40 years together actually looks like: a room full of women who came for the music and stayed for each other.