Forres Gazette, 25 August 2011
Men's choir entertains audience at Universal Hall
Australia came to the Universal Hall on 22 August in the form of the Spooky Men's Chorale.

The group were supported by local community group The Forres Big Choir. Both sets of performers are a cappela singers and the audience was treated to a wide range of styles.
The Forres Big Choir produced a short set of works including a stunning performance of John Lennon's Imagine and the Welsh Rugby standard Calon Lân.

The Spooky Men's Chorale are a 15 piece group of male singers from the Blue Mountains in Australia. They are led by New Zealander Stephen Taberner and perform an intriguing mix of Georgian chants, original songs — 'Don't Stand Between a Man and His Tools' being one, and cover songs — including a ripping rendition of Abba's 'Dancing Queen'.
In between songs Taberner and other group members dispense and participate in some deep (and spooky) philosophy.
The warm ambience of the Universal Hall provided a calming environment for a very soothing evening of entertainment.
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Northern Scot, 23 August 2011
A Spooky affair looks set to go viral
If there is any music group that looks set to go viral, it's the Spooky Men's Chorale, who could well be the next big thing to explode on the global music scene.
Inspired by the ancient traditions of Georgian folk music, this Antipodean men's choir offers up a heady mix of a cappella songs, ranging from sacred Georgian music to a hilarious po-faced delivery of Abba's 'Dancing Queen'. The Spooky Men deftly flit from the sacred to the profane with remarkable grace and dexterity.

Led by singer, songwriter, composer and flashmob choir leader Stephen Taberner, The Spooky Men are an audio-visual feast of masculinity in all shapes and sizes. While one or two of their number might pass as Hell's Angels, collectively they perform like the celestial variety. The contrast between raw brawn and tenderness is arresting, and Taberner uses it to maximum effect.
The songs, many of them penned by Taberner himself, take us on a thoughtful, often hilarious exploration of what it means to be human, and specifically, to be a man. Taberner juxtaposes impish humour with compassion, playfully creating powerful visual tableaux that often resemble old masters.

In their performance at the Universal Hall Arts Centre in Findhorn, The Spooky Men's Chorale held the audience spellbound throughout. This was their second visit to Findhorn, and one of many sold-out concerts on their current UK tour.

The Forres Big Choir, led by locals Kate O'Connell and Bill Henderson, played the opening set to what was perhaps their biggest audience ever. Taberner, who has led many community choirs himself, commented last year that The Forres Big Choir “is the best community choir ever to open a Spooky Men show”.
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Forres Gazette, 22 July 2009
A big success all round for the Big Choir
A concert by local singers at St John's Church in Forres attracted a large turnout.

The Rev Cliff Piper welcomed a packed house to the church on Saturday, July 4 for a night of sparkling entertainment. The event featured The Forres Big Choir, a group of local people who meet once a week in the church to sing. Conducted for the occasion by Bill Henderson and Kate O'Connell, the choir played to a full house. The audience were also delighted to welcome women-only group 'Too Many Kooks', which also features Mrs O'Connell and were extremely well received.

A spokesperson for the choir said that the evening was a great success, and that singers had chosen to dress in fiery colours to mark St John's tide. “They were in top form under the direction of choirmasters Bill Henderson and Kate O'Connell,” he said. “The audience was entertained with rousing renditions of old favourites from the Beach Boys and George Harrison, as well as traditional songs from South Africa and the Republic of Georgia.” He said that 'Too Many Kooks' added to the entertainment with a sparkling performance of powerful songs and dazzling harmonies. “The audience wasn't in the least bit shy,” he said, “joining in enthusiastically when they were invited.”
The organisers expressed their thanks to everyone for their handsome support of the event, which was held as a benefit for the church.
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Forres Gazette, 1 November 2006
Big and beautiful on Isle of Iona
Members of The Forres Big Choir have just returned from a windswept visit to the atmospheric island of Iona.

The trip to the island has become an annual pilgrimage and short break for the group as well as choir leaders Bill Henderson and Kate O'Connell. They 'take over' the local hostel on the island and spend their time singing, walking and enjoying each others' company during the five-day break. “This gives the choir time to spend time together,” said Mrs O'Connell. “This is almost as important to us as the singing.”

She explained that during their visit The Big Choir presented an hour-long programme of songs in Iona Abbey to an enthusiastic audience of around 60 people. The repertoire included gospel music, African songs, a Hebridean chant to calm the storm, a healing song from the Republic of Georgia and international songs for peace. “Towards the end members of the audience were invited to join the choir in singing two songs for peace,” said Mrs O'Connell. “This doubled our number and created a moving experience for participants.” She said the event went extremely well and remarked that the following day, as members of the choir were out and about, they were often approached by people who had been at the concert. Mr Henderson said: “They kept coming up to choir members and thanking them for a beautiful and touching experience.

The Forres Big Choir, which meets every Thursday evening during term time, is open to anyone who wants to sing. It is made up of a wide range of people from beginners to accomplished singers. The musical style embraces music from Scotland and around the World, both secular and sacred and includes The Beach Boys and The Beatles as well as contemporary composer Karl Jenkins. They meet in St John's Church* in Forres and newcomers are always welcome. Choir members come from Nairn, Auldearn, Elgin, Duffus and Rafford, as well as Findhorn and Forres.

(*note: from January 2012, we meet at Kinloss Church)