Our Music

Written to celebrate His Majesty The King’s birthday, the song captures the hope and joy brought to post-war Britain on 14th November 1948 with the birth of the future King to his mother, then Princess Elizabeth.

The song features 100 singers drawn from members of the Military Wives Choirs network in the UK and abroad, accompanied by The Band of the Household Cavalry, The King’s own regiment, celebrating the close links between the Armed Forces and the Royal Family.

This single was released with Westminster City Council in November 2020 to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of the Journey of the Unknown Warrior. ‘Abide with Me’ features 70 Military Wives Choirs members from 30 choirs across the United Kingdom, conducted by Artistic Director Hilary Davan Wetton and produced by Sean Hargreaves. The choirs are usually recorded in groups of over 100 in a live, concert hall setting, which wasn't possible to achieve during COVID-19. Therefore, the track was produced in a socially distanced way – 70 choir members rehearsed solo and then recorded individually, both with the conductor’s guide video. These vocal recordings were combined to produce the finished choral track, using careful mixing to preserve the Military Wives Choirs' authentic and moving live sound. We wanted to respect the history of this well-loved hymn as it would have been in 1920, while adding some 21st-century colours. This was achieved by combining a contemporary piano figuration, reminiscent of modern acoustic tracks, lush string orchestration and unexpected synths, crafted by sampling a solo female voice. Traditional elements were maintained through the choral arrangement and added trumpet descant in the final verse.

Released in 2016, Home for Christmas celebrates the nation’s best-loved Christmas carols and features six classic carols which have been updated with lyrics reflecting what Christmas means to women in the military community. This album, featuring an impressive 1006 voices from 65 Military Wives Choirs, was recorded in a number of locations across the UK and abroad under the batons of three distinguished conductors; Hilary Davan Wetton, Will Dawes and Mark De-Lisser, and was produced by Sean Hargreaves and John Haywood. Hilary reflects that, on this album, the Choirs were able to look beyond typical Christmas carols, and sing “about things that mattered to them very deeply in the real world. The texts are identifying a sense of Christmas as being a particularly difficult time if you are separated from your loved ones. And, even if you’re not, it’s a time when the importance of the family is very marked.” This collection of songs embodies the true spirit of Christmas – its religious significance, love, family and harmony.

2018 saw the centenary of the end of the First World War, the ‘Great War’, which marked a generation in this country and worldwide. Fierce patriotism and heroism from the troops at the Front was matched by the country’s women, who raised children alone, nursed, and worked tirelessly, despite the loss of husbands, sons, fathers, brothers or friends. It is these values of patriotic pride, staunchness and strength in adversity, and mutual support, that remain the same over a hundred years. The Military Wives Choirs acknowledged this poignant occasion through a special commemorative album project, ‘Remember’. A total of 1105 singers from 69 Military Wives Choirs, including 93 from overseas Choirs, were involved in making the album, recorded in seven stunning concert-hall venues across the UK including Usher Hall, Edinburgh and Kings Place, London.

Music for this album is composed of fresh arrangements of WW1 marching songs and regimental marches, some beautifully reflective, traditional pieces and well-loved contemporary songs, but centres around five original songs, written for the Military Wives Choirs by prestigious composers from the classical, pop and film worlds - Owain Park, Joanna Forbes L’Estrange and Alexander L’Estrange, Adam Langston, James Kennedy and Catrin Southall, and Sean Hargreaves, John Haywood and Laura Wright. Laura Wright both co-wrote and performed on the single, ‘Brave’.  Two of these songs feature all 1105 voices, and the album also showcases iconic military musicians and bands from the three services, representing both the families at home and the soldiers, sailors, and airmen and women who served both then and now.

“The wives of 100 years ago are exactly the same as us. Proud, adaptable, capable and supportive. We owe it to our ancestors to commemorate what they did for us to have the freedom we have today.”

Military Wives Choirs member

Released in 2016, Home for Christmas celebrates the nation’s best-loved Christmas carols and features six classic carols which have been updated with lyrics reflecting what Christmas means to women in the military community. 

This album, featuring an impressive 1006 voices from 65 Military Wives Choirs, was recorded in a number of locations across the UK and abroad under the batons of three distinguished conductors; Hilary Davan Wetton, Will Dawes and Mark De-Lisser, and was produced by Sean Hargreaves and John Haywood. Hilary reflects that, on this album, the Choirs were able to look beyond typical Christmas carols, and sing “about things that mattered to them very deeply in the real world. 

The texts are identifying a sense of Christmas as being a particularly difficult time if you are separated from your loved ones. And, even if you’re not, it’s a time when the importance of the family is very marked.” This collection of songs embodies the true spirit of Christmas – its religious significance, love, family and harmony.

Stronger Together, the second album, also in 2012, has over 700 singers from 24 Military Wives Choirs. The album features 'Counting the Time' and 'Stronger Together', written for the album by Gareth Malone, and Gary Barlow's Jubilee anthem 'Sing'.

In My Dreams, the debut album released in 2012, features five Military Wives choirs with guest artist Jon-Joseph Kerr, and includes the 2011 Christmas No. 1, Paul Mealor’s ‘Wherever You Are’.