Grand Ambitions

In early 2024, The Choir with No Name Cardiff (CWNN) launched a new creative project: a six-week songwriting course that gave participants the opportunity to tell their stories through original music. This was a significant departure from CWNN’s usual format of singing existing songs as a choir.

Delivered in partnership with Grand Ambitions (based at Swansea Grand Theatre) and The Wallich, the project offered a space for people with lived experience of homelessness and marginalisation to explore creativity, develop new skills, and build confidence through songwriting.

Over six weeks, a group of 12 participants worked alongside two professional songwriters from South Wales, The Wallich’s resident poet, and CWNN’s choir director and accompanist. Sessions were fully collaborative, with participants co-writing lyrics, shaping melodies, and discussing themes they wanted the final piece to express. The focus was on creative expression, peer support, and personal reflection.

The resulting original song was arranged as a choral piece for CWNN Cardiff to perform at their Big Gig. Members of the songwriting group took the lead in teaching the song to the wider choir, building a strong sense of ownership and pride. The project culminated in a live performance in Cardiff, attended by friends, supporters, and members of the public.

Feedback from participants reflected the emotional and personal impact of the project. For many, it was their first experience of creating music from scratch or performing something so personal.

The audience response at the final performance was deeply positive. The song resonated with listeners, and the event challenged stereotypes around homelessness by celebrating the creativity and voices of those with lived experience.

This project fulfilled CWNN’s mission to build joyful musical communities with people affected by homelessness, while also taking the organisation in a new creative direction. It showed that songwriting can be a powerful tool for connection, recovery, and empowerment—and has inspired conversations about how to include more original music-making in the choir’s future work.