From humble beginners to professionals, twin cities’ only English choir has come a long way

Part of their activities include fundraiser concerts, proceeds from which go to schools.

ISLAMABAD: As Christmas approaches, many are looking forward to celebrating by singing carols at the churches in the twin cities. But as surprising as it may sound, there is just one choir in the entire twin cities that sings carols in English.

St Joseph’s Parish priest Father Safaraz Simon had the idea of orchestrating the choir back in 2009. But the Philippine nuns tasked with the responsibility were already burdened with running a convent school in Islamabad.

The responsibility was then passed on to a Karachi-based couple, Sandra Barrows and Bryce Barrows. They brought with them a team of 20 singers, who worked together to perform at not only the churches but conducted independent activities for the uplift of the local Christian community. Bryce is now the head guitarist of the group while Sandra is the choir director.

“Our choir has improved tremendously over the last two years and we have been getting requests to sing carols outside the church too. But it has not been easy,” said Sandra. Initially, she explained, the team could not even hit high notes and it took them weekly practices to get where they are now.

Now, they also hold Christmas concerts, providing a platform for youngsters to perform and raise funds for the tuitions of schoolchildren in their respective communities.

It took the choir weekly practices  to get where they are now. PHOTOS: EXPRESS

“My vision for the team was to be more than just a choir. In Karachi, the community is much more active and I wanted to bring that spirit here,” said Sandra.

Two years back, they also held a fundraiser for two schools, St Joseph’s School at Lal Kurti and St Patrick’s school on Murree Road. For starters, they charged a nominal Rs25 ticket at the Christmas concert. Their first concert collected Rs75,000 which was enough to fund 12 children’s school fees for one year.



This year the choir aims to collect double the amount. Sandra says this is their way of giving back to the community. “We ensure strict accountability for the charity money, which we hope will encourage people to give more.”

Singing is not all that the choir does. Working as a close-knit unit, they are active on their Facebook page and hold regular team-building events. Through these events, they aim to reach out to the Christian community, encouraging people to sing along, be it religious carols such as “silent night, holy night” or foot-tapping jingles such “jingle bells”.

In the end though, it’s all about the greater good, as Sandra notes, “Our aim is simple: sing to God, sing for God and sing of God.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 24^th, 2012.