Enter as strangers, leave as a choir, Stranger’s Choir comes to Kochi

Singing in a room full of strangers might sound like a nightmare to most. But for vocal coach Medha Sahi, it has become a way to make people rediscover joy through music. Her project, The Stranger’s Choir, turns hesitant hummers and bathroom singers into a chorus of confidence. That too, without the trappings of stage, spotlight, or scrutiny.

Armed with a keyboard and a Bluetooth speaker, Medha leads informal, three-hour sessions where strangers sit together, often on the floor, to learn, harmonise, and eventually sing one song as a unified choir. There are no microphones, rehearsals, or audiences. It is just the music and the comfort of being part of something larger than oneself.

“What makes The Stranger’s Choir special is that you can walk in completely unprepared,” says Medha. “All you need is an open mind and a little kindness for those around you,” she says.

Born in Chandigarh into a musical family, Medha trained as a professional singer and vocal coach before settling in Goa. The idea for the choir came from her admiration for New York’s Gaia Music Collective. One text message on a Goa arts group later, a handful of strangers showed up. And the rest, as she puts it, “has been a dream since then.”

Since that first session, The Stranger’s Choir has travelled to six cities. It has been drawing groups ranging from 17 to 120 participants. The experience, Medha says, remains intimate, no matter the size. “I sit with the song, add one layer, and another appears in my head,” she says of her intuitive approach to arranging voices.

Their rendition of a Jacob Collier song even earned them a “like” from the six-time Grammy winner himself. This was a small nod that delighted the growing community.

Now into its second season, The Stranger’s Choir is on course to visit 10 cities and Kochi is among the most-anticipated stops. The session, hosted in collaboration with Beacn, the city-based social entertainment start-up, will be held at AAL Studio on November 16, from 11am to 2pm.

“It is my first visit to Kerala,” says Medha, who has long admired the state’s culture and its cuisine.

“We were excited to bring something like this to Kochi,” adds Abhishek Thomas, co-founder of Beacn. “It aligns with our mission of connecting people offline. The Stranger’s Choir captures that sense of community beautifully,” he says.

To know more or register, visit https://www.instagram.com/thestrangerschoir/?hl=en