The Harmonies come to the Garden Party

The Start ‘Garden Party to Make a Difference’ is delighted to be hosting the first ever live appearance by The Harmonies, a new five-piece group of talented singers who are also members of the Women’s Institute (WI).

Ninety-five years after the first meeting of the WI in the UK, the search for the new band began earlier this year when a call to entry was distributed to all 205,000 WI members. The final five were selected in June and they have since received a £1m record deal from Universal Music.

The Harmonies’ singers are Doreen Connor, a primary school teacher from Gloucestershire, Gemma Woznicki, who is from East London and works in crime prevention, Jan Mason, an NHS team secretary from Kent, Jennie Mantell, an optician from Staffordshire, and Naomi Willmott, a hospital administrator from Bristol.

Ranging in vocal styles and ages from 26 to 54, their debut album ‘Voices of the WI’ will be released on 25 October, and features classics such as ‘Wonderful World’, ‘Dream A Little Dream of Me’, ‘You’ve Got A Friend’ and ‘Imagine’ as well as two brand new tracks and a unique reworking of the famous song of the WI, ‘Jerusalem’.

Visitors to the Start Garden Party will be able to enjoy their first-ever public performance at Friary Court on Saturday.