THE COMPLAINTS CHOIR Project

In May 2005 we invited people of Birmingham to complain about anything they want and sing their complaints out together with fellow complainers. The project was open to everybody - no singing skills required.  Many people sent in their complaints - about Birmingham, about other people, about world issues and most of all: about themselves. Fifteen people finally signed up to the project, who had the courage to take responsibility for their complaints. The Participants transformed the complaints into an impressive choir song during a two-week complaints workshop with the help of a local musician.

The First Complaints Choir of Birmingham became a surprise success and soon after we received many requests from people who hoped for a complaints choir in their hometown as well. They expressed (almost with a certain pride) that in their particular town people are especially talented complainers: either by quantity (Belgrade), existentialism (St. Petersburg) or sophistication (Buenos Aires).

So far Complaints Choirs have been organized in Birmingham, Hamburg, Helsinki and St. Petersburg. In each place the we worked with a local musician.

The complaints collected to the song can vary from small daily irritations into global issues. Anything that truly annoys people is useful material for the Complaints Choir. In Birmingham people complained for example about unfriendly bus drivers, dead bananas and slow computers. In Helsinki the most favourite topics were ring tones of mobile phones, people who smell in public transport and the fact that Finland always looses to Sweden in competitions. While Hamburg-Wilhelmsburg- Complaints Song was slightly more political from its content, St. Petersburger's emphasized deep basic human issues like: "I complain about existential horror".


CREDITS
 
The Complaints Choir of Birmingham was produced by Spiringhill Institute, Birmingham.
The song was composed, conducted and accompanied by Mike Hurley.
Members of the 1st Complaints Choir of Birmingham are Naomi Bulmer, Lance Bekford, Pamela Ginn, Michael George, Reuben Henry, Tellervo Kalleinen, Karen Kihlberg, Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen, Ian Marshall, Julie O´Neill, Delpha Hudson, Andy Pryke, Hannah Rumsby, David Thomas, Jo Tremarco, Lisa Tremarco, Edward Wakefield and Jimmy Whiteaker.


The Complaints Choir of Helsinki was produced by KIASMA / Kirsi Väkiparta
The song was composed, conducted and accompanied by Esko Grunström.
Members of the Complaints Choir of Helsinki are Saara Aitokari, Kimmo Ahlman, Marianne Amaechi, Anne-Marie Andersson, Jorma Arosilta, Laura Balash, Laura Bohm, Hanne-Grete Christensen, Riikka Eerola, Kristina Elo, Charlotte Elo, Vilma Eskelinen, Kaisa Falck, Katri Haapala, Anne Haggrén, Paula Haikarainen, Essi Helin, Riikka Herva, Elisa Hilli, Laura Hiltunen, Jenni Hjerppe, Matti Hjerppe, Heli Huhtilainen, Marja Hulkko, Arja Hämäläinen, Taika Ilola, Kaija Kaitavuori, Tellervo Kalleinen, Vappu Kannas, Irma Kakkuri, Gea Karja, Riikka Karvonen, Terhi Keto, Kaisa Kettunen, Helena Kilvensalmi, Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen, Kaarina Koski, Juulia Kotkavuori, Marjukka Laine, Jaana Laitinen, Riikka Leskinen, Annika Lindroos, Tea Lindroos, Ilkka Linnakko, Aura Linnapuomi, Nuppu Linnavuori, Leena Liukko, Agata Lukasiewicz, Aleksandra Luukka, Marjut Maristo, Leena Marno, Riitta Merilä, Mervi Mähönen, Pia Männikkö, Tiina Männistö, Satu Niemi , Roosa Nenonen, Sakari Oka, Marika Pajunen, Jaana Pajuniemi, Johanna Peltonen, Tuomo Perälä, Tiiu Pohjolainen, Aino Poutiainen, Eveliina Rantanen, Laura Rantanen, Kati Riikonen, Krista Irmeli Roisko, Kikka Rytkönen, Suvi Saarinen, Marja Salmenmäki, Sara Salmenmaki, Matti Salo, Sanna Selinheimo, Sirpa Sirén, Veera Snellman, Lotta Sonninen, Ekaterina Tommonen, Leena Urrio, Aulikki Uusitalo, Tiina Vainio, Meri Vickström, Päivi Venäläinen, Päivi Voutilainen, Heli Vuoksimaa, Merituuli Vuorikoski, Henrika Vuorilehto, Monica Vähäniitty, Kirsi Väkiparta.


The Complaints Choir of Hamburg-Wilhelsmburg was produced by Galerie für Landschaftkunst / Corinna Koch + Iris Wehberg
The song was composed and conducted by Stefanie Ressin accompanied by Richard Schlüter.
Members of the Complaints Choir of Hamburg-Wilhelsmburg are Silva Adamové, Helga Arp, Renate Behrens, Peter Birke, Bianka Buchen, Astrid Christen, Ilona Doiber, Stefan Dörnfeld, Sebastian Flügge, Wiebke Fuchs, Gabi Glatz-Levermann, Heiko Götz, Traudl Hopfenmüller, Maria Jedding-Gesterling, Tellervo Kalleinen, Susanne Knödel, Corinna Koch, Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen, Veronika Kossek, Wibke +Moshe Kox, Karin Kreuter, Jörg von Prondzinski, Mücke Quinckhardt, Stefanie Schoop, Angad Swiderski, Iris Wehberg, Anke Wiesenthal.


The Complaints Choir of St. Petersburg was produced by Institut Pro Arte / Katya Puzankova.
The song was composed by "TPO Composer" Peter Pospelov and Alexander Manotskov.
Conducted by Aleksander Manotskov.
Accompanied by Sergey Tchirkov and Vladimir Rozanov.
The Complaints modified into lyrics by Ekaterina Pospelova.
Members of the Complaints Choir of St. Petersburg are Sonya Alexandrova, Feodor Bogdanov, Dmitry Bratkin, Vadim Buldakov, Grigorjeva Dina, Inna Estrina, Varvara Garnyuk, Igor Ivanov, Tellervo Kalleinen, Lilya Khusnutdinova, Anna Kirichenko-Churkina, Yana Klichuk, Oliver Kochta-Kalleinen, Elizaveta Kotenko, Olga Kurashina, Anastasia Kvadritsius, Vladimir Lilo, Elena Losenkova, Maria Matveeva, Maria Milchakova, Olga Milovidova, Vadim Nikolaev, Alexander Ninelin, Ekaterina Panina, Pospelov Peter, Elena Petrashen’, Rimma Poltorak, Ekaterina Pospelova, Svetlana Prasolova, Katya Puzankova, Leonid Raihlin, Juryi Rumjantsev, Irina Soboleva, Alexey Stavitsky, Nina Surpina, Katya Tatarenkova, Valentina Ubushaeva, Elena Usova, Demidova Yulia, Roman Zapatrin.