Moira Garbutt joined Forth Valley Chorus in 1990 and initially sang lead, before realising her true calling as a bass! She has a beautiful rich bass voice and is a mainstay of the section. FVC is a family affair for Moira– her sister-in-law Mags Murdoch, niece Lesley Bee and her daughter Lynsey Benton all sing in the chorus too.
Moira is the heart and soul of Forth Valley Chorus– hugely talented, knowledgeable, supportive and with tons of energy that radiate through everything she does for the chorus. She is first to arrive and last to leave every week. She greets everyone with a smile and a personal word – she cares about everyone in the chorus and is welcoming and inclusive to all, particularly new members. As one of our newest members said, “When we passed our auditions, the entire chorus sang a welcoming song to the newbies. I will never ever forget Moira’s face as it beamed a message of welcome from the crowd, I can see it now. It is a very precious memory and will be with me always. Every now and again you meet someone in your life who makes you feel good, Moira is one of those ladies.”
Moira served many years on the FVC management team before retiring recently. She always volunteered for the maximum three years, before taking the compulsory year off, and then volunteering again straight away! She never put herself forward to be the team leader during that time, but has been a great help behind the scenes to many team leaders with her sage advice and encyclopaedic knowledge of all things FVC and Sweet Adelines!
Moira has a fabulous sense of humour and when there is laughter on the risers (as there frequently is at FVC rehearsals), Moira is usually at its heart! She makes the chorus a joyful place to be. Moira loves FVC and the chorus loves her.