SONGS OF TRAUMA, SONGS OF JOY: Choir circles and their alchemy | PANEL | ATTUNE Festival

Singing has always been a way for humans to gather, heal, and belong. From ancient rituals to modern choir circles, the human voice carries stories of both sorrow and celebration.

In this heartfelt panel, vocal coach Eddie Fitzpatrick and psychotherapist Liz Kirby explore how group singing can become a powerful tool for emotional release, connection, and resilience.

Eddie — who once studied at Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts — has reclaimed her own voice after navigating a personal “dark night of the soul,” creating playful, judgment-free spaces where others can do the same. Liz, a psychotherapist passionate about trauma-informed healing, says choir has “changed her life” — helping her move beyond traditional therapy into the liberating power of song, creativity, and community.

Together with Dr Ash King, resident psychologist at Support Act, they will discuss the psychology and magic of choir circles: how voices joined in harmony can hold trauma, ignite joy, and remind us that we are not alone.

FREE WITH REGISTRATION
Presented by The Indigo Project

ATTUNE: A free digital festival.
Exploring progressive approaches to mental health through sound, somatics & ideas. See the full program here.

About Eddie Fitzpatrick

Eddie FitzPatrick is an English-Australian songwriter, storyteller and facilitator who lives and loves on Wurundjeri Country, in Naarm (Melbourne), Australia. Growing up in the English countryside, she sung before she could talk and connection with the earth is a keystone of her work.

As a performer, her songs ripple with authenticity as she weaves poetry, nature, and storytelling into gatherings that feel like gentle rituals. Audiences have described her work as “sound healing in its purest form” and “like being anointed”. Her debut album is set to be released in 2025.

Eddie also journeys with the voice as a guide for others: inviting people into deep listening — to themselves, to each other and to the living world. She holds ‘Our Earthen Prayer’ — a women’s ritual choir — and other song circles and workshops around Naarm. Her work rests on a simple, joyful truth: that all humans can sing (and should!), and that singing together is our birthright — a tiny, radical act of aliveness in the midst of modern life.

Eddie trained at the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, has studied Vocal Sound Therapy with Githa Ben-David, and worked with the Roy Hart Theatre tradition in France. When she’s not guiding song and story, she’s producing festivals and gatherings internationally — with a devotion to creativity, connection, play and the more-than-human world.

Liz Kirby – Psychotherapist & Coach

Liz is a psychotherapist and coach who works somatically and intuitively to connect people back to who they truly are, not who they think they ‘should’ be. She is passionate about therapy because she believes that through self-awareness and learning to connect to the body, people can change patterns, get to know themselves, and ultimately change the course of their lives.

She enjoys working with perfectionists as well as people experiencing anxiety, emotional and binge eating, stress, fear of failure, low self-esteem, and the self-professed ‘self-help junkie’ who believes that they are broken and need fixing.

Liz uses a variety of trauma-informed techniques and approaches to guide her work. She also believes in the power of creativity, joy, and humour to heal — alongside more traditional therapeutic approaches.

About Dr Ash King

Dr Ash King is a registered psychologist and the Mental Health Lead at Support Act, Australia’s charity for music & creative industry workers. After a career-ending vocal injury shifted her from music to mental health, Ash now helps creatives and curious minds reconnect to meaning, manage their inner world, and tap into their creative potential. She’s worked across industries — from music to screen to radio — and believes insight and growth don’t have to be boring (or beige).