The sound of community: A conceptual paper on how choirs can respond to loneliness and fragmentation

Western societies face two interlinked challenges: rising loneliness and the erosion of shared cultural ground. Both threaten well-being and democratic cohesion, as individual isolation fuels fragmentation and polarization undermines belonging. In this conceptual article, we explore how choir singing can serve as a response to these crises rather than merely offering aesthetic pleasure. We develop this claim through a choir of theories : Rosa’s resonance theory frames choir singing as an embodied practice that counteracts alienation; Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory situates choirs within micro-, meso- and macro-contexts; Seligman’s PERMA model highlights how choral participation supports flourishing; and Koelsch’s social functions of music illuminate mechanisms through which singing fosters shared experience and cooperation. Thus, we argue that choirs create community through personal connection and cultural continuity. They provide shared presence, joint effort and shared meaning – counteracting loneliness while reconnecting individuals with collective narratives. Yet choirs also reflect the imperfections of any community: they may exclude, enforce conformity or be used for ideological ends, producing what we call toxic resonance. References to dementia choirs, music therapy groups and civic choirs illustrate how group singing can foster cohesion across difference. Choirs thus emerge as cultural practices with civic potential: they create audible communities.