“Good for the spirit”: Inside Warrnambool’s end-of-life choir
A group of volunteer singers are looking for more to join them in singing at the bedsides of people who are seriously ill or dying.
Zara Cuthbertson
April 07, 2026
“It’s just a moment in time where you can just be soothed and comforted and have your spirit held by the singing.”
For Adele Kenneally, that moment is at the heart of what the Warrnambool Threshold Choir hopes to offer.
A soothing sound: Formed about a year ago, the Warrnambool Threshold Choir sings at the bedsides of people who are seriously ill or dying, as well as to their loved ones, as a unique form of comfort.
The Threshold Choir is part of a broader movement that began in the United States. The group - now 15 strong - has already sung at the Icon Cancer Centre in Warrnambool, Lyndoch Living aged care, and one private bedside session.
“We’re not an entertaining sort of choir,” Kenneally told the Brolga. “We sing quiet and soothing a cappella songs, and it’s usually to help soothe people.”
The singers rehearse on the first and third Thursday of the month at the Hammond Centre in Warrnambool.
“It’s a beautiful feeling,” Kenneally said. “Singing together… it’s soothing, it’s quietening, and it’s sort of almost meditative at times. It’s just really good for the spirit, I think.”
How it works: Kenneally said the choir will sing when invited by aged care, palliative care or hospital staff, or by the loved ones of individuals in care.
A typical bedside session lasts for about 20 minutes, with a small group of singers gathering close to deliver lullabies, hymns and gentle choral pieces.
“There is no charge, we sing just in an environment where that’s needed, a soothing environment,” Kenneally said. “When we’ve sung, it’s been really well received … but we’re really keen to get it out there a bit more now.”
Not always easy: Behind the scenes, the emotional weight of witnessing the grief of families losing loved ones is something the group supports each other through.
“We generally have a bit of a debrief when we get together and we talk about it and support each other through that as well,” Kenneally said. “It’s a very supportive group, very positive and very uplifting.”
Welcoming new singers: The choir is open to anyone - if people are interested in singing, Kenneally encouraged them to contact the choir or come along to a rehearsal.