So far this year we've sung over 100 individual songs and hymns for funerals, burials and memorials services. As you would expect, this total includes some of the most popular items, including:

​When you’re organising a funeral, there isn’t always a lot of time to investigate lots of options for the service. So, you (and many families like you) may not even realise you can have live music at a funerals service. And that applies to the songs you and your loved one enjoyed, not just the hymns.

So, why would you choose to have live music? Here’s five reasons that families have told us.

​Many families ask for a choir to sing at a funeral because that’s usually what everyone has, isn’t it?

Not necessarily. A solo funeral singer (or duo) can be a better option.

This song has surprised us by being a popular request for funerals. Not usual for opera.
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Lascia ch'io pianga (Let me weep)

The composer is George Frederick Handel, and I never thought that a Handel aria would prove such a hit with people. I think it goes to prove if you have a great tune, then it doesn't matter when it was written it appeals to people.

Choosing music for a Humanist or Civil Funeral can be a daunting task. You can have almost any type of music you wish, and there are no legal restrictions.

Singing at funerals across southern England does ensure we sing in many different types of venues. The contrast in venues is sometimes very marked, but as professional opera singers we're able adjust our voices to suit each venue accordingly.

Kevin Mayhew of Kevin Mayhew Publishing has started a debate on Hymn singing and the keys they are sung in. He says that many people say ‘We can’t sing up there’, and states that research shows the human singing voice has dropped over the last century.

Choosing funeral songs can be difficult, and even more so if you're choosing for a Roman Catholic Funeral.

One of the great joys of singing at funerals is hearing the eulogies - and discovering some amazing lives. We genuinely enjoy hearing of lives well lived, whether across the UK, abroad or within 5 miles of their final resting place. Of families raised, careers and jobs, and retirements enjoyed.  Of battles fought both personal and medical, and not always won.