The new Leeds community choir is ready to rock.

Sixteen people attended the opening session of Up Tempo, intended both as a social activity and a Jewish answer to popular groups like Rock Choir.

Using a venue and keyboard donated by Leeds Jewish Housing Association, the choir is an initiative of community development executive Susie Gordon, who is charged with creating new social activities.

"We will be singing contemporary music and there is no need to audition," she said. "It's more about people joining in an open-minded way and engaging people in a way that doesn't have to be about being Jewish necessarily."

Music coach and theatre director Dovrat Levy, 45, has been enlisted as choir leader.

She moved to Leeds from Spain four months ago with her family to escape the country's economic downturn and has found a job with Google.

She was delighted with the response - "and the level of the singing was unexpected".