Mina and Lara

Lara: One of the most exciting elements of our 30th Anniversary celebrations this season that Mina and I share with you now, is the commission piece, being written for us by Richard Thomas, the artistic evil genius behind Jerry Springer, The Opera. After having worked previously with this notorious potty-mouth of a composer, there has certainly been an air of curious hubbubadry within the choir over the last few weeks. It was only recently that the first part of Richard’s 3-movement work was completed and released ‘unto the hounds’ as it were, much to our insatiable intrigue. Finally we were to discover the meaning behind numerous post-it note exercises used to write the piece itself, in which we were asked by Richard to answer several specific questions about being in a choir.

Part 1: I, Choir seems indeed to offer an extension of just that: an introduction into the choir as an entity, including what it can express, explore, create, and what it can draw out of an audience. In a style that reminds me somewhat of Benjamin Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, Mr. Thomas has laid down his own simple yet effective modern day highway into the heart and soul of what it means to be a choir.

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After months of secret preparation we’re thrilled to announce our programme of summer events to mark our 30th anniversary, including a concert featuring 15 other LGBT choirs from around the UK, a world première, an exhibition charting LGBT history in London during the last thirty years, and a set of vocal workshops open to all.

We’re so excited in fact, that we’ve made a special microsite which is packed with all the details of what’s happening and how to get involved.

Find out more now!

Lara

Once upon a Sunday, in the darling month of March, the Pinkies gathered together to hear three leading scholars discuss the last three decades of social and political change within the LGBT community, Louise Chambers, Sasha Roseneil and Jeffrey Weeks.

As a Spring baby of 1989 and having grown up unaware of most of the significant developments that occurred, I was personally very keen to learn about the last 30 years, and more specifically how it linked in with our own history as a choir. If it wasn’t for the time limit I’m sure we could have continued our discussion for hours! Read the rest of this entry ►

Lara

So this season with the Pink Singers is shaping up to be quite unlike any other season previously seen before, as we work to mark the glorious 30th anniversary of the choir. To celebrate such an occasion, we are planning workshops, interviews, a timeline presentation, a new choral commission, and liaisons with other choirs across the country in conjunction with this year’s Pride celebrations. What an utterly delectable snack-box of jollies to come! Read the rest of this entry ►

David B

They say life begins at 30…and for the Pink Singers it doesn’t seem to have stopped since the anniversary concert! As a choir we were honoured to accept the invitation to perform at the Victoria and Albert Museum (arguably the most prestigious museum in the UK). The performance concluded a whole day’s events organised by the LGBT curatorial group at the V&A as part of the LGBT History Month.

A stone’s throw away from where Queen Victoria was born lays a museum packed with variety ranging from neo-classical paintings to the finest ceramics. As suspected the men paid a lot of attention to David that day…(created by Michael Angelo). After warming up thanks to the 14 flights of stairs we headed to our performance space and on the way I walked past my second favourite place in the museum, the café…and if that wasn’t good enough I then walked past my third favourite place…the shop (a crying shame I didn’t get to visit my favourite place which is the Theatre and Performance exhibition…naturally) Amidst renaissance and medieval paintings and statues (with Christ hanging over us) the choir gathered to sing some of the repertoire from P.S. We’re 30! Read the rest of this entry ►

The Pink Singers on stage at the “P.S. We’re 30″ concert

27th LLGFF

The Pink Singers’ 30th anniversary celebrations continue with a special performance for the London Lesbian & Gay Film Festival. This year the LLGFF is celebrating its 27th birthday, which makes it almost as old as us! On the menu this time are a couple of performances, one for the public in the main foyer near the box office (anyone who has ever been there at festival time knows that this space temporarily becomes the communal living room for London’s LGBT community) and one specially for a screening of the film Thick Relations. We’ve not seen the film yet, but we’re told it features a choir, so what better way to set the stage?

The Foyer performance is free. BFI Southbank, Foyer, Saturday 23 March 2013 at 5:45pm. For more information please visit the BfI website, or add this to your Facebook events.

The Pink Singers perform ‘Glad To Be Gay’.

LGBT History Month 2013

The Pink Singers are proud to celebrate LGBT History Month 2013 with a special performance in the galleries of the Victoria & Albert Museum. We are singing as a part of unique series of events where you can experience performances and listen to curators discuss alternative queer readings of Museum objects, discover the histories of the people who made them and explore how sexual identity can inform the way we interpret the past. All events are free. Saturday 23 February 2013 at 5pm. For more information, please visit the V&A website, or add this to your Facebook events.

We recently announced that the Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded £31,000 to the choir in order to collect oral history, memories and memorabilia relating to the choir’s 30-year history. We are really excited to be doing this project as it is a great opportunity to tell our story.

We’re busy amassing an archive of material relating to the choir’s history and we’re about to embark on a programme of interviews with choir members current and past to capture their stories, too.

We are seeking more volunteers to help us with this project. If you are interested in helping with research or the creation of the exhibition, or if you have memories, photographs or other material relating to the story of the choir, then please get in touch. We are particularly keen to hear from experienced graphic designers. If you can help us, please email multimedia@pinksingers.co.uk

The exhibition will open this summer. More details to follow soon!

The whole choir at rehearsal in December 2012. Photo by Simon Pearson

Lara

In the second of a couple of posts, Newbie Lara reflects on her first season as a Pink Singer, and reveals a little bit of choir romance to boot!

My very first rehearsal with the Pink Singers, I remember I’d originally felt so shy and nervous to step into what I’d earlier read to be ‘Europe’s longest-running LGBT choir’ of about 80 members, I almost turned around and went home! Having previously made a habit of keeping myself just a little distanced from the mainstream hubbub of the LGBT community, I was a little unsure and had my reservations about joining such a large choir of its type.

Yet as I approached the rehearsal venue, brain chatter by now in a state of drastic panic and near evacuation, I was immediately greeted by friendly smiles and hellos and introduced to a gaggle of equally timid potential newbies (and I should mention here in a sad attempt to embarrass her, that I have been seeing one of these other newbies for the last few months now and it was one of the most unexpected yet awesome things to happen in my life to date!). We were then escorted into the building to watch and take part in the first rehearsal of the season, and the second I heard the choir burst into a fantastically uplifting rendition of the gospel piece, ‘Joyful Joyful,’ I was hooked! My previous reservations vanished on the spot, particularly after spotting the colour co-ordination of Murray Hipkin’s fabulous bright pink socks and shirt. Read the rest of this entry ►

Gary

In the first of a couple of posts, Newbie Gary reveals all about his first concert experience as a Pink Singer.

Well I did it: I got through my first “Pink Singers” concert, the culmination of 5 months hard work by the choir.

I remember back in the summer when I decided I would go along for an audition. I was very nervous, but everyone was so friendly and helpful. There is so much talent in the Pink Singers and I am still in awe of the fact that I am part of such an amazing group. The Newbies Party was great fun and a chance to meet everyone socially, and made settling in a lot easier… Read the rest of this entry ►