Michael

Hello to all the Pinkies and friends, and welcome to the latest incarnation of our website. We have been aiming to update the website for quite some time, and we have brought our website up to date and into the 2010’s.

There have been some major changes since the old website, and there has been a large focus this time around on integrating our site with other social applications such as twitter, facebook and myspace (web 2.0, for the techies out there).

Among some of the changes to the site are:
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Andrew

Wikipedia describes a brunch as “a combination of breakfast and lunch”. For us Pink Singers, it’s way more than that. Following six months of gruelling Sunday rehearsals and extra sectionals, learning music, lyrics and movements, hard work in organizing and producing the concert, various activities, some dramas and the concert itself, it’s nice to have an activity where we can let our hair down with plenty of food (and alcohol) while being elated yet tired after the big concert day!

I have been a Pinkie for 3½ years now, and this was my 6^th brunch. I love food and alcohol, so brunches suit me to a ‘T’; however, this brunch was definitely my favourite yet. The fact that we performed what was described by the audience as our best concert to date certainly helped the good times flow, but what made this event more special was the fact that this was by far our most intimate brunch ever. Read the rest of this entry ►

Jenny

Exciting times lie ahead for the Pink Singers if the summer 2010 concert is anything to go by.

Having sold out our previous show at the Royal College of Music, we set our sights on a larger and more impressive venue for our summer concert. Aspirations and professionalism were ratcheted up accordingly: new music included the fiendish Eric Whitacre piece With a Lily, whilst our courageous choreography team introduced us to the astonishing – if sometimes elusive – concept of the double bounce.

After many weeks of rehearsal and drilling, we found ourselves entering the imposing Cadogan Hall, with the rosters from Suzanne Vega’s performance the night before still tacked onto our dressing room walls – a heady brush with the big time. Although this was only my third concert with the Pinkies, I sensed unusual excitement and anticipation among my fellow choir members, perhaps a little lubricated by gin. Read the rest of this entry ►

Philip

Our very own Philip Rescorla is turning into a bit of a radio celebrity. After a successful stint a few weeks ago, he picked up the phone and appeared on the Joel Kafetz show on JNET Radio last night.

The programme focussed on the LGBT choir movement in the U.K. and featured interviews with the Pink Singers and our fellow choristers in Diversity, the London Gay Men’s Chorus, the Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus, Gay Abandon, Loud and Proud and Rainbow Chorus. Every choir is slightly different, but everyone agreed that being part of a group like ours is a fulfilling experience, even more so when combined with a sense of Pride.

Joel complimented the Pinkies on the quality of our sound and played a recording of Vivaldi’s Gloria from our summer concert (listen to it from the 5:52 mark). As he suggests, we’re not just about Dancing Queen! Here’s the edited segment – enjoy! Read the rest of this entry ►

The Pinkies are on our summer break at the moment, so now’s the perfect time to sit back and take brief rest. It is also a chance to look back on the year and review what the Pink Singers got up to in winter season 2009 and summer season 2010. It starts at the end of October with the anti-hate-crime vigil in Trafalgar Square and ends in the same place in July with the Pride London rally. En route? Hats, choral competitions, Eurovision, a volcano and lots and lots of singing.

Putting together the yearbook was the joint effort of all the photographers who have helped to capture the Pinkie magic through the seasons, so a really big ‘thank you’ goes to Al, Ben, Hsien, Oskar and Peter. With so many images it was hard to pick the two or three which perfectly encapsulated any one event. Stephen Sondheim’s Send In The Clowns as performed by the Pink Singers helped, of course, as did Michael Derrick’s masterful piano playing. So kick off your shoes, relax, and relive the last year with us.

All Pinkies give a little bit of themselves to the choir, but every year there are a few Pink Singers who are generous (foolish?) enough to give that little bit more. Here’s a shout out to this year’s Pink Singers management committee and artistic team. Feel free to get in touch with them with suggestions or ideas you may have for the choir.

Management committee

Max, chair

Lou, communities director

Gareth, U.K. concerts director

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Philip

In case you missed it, here’s an 8 minute  extract from Philip Rescorla’s hour-long stint as a guest on Rosie Wilby‘s show on Resonance FM the Monday before Pride London 2010.

Pinkie tenor and resident Pink Singers historian, Philip was invited to talk about what it was like to be in the Gay Liberation Front. He discusses the role music plays in the Pride movement, the motivations for the Pink Singers’ trip to Tampa, Florida in 1996, and the meaning behind the song Hand In Hand (excerpt included from the 3:52 mark). Just hit play! Read the rest of this entry ►

Léonie

My journey with the Pinkies began with an internet search engine.  A lively website and interesting-looking range of songs led me to their Winter Concert.  After seeing the live performance, I just knew I had to be a part of it!

This is how I found myself standing outside the Pinkies’ rehearsal venue on a Sunday afternoon in January facing the first audition of my life!  After a few moments of trying to remember how to breathe, I was met by the lovely Liang.  He helped put my nerves at ease and did an amazing job of remembering all of our names as he introduced us ‘newbies’ to each other.

Once inside we were welcomed warmly by the Pinkies and guided to the relevant section.  Mladen then took us through a thorough warm up, waking up some forgotten vocal muscles before revealing the repertoire for the season.  It was as varied as I’d hoped – from Abba to Sondheim to Vivaldi!  It was wonderful to be singing in a group again.
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We’re celebrating the Pink Singers’ third year running (rather than just marching) with Pride at the London Pride Run 2010. For those of you who have been to a Pride Run before, you will know that it has a great atmosphere and is a huge amount of fun, but more than that we’ll be helping to raise funds for the London Lesbian & Gay Switchboard.

This year Team Pinkies be debuting our new Pinkies running T-shirts as well, so there’s even more reason to come down and give us a supportive cheer. You could even run yourself, just make sure you register soon! For more information do visit the London Pride Run website, and remember to give us a wave if you see us around Victoria Park on Saturday, 14 August 2010.

The Pink Singers had a great time at Pride, and here are the photos to prove it! Pride London has a very special significance for us. We were, after all, formed in 1983 to add music to the annual march. That was a very different time, and a very different London. Pride now demonstrates just how varied and diverse the LGBT community is, and the Pinkies are proud to be a part of it.

Pride London 2010, proud to be. You can also head on over to the Pinkies’ Pride London 2010 Flickr album to view the photos there.