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Summer Season 2009Now is the Month of Maying by Louise T May has its moments. In May 1983 when the Pink Singers formed I was ten years old and starting to work out that the crushes I had were on girls. How gorgeous it is to think that while I was growing up and discovering myself there was a choir, already formed, waiting for me to join it twenty five years later. In May 1988, I was fifteen, and section 28 came into effect. Partly due to the climate of fear created around that particular piece of legislation, no one ever told me it was ok to be who I am when I was a kid. So of course I knew nothing about it when year later in May 1989 14 choirs gathered in Hackney for the fifth European Festival of Song. Zoom forward, twenty years this time, to the Southbank May 2009 and Various Voices. Now I’m grown up. I’m living the future of the kid who didn’t know who she was. But I feel like a kid again. Ever since Various Voices finished I’ve wished I were back there so take my hand and I’ll attempt to transport you: I don’t know which way you want to come, but I reckon we should get off at Embankment and walk over the bridge. From the bridge you can see the Southbank, and the Thames, and St Paul’s in the distance. It’s sunny. Got your Pink Singers T-shirt on? No? Don’t worry you’ll get one later. You’re a bit nervous. Will you remember the words to Dies Irae or the tune to Teardrop? You’re kind of a newbie and there are some people in the choir who have been singing for years and years. You start to see other gay people milling around. Cool. In fact, not just cool: oh my god, the Southbank is full of queers. Yes, that’s right the Southbank. As in the centre of London. As in one of the best music venues in the whole world. And guess what? You’re one of them. Take a deep breath. Put your delegate’s pass round your neck. Go in through the doors to the Royal Festival Hall. OK: on your left there’s a café. A few people aren’t here for the festival. They look at you curiously. Smile and blow them kisses. Keep going. You can hear singing. Not just singing. Harmonies. Different languages. You see people in other choirs in their t-shirts. Yes, whoever that was just went past was checking you out. Think you could like it here? You find your way downstairs to your rehearsal. Get your t-shirt. Lots of other people from the choir have them on. OK, so you don’t normally get like it but now you feel proud to be part of the choir. Warm up. Ready? OK, line up for the technical rehearsal. Now it’s the real thing. Yes, you do have to get changed in a tiny room stuffed full of other lesbians. Glad you put your nice bra on? Good. Don’t forget your pink accessory. On stage. Sing. Off stage. Wait. Sing again. Evening performance. Same. Tired yet? You’ve only just started. Tomorrow you’re going to make friends with people you’ve never met before over Melomen and a croissant, warm up by singing harmonies and waving your hands around your head, accept a rose from a cute woman from Amsterdam, spend quality time on some extra large beanbags, learn to flare your nostrils and pretend to laugh and yawn at the same time and then watch the choirs in the Royal Festival Hall. It’s not over yet: you’ve got cabaret stages, cocktails, more rehearsals, ballroom dancing, slow food, workshops, musical theatre, jazz, performances, master classes and you’re going to get to hear what seems like 100s of gay choirs from around the world sing. And you’re going to get to join in. OK. Final performance. It’s about to start. Get in line. Got your note? 1-2-3-4 Now is the month of maying. Join in. Various Voices 2009 – London Sings Out! by Hsien It is so hard to describe what Various Voices is to someone who has never been to one. Once every four years, the LGBT choirs of Europe gather to sing to and show each other how far they have come. On the face of it, this is like any other choral festival, but the gays really do have all the fun, and VV is like a massive family reunion with two thousand relatives you actually like. The journey to VVL has been a long one, and we knew we had a lot to live up to. VV 2005, my first, was expertly put together in Paris by our friends the zany Equivox and the slick Melo’men. At the end of it London and Geneva put bids in to Legato to host the next one, but the award only came a year later. It was then that Team London, the group comprising members from the Pink Singers, Diversity and the London Gay Men’s Chorus, started the wheels in motion. We’ve been meeting pretty much every first Tuesday of the month since, but much more frequently in the last year, and it was wonderful to see members of all the London choirs putting their time and effort in under the guidance of the Festival Director Martin Brophy.
In fact, the standing ovation was a regular feature of all the choir performances. VV is not about acknowledging the musical prowess of the established choirs, it is about supporting the smaller, fledgling choirs. We all understand the power of song to move, celebrate and overcome prejudice, and it is choirs like Sing Out Bristol, making their debut at a VV, but especially the women of Le Zbor from Croatia, who put up the most inspiring of shows. Knowing that the three choirs of London have such differing musical styles, I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised by the variety of performances on display. From Der Homophone’s theatrical tale of Cleopatra, to the Vancouver Men’s Chorus’ tightly harmonized Celine Dion, to Rainbow Chorus’ narrative of protest songs, to Canta:re’s exploration of Robert Schumann’s music, there literally was something for everyone. And the music didn’t just stay in the theatres either, it was on the cabaret stages, it was at the bar, it was in the fountain, it was on the riverside. We sang about stopping homophobia, we sang to Remember Justin, but we sang mainly because we love to.
Two events really stood out to me over the weekend. The first was the Big Gay Sing: imagine 900 gay men and women who can all hold a note, totally up for performing gay anthems, led by a choir made up of members from all the different choirs. I was sitting next to Oliver from Die Mainsirenen and he couldn’t stop singing, even in the parts where we were supposed to listen to the soloists. Our own Thomas performed a jaw-droppingly inspiring rendition of Over the Rainbow with a friend from Diversity, to a truly deserved standing ovation from the audience. The second event was With One Voice, the performance of the from-scratch festival choir. I sat between Nicholas from the LGMC and Franck from Podium Paris, or “Tatjana” and “Susan” if you went by the names printed on our seat backs! I doubt anyone could have told me just how awe-inspiring it was to be part of a 400 voice chorus performing Carmina Burana in a huge auditorium like the Royal Festival Hall. And we did it all with just 48 hours of rehearsal.
The Pinkies are going to Paris by Kate N “The Pinkies are going to Paris!” … “Are you coming to Paris?” … “Equivox are mad, lovely, but mad” … “Where are you staying in Paris?” The whispers grew at every rehearsal as the date approached. It would be my first ever trip abroad with the Pinkies, but I was waiting to find out when my exams were to see if I could go, and as the concert drew ever closer I began to fear the worst. Just imagine how awful it would be to have to sit at home revising while everyone else was off having a ball! It was too awful to contemplate. Fortunately, I had a last minute reprieve from exams and suddenly, I was on the Eurostar at some god-forsaken hour of the morning, clutching my passport, with no idea where I was going and only the promise of an inflatable bed to sleep on when I got there. I arrived at Gare du Nord and strolled off the train. My impersonation of a suave International Woman of Mystery was only slightly ruined by the uncontrollable yawns that punctuated my incessant mumbling of ‘dies irae, dies illa, solvet seclum in sybilla…oh bugger that’s not right… ummm…. Solvet seclum in favilla?... yes that sounds better...’as I desperately attempted to learn the words. As I left the platform, I all but fell over a posse of pinkies waiting there, which was fortunate as they knew the way to the theatre! Unfortunately, once we reached the theatre, I got separated from the group and inadvertently wandered out onto the stage we were to be singing on. The theatre was magnificent. There are no other words to describe it. Lovely red curtains and seats. Old carved wooden panelling. More seats than you can shake a stick at, with a balcony that disappeared into darkness. Eventually our wonderful international concerts organiser found me and took me down to the dressing rooms. I have never seen so many women, in various stages of undress, crammed into so small a place as that dressing room. Further analysis suggested that some of them were not even from our choir – were these the elusive French singers I had heard so much about? Before I could investigate further than attempting a cheery ‘bonjour’ we were being summoned on stage for our dress rehearsal.
Once we had been through our repertoire it was time for our joint rehearsal of ‘Dirait on’ which we were doing with Equivox, a Parisian choir. Needless to say, the thought of singing in French with a French choir was a bit daunting but they could not have been nicer. And, they even had some weird choreography happening out in front of us involving a marriage ceremony gone horribly wrong. It was odd in the extreme but at least took attention away from our ‘unique’ French pronunciation! Then the other two French choirs joined us and we sang ‘Il faudra leur dire’ - a dirge-like piece of music with little other than its safe-sex message to recommend it. We had only found out that we were singing it at the last minute, so it was gratifying to note that people in the other choirs also didn’t know it that well. There was lots of guiltily surreptitious sharing of lyrics and copies of the music. We then cleared off to let the other choirs rehearse and eventually made our way upstairs to watch the first act. The French choirs were all brilliant! They took choreography to a whole new level which bordered on just re-enacting bits of musical theatre. And the costumes were fabulous! There were also some comedy moments when the drag queen hosting it had to get the terribly straight-laced and tedious visiting dignitaries on stage to speak. Then, in the blink of an eye, we were lining up to go onstage!!! The first song was the joint one involving the other choir and the bizarre wedding sequence. The audience seemed as bemused by the wedding as we were, but they were very appreciative of the singing, clapping Equivox all the way off stage after the bows at the end.
We bowed, they clapped, even Mladen mouthed ‘well done’ (which nearly made me swoon) and then we hit them with our surprise encore ‘La Mer’. As soon as they realised what it was, the crowd went wild!! At the end there were shouts for more! The three choirs lining up to come on were going crazy with whoops and yells! But, with the inevitability of a hangover following a night out with the Pinkies, the other choirs had to join us for the song about safe sex, so we all squeezed on the stage. It was fun watching Pinkies manoeuvring not to be in the front row. Finally we were all in place and we sang what remained of our hearts out and in the process raised 11,500 Euros for charity. All in all it was a great night! And as everyone piled into the bar, we were happy with a job well sung! As for the rest of the weekend - well - I can assure you that it was a lot of fun! I saw sides of Paris, and some other Pinkies, that I had never seen before and I can’t wait for Malta! LGBT History Month gig in Islington by Gary B It was with a mixture of trepidation and excitement that I, as a recent Newbie, approached my first 'community' gig at Finsbury Library, Islington. I had experienced the occasion of the winter concert at the Royal Academy of Music and the sense of fun that The Southbank Centre brought. For me, this was a different kettle of fish altogether - the thought of a more intimate gig, in a more informal setting sent the fear of god through me for some reason - not least because our audience consisted of, mainly other gay people.
A great sense of warmth and pride overcame me as we took our final bow and the crowd cried 'More'. We left the stage on a definite high and mingled with the audience over further drinks and snacks. In true Pinkies style, some continued riding the wave by taking a trip to Islington gay bar 'The Green' post-performance. It was another success and we may, I hear, be invited back, which is great news. Southbank Centre Gig by Naomi B On Sunday 25th January, The Pink Singers performed at the Southbank Centre as part of its VoiceLab series. Instead of a standard concert, we first performed our two numbers, ‘Best of Bond’ and ‘Motown Medley’, and then invited the audience to participate in a workshop in which they were taught three of the Motown songs, along with the accompanying movements. While some of the choir members had sung at least one of the medleys before in previous seasons, for us ‘newbies’ it all had to be learned from scratch. I think it was pretty darned impressive therefore that we managed to put everything together in just two weeks, and to carry off a pretty seamless performance (apart from the moment when ALL the men forgot their ‘arms raised’ pose in the middle of ‘Diamonds are Forever’…). The audience, which started at a good size and increased throughout as passers-by stopped to listen, was very enthusiastic and sang and danced with gusto. Tanya did a fantastic job of leading the audience participation session, and Mladen even got them singing in four-part harmony. All in all, the gig was a huge success – an incredible venue, great music, and a lot of fun had by all. Winter Season 2008Is Singing in the Choir better than sex? Winter Concert 2008 I think I have just had what the mystics refer to as a peak experience…lasting three months! You can meditate, practice tantric sex, swim with dolphins, climb mountains, sit in the presence of a wise or holy person - or you can join the Pink Singers, which is what I did in September. I had been looking for something like the Pinkies for 25 years (that’s how old the are!) ever since I left drama school with my first and last taste of choral singing. In the subsequent years music has been a big part of my life, but quietly strumming Van Morrison on the guitar just doesn’t come anywhere close. Challenging and demanding rehearsals got under way in preparation for our appearance at the Royal Academy of Music for a Christmas concert on the 13th December. I have to say that there were points in rehearsal when the hard work bore glorious fruit as we “came together” (titter, titter) with blissful harmonies that could send shivers down the spine of an invertebrate. Our graceful musical director Mladen and nimble fingered pianist Michael whipped us into shape with a repertoire that moved effortlessly from the divine Rutter and Britten to a cheesily (computer says that's not a word) secular Carpenters number via Chillcot’s version of Midwinter that was to bring tears to the eyes of the singers and audience alike. So the big day arrived with a healthy dose of nerves. Picture the scene, the Duke’s Hall, gilded horns and harps crafted into the chandeliers architecture, approving portraits looking on from their hallowed walls and seats awaiting the cold, damp bottoms of the expectant audience. Then it was our turn with an enthusiastic, 400 strong audience giving us a warm hand on our entrance (arf arf)…AND WE ROCKED! Well we were clear and tight, balanced and witty, sinuous and sublime and…then it was over. And I want to do it again! And again! One of my friends brought her six year old daughter (thanks Joey for taking the choreographic raunch down a notch or two in “I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus”). I shall leave you with her contribution. After her mum said to her on their way home “I really loved tonight…”, the daughter solemnly responded: “I didn’t love it…………………………I ADORED IT!” Mamma Mia! by Nathalina Melody: Mamma Mia! I’ve agreed to many strange things since I don't know when Mamma mia, 7am Monday morning… I've am happy and excited to have been part of this. Mamma mia, here we go again Mamma mia, 7am Monday morning… Did the lights go out all over Broadway? No, but the power failed at Catch 22 in Haringey. by Gerry Thanks to Hsien for already doing a write up of Catch 22 in his Pink Bits. By Google, RAC route planner, other methods and under our own steam we all arrived on time to Catch 22 Turnpike Lane, for our Positive Rainbow gig. Our Host the sometimes unprintable but always Divine Sandra would appear now and then from behind the curtain and slowly before our eyes metamorphose from a slender man into a Amazonian drag queen. Getting down to warm-up and rehearsal, David my partner (and Michael's official page turner), did comment that our space was slightly better and much better lit, than The Gay Games, and that he had come prepared with his trusty Torch. The aforementioned Trusty Torch comes into its own later on in this short saga. At the point when we left to warm-up, we did outnumber the customers, which may have prompted the organisers to inform Ben, (there and then) that our scheduled time on stage was being postponed in order to let our potential audience build up. Fair play to Ben who did apologise to us. Time to kill so The Torch Songs by literally torchlight (Ref The Gay Games Gig) came to light and tales of, in our past treading of the boards etc, the places and people we have had to get changed in and beside were abound. However, change of plan, yet again our big entrance was delayed and we were asked to mingle among the customers until the organiser got their act together (The Pinkies) having ours, ready and waiting. The P.A. and the one minute silence done, our host Sandra was introduced and glided out from backstage on Tower Block high heeled black stilettos and immediately ripped into the audience, that is, most of them look as if they are just in here out of the cold, and one young lady looked as if she had just come out of Holloway, whereupon Sandra clarified that she looked as if she had just escaped from Holloway. A young straight couple from Hungary were laid into, Sandra saying that no doubt they have found the dole office already but by their dress sense they had certainly found Primark. Sandra then announcing to us all that by her dress she was really Michelle Obama ( I thought more like Bananarama). Then our introduction over we are on stage and ready to go. Philip does his usual brilliant brief history routine and as Hsien has already said in his Pink Bits the audience were attentive and appreciative, some even knowing the existence of Love Song For A Vampire and where it came from. Well into our stride and well into Motown Medley, when the power fails on Michael's keyboard and momentarily we are acapella. If you watch the video on Hsien's Pink Bits, you will no doubt agree praise indeed go to The Girls in the front as they instinctively get the tempo back by clapping along to the lyrics and the rest of us follow. Frantic searching ensues and The Trusty Torch once again makes an appearance and saves the day, shining light (literally) on the problem and Michael is back with us. We finish with our usual gusto and the audience are really enthusiastic and genuine in their applause. Sandra does make a comment about the power failure but it is not for delicate ears. Sandra herself praises us as well, saying we were fabulous last year, fabulous this time and she will make sure we are booked for next year. Power cuts and minor delays aside I am sure we went down well even after the lights came back up. Summer Season 2008Finally a “singing” flash mob by Philip According to Wikipedia, a flash mob is “a large group of people who assemble suddenly in a public place, perform an unusual action for a brief time, then quickly disperse”. Flash mobs in London have featured dancing, drinking and naked cycling. It was clearly time for a singing flash mob and the day chosen was Saturday September 13th. Sing London (a group set up to get all London singing) asked members of the Pinkies, the London Gay Men’s Chorus and Diversity Choir to flash mob the people outside the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington who were queuing for the Last Night of the Proms. This was a great opportunity for the three London LGBT choirs to sing together as well as drumming up some publicity for next May’s Various Voices Festival of Song on the South Bank. So at 3pm on the Saturday around fifty singers (in their Pink Singers or Various Voices t-shirts) gathered in the Royal College of Music, opposite the Royal Albert Hall, to rehearse the two songs chosen for the event - Abba’s “Take a Chance on Me” and “Jerusalem”. Luckily I knew the words to Jerusalem (all those years in the Women’s Institute finally paid off) and the only words the tenors & basses had to sing in the Abba piece seemed to be “take a chance, take a chance, take a Jackie Chan chance” or something like that. Finally at 4pm we ventured out into the queues complete with gold arm bands - to show we were not pushing in. For once this summer the sun shone brightly as we quietly started to sing (chanting Jackie Chan etc) while handing out leafets with the lyrics, encouraging people to take part. By the time we got to our second number many of the people in the queues were gathered round and singing along. A number of tourists looked puzzled by the lyrics of Jerusalem (they had not seen any dark satanic mills in Chelsea) but joined in with enthusiasm anyway. And then it was all over and in the spirit of the flash mob we quickly dispersed, albeit to the nearby Polish Club for drinks and plans for the next time. Brainbox Challenge The
Black Cap saw another fabulous evening of Pink entertainment on 10th
June, as the choir and their friends gathered for the Pinkies'
Brainbox Challenge, organised by the sopranos.  Then perhaps we lost focus a little, or just didn't have the hunger for glory: when the final scores were announced, we were second to last! We even missed the booby prize (sniff!). Astonishingly, the smallest team nearly won - only three people, but evidently all super-brains. First position went to... those pesky health professionals and their intellectual team-mates! Congratulations all round, and particular thanks to Jenny and Emelda; it was a great night! Pink Singers – 25 years of Gay & Lesbian Pride! by Michael As well as celebrating our 25th anniversary this year, the Pink Singers also sang at Pride for the 25th time, an event that we are proud to say that we have not missed once in the last 25 years since 1983 when we were first formed. A lot has changed since those early years, and it seems that our achievements run in parallel with the victories that the gay & lesbian community have won. On the day, we were blessed with amazing warm weather, a packed Trafalgar Square, and a wonderfully supportive audience, who cheered for us even while the sound problems were tackled with. We were all buzzing with excitement, being so soon after our last performance at the O2 (and for some of us, there was an extra buzz from seeing some celebs getting changed in the green room). We sang “Son of a Preacher Man” first, and after we had whipped the audience into a frenzy, we sang “Motown Medley” to more rapturous applause. As usual Michael Derrick provided his usual sparkling accompaniment on the piano, and our voices were all in fine form, perhaps from all that shouting during the parade (for those who marched), or perhaps it is because our summer concert is coming up very shortly. In any case, it is so ultimately rewarding to see all the effort and practise coalesce into an exciting, wonderful performance, that delivers the message that we are gay and proud! Indigo O2 Gari Glaysher and the Pink Singers at the Indigo O2 Taking
my concert dress with me to work made all my colleagues wonder what I
was doing after work. Very proudly I announced 'Singing at the O2!' No
one believed me, but after insisting that this really was the case and
explaining that my choir would sing with new up and coming tenor 'One
Voice in a Million' Gari Glaysher, my boss even let me go early.  Gari was also joined on stage by a pianist (who even had time to do change her dress dress in between her appearances), a blonde flamenco dancer (there is a first time for everything), a guitarist (whose string broke just before he was supposed to come on stage, which meant waiting for him to change the string), an operatic soprano (whose voice blended very well with Gari's) and a pop singer (who was on stage just before us, so I unfortunately missed her).  What a wonderful evening, I would like to thank Gari and his team for such a wonderful opportunity to be able to say that we sang at the O2. I really enjoyed the performance and I know the rest of the Pinkies did too. When can we go on tour Gari? Winter Season 2007LGBT History Month by Charlie Pinkies Play Islington Town Hall for LGBT Month 13 Pinkies - including newbies like myself - turned out for a 'command
performance' at Islington Town Hall's opening event for LGBT History
Month, 1 Feb 2008.  After a careful warm-up with our maestro Michael - we entered the rather grand, oak-panelled and red-carpeted venue to the rousing applause of some 60 plus assembled guests. A hush descended as Michael struck up the opening chords of Come What May on the electric keyboard. The well-polished harmonies really kicked in at the end of the song and we were rewarded with tumultuous applause from an enthusiastic crowd - including Out Lesbian Deputy Council Leader, Lucy Watt.  Then is was 'Heads down on four!' for the Abba Medley - accompanied by the paired pelvic thrusting provided by Susan and Mark. The song was a suitably camp finish to a memorable evening. Thanks must go to Michael for accompanying us so beautifully, Phillip for his amusing announcements and Lynne for organising the booking and the last rehearsal for this season. Winter Concert: Amour and More All
you need for a magical night out is three ingredients: dazzling
singing, a supportive audience and a special dash of ooh-la-la.
Apologies to our French guests for that dreadful reference, but their
presence really made Amour And More, our winter concert one of the most
memorable ever!  By the time the doors opened the foyer was totally packed with people. Some resting Pinkies were working the crowd, and I saw Keri and gang hawking our CDs to great success. Then the even better news came – we were entirely sold out! I can’t remember this ever happening before, so it was quite a momentous occasion.  In many ways, Equivox is a complement to the Pink Singers – their singing approach is more casual than ours, and they are very dynamic when they perform. The two songs which stood out for me was their opening number Aline, and a beautiful medley of European pop songs called Amore. By the time their set was done, the atmosphere in the auditorium was relaxed which helped to set the stage for our half. This year there were a few changes to the way the songs were performed. Instead of Philip R and perhaps a few extra presenters, more Pinkies were involved, and we had small introductions by yours truly, as well as Philip G, Susan, Joey, Lynne and Andrew F. It was wonderful seeing how different people approached the task, and I really loved Joey’s camping it up in his spiel about the musical numbers. Zane, our sign language interpreter, also got in on the action and donned pink satin gloves for his bit. And what a performance it was too! All the anxiety over Dies Irae proved to be groundless as we gave it the best shot we have ever done. It was a thunderous opening number and one the audience really seemed to love. Even Come What May, which at the start of the season sounded more like nails being dragged across a blackboard, sounded simply heavenly, and I saw a number of people in the audience breaking down in tears as we reached the crescendo. Finally, I want to congratulate the sopranos and altos on their wonderful performance of Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend. They didn’t have a huge amount of time to prepare it, but were slick and sexy anyway! All too soon we found ourselves joined on stage by Equivox, singing the joint song finale Fields of Gold. I have always loved this particular arrangement, and with our numbers doubled by the French choir the sound was wonderfully rich and emotive. It is surprising how exhausting performing can be, and I always feel a little light-headed afterwards – a combination of adrenaline and needing to pee I suspect. Once we got off the stage it was a mad rush to get changed into civilian gear, and then to the bar where I met up with a bunch of my friends who came down to see Simon and I. Some of them were here for the first time, and they were very impressed indeed, so much so that a couple of them expressed interest in hiring us for future events! It looks like 2008 is off to a good start for the Pink Singers. Concerts in Paris by
Jenny ‘Your
choir is like ours’, smiled Aline, my host for the weekend,
having met Cilla, Jo, a particularly exuberant Johnathon and I at Gare
du Nord. ‘Everyone seems really friendly and
welcoming’. ‘Like a family?’ I suggested.
We both laughed. What a wonderful weekend followed! Equivox were the
most charming of hosts, everyone enjoyed themselves and, I must say, it
was one of my favourite foreign trips with the Pink Singers so far.  ‘C’est le troisième, c’est chic!’, I was told as we entered the very grand and ornate town hall in the 3rd arrondissement, where the two concerts were to be held. We warmed up in a side room, then squeezed onto the tiny stage for the rehearsal. The few hours before the first concert flew by, as they usually do when you’re so focussed on the music, Mladen’s conducting, remembering words in Latin, French and English (and trying to talk in all three), devouring savoury ‘cake’ and swigging Normandy cider!  Our own performances went down very well with the audience, who particularly loved the French pieces. It was really heartening to see people in the front few rows fondly singing the words to ‘Hymne à l’amour’ – the French still have a great affection for Edith Piaf. Aline congratulated us backstage after the first concert, saying she’d been very moved – ‘Now I can really understand the great English choral tradition!’, she enthused. For me, one of the highlights of the weekend was our joint performance, with Equivox, of ‘Let the sunshine in’, complete with extended chorus and grinning, arm-swaying audience participation, presided over by Babette in her absolute element. It’s one of those great moments when the song leaves the stage with you and echoes through the corridors and in your head for days afterwards. What a fabulous end to the show! World aids day 2007 Raising funds for Positive Rainbow I've
only very recently become a Pinkie, and was keen to get a
performance under my belt before we all dash off on the Eurostar to
Paris. So I eagerly signed up to the World Aids Day evening concert
last week on Wednesday 28th November. Being a true South East Londoner
I rarely go further North than Kings Cross, and so I was very pleased
to arrive at Tottenham Hale Tube to find the lovely Lynne who could
guide us all on our way to the venue. When we arrived I was pleased to
see lots of other new pinkies, who like me were looking slightly pale
and nervous.  We took our position in front of the stage after a charming drag act had thoroughly humiliated a poor defenceless teenager, and I was very much hoping our audience were looking forward to something a little more relaxing, a little more cultured. After our marvellous introduction and a quick tune up, we sang our Abba Medley, Come What may and You'll Never Walk Alone. All three went well, and by the end of our set I was starting to feel a bit more confident about actually allowing any sound to come out of my mouth. You'll never walk alone is a good spirit-rousing tune and really helps me to find my feet when performing. For me, I think that was the best of our 3 songs and the audience really seemed to enjoy it.  After a few drinks I decided to wander home. On my way back I had a few minutes to reflect on the evening and realised that I had really enjoyed myself. I was nervous about joining the choir for a couple of reasons but strangely, performing wasn't really one of them. I was more nervous about entering a social group and not knowing anyone. But, I felt entirely comfortable during the course of the evening and felt like I had some good friends around me. I'm really looking forward to getting to Paris and repeating the whole experience with all my new friends and our continental counterparts, Equivox.. Pink! its the colour of the season. Pink really was the colour of the season. Far
too early one Friday morning, I found myself in Heathrow airport
about to get on a plane for the first time in a decade. I was
alternating between nervousness and excitement. Just as I was starting
to panic, Lynne and Michael arrived and we checked in and got through
security in record time. I really enjoyed the flight. I love looking
out
of the window at the clouds below.  We’d heard that a lot of the Pinkies were going to a nearby karaoke bar so we decided to join them. The bar was full of Pinkies and Out’n Loud choir members, all of whom were singing their hearts out. I was really tired so I didn't stay long but before I left, I joined in with all the other Pinkies there singing Angels. The next day, I had a quiet morning dozing on Mathias’s very comfortable sofa before going off to the rehearsal. The rehearsal was made far more interesting because at least half the choir had colds. So all through the rehearsal, throat sweets, paracetemol and cough medicine were being passed around. There was a great piece of music on the wall which made me laugh. If you didn’t get a look at it there then here are some links. It's definitely worth a look. FaeriesAire and DeathWaltzFaeriesAire and DeathWaltz 2We moved into the actual hall which had amazing acoustics, and the Helsinki choir joined us to practice the joint song. After all the panicking we’d been doing to try and learn the words, it turned out that they didn’t know them either! We left them rehearsing on stage and went off to find lunch. And then it was time for us to perform. I think we were brilliant, though the great acoustics in the hall probably helped. The Abba encore got a few laughs and I could see that the audience were enjoying it. The joint song went well too. Then it was off to one of the strangest parties I think I’ve ever been to (and I’ve been to some really weird parties!). The bar area downstairs was huge, which was great. There were sofas and quieter areas as well as the dance floor and bar. And of course there was the sauna. Don’t you always find saunas in nightclubs?  Lynne, Mathias and I got home at about 3am and considered locking Mladen and Paul, who had gone home earlier, in their room so they couldn’t wake us up too early in the morning. Unfortunately we decided against it and so far too early Sunday morning, we were woken up by Mladen and Paul who had decided we were going out to breakfast. We went to a little café which claimed to serve English breakfasts. I don’t think they quite understood how unhealthy English breakfasts are supposed to be though, as they seemed to contain rather a lot of fruit as well as the traditional bacon and eggs. Then Mathias kindly took Lynne and I sight seeing around the city. We went to the Lutheran Church at the top of a huge flight of stairs, the Church in the Rock, the market by the harbour and the view of Helsinki from the top of the tower. At every stop we bumped into more Pinkies who were also cramming in some sight seeing before travelling home. There were quite a lot of us pinkies on the flight home. I was shattered and I think I slept most of the way. Having to get on the tube after an amazing weekend like that was a bit of a let down but it was good to get home. I had an amazing time on my first Pinkie trip aboard and am really looking forward to Paris. Thanks guys for making the weekend so special. A Little Of What You Fancy Something Fishy or a Diva from the Deep Sea? 16th June 2007 saw the advent of our Summer concert at the RAM.    Blow Out Bands Night!  The sound of all the bands was crystal clear thanks to the brilliant sound engineering of Bookie. South Side Story: A Southwark Hunt by
Philip Gatter  A Weekend In The Country   Capital Quiz (Part 2) by
Johnathon The questions were devilishly difficult, but we did our utmost to answer them. Correctly. Hmmm, I much prefer the Dukes Hall and (shock!) even the Fancies, compared to that. Again, well done Emelda, you are a total star. Out In Time by
Gill  Mark chastely Hollywood-kissed me, which was one the the highlights of the evening! Capital Quiz (Part 1) by
Michael
Winter Season 2006Still Misbehavin' |
Select An Event HereSummer Season 2009Now is the Month of MayingVarious Voices Paris Concert LGBT History Month gig in Islington Southbank Centre Gig Winter Season 2008Winter Concert 2008Mamma Mia! Positive Rainbow Haringey Summer Season 2008Pinkies Flash MobBrainbox Challenge London Pride Indigo O2 Winter Season 2007LGBT Month Islington 2008Winter concert: Amour and more Concerts in Paris World Aids day Helsinki: Pink! Its the colour of the season Summer Season 2007Summer Concert 2007: A Little Of What You FancyBlowout Bands Night! South Side Story: A Southwark Hunt A Weekend In The Country Capital Quiz Part 2 Out In Time Capital Quiz Part 1 Winter Season 2006Winter Concert 2006: Still Misbehavin'Carolling At Waterloo Pinkies At The Home Office World AIDS Day Battle Of The Brains On The (Windsor) Fringe Click on For the past events archive
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The biggest coup was securing the world-famous Southbank Centre for the four days of the festival. We needed a venue where people could sing and socialize in one space, and there is nowhere so perfect. But that was just half the battle, there was a programme to plan, a registration process to set up and a million other logistical nightmares to sort out. But before I could even blink the information desk in the Clore ballroom went up and the delegates started arriving! It was time to just cross our fingers and pray that all the preparation would see us through.
Of course preparation for the Pinkies’ choral performance was also on my mind. The Pink Singers sent a large cohort of delegates and we were in the opening concert Voices Of Our City on the Friday night. It is always more nerve-wracking singing to other choristers, but we have been tweaking our repertoire since the start of the year and were ready. Besides, you could not have had a more positive audience. In particular Somewhere and Teardrop were spine-tinglingly lush, and our set was greeted with thunderous applause and a standing ovation.
Like Lou T, I aimed to install myself in the Clore Ballroom for the morning vocal warm-ups, followed by the free performances. I caught the musical director of Rozenkoor taking off his shirt as a part of Steam Heat, I saw the girls of Die Rheintoechter doing their sexy, sinuous choreography. I watched our own Tanya and Cilla do their beautiful rendition of Indigo Girls. It was just so much fun! 
At the end of the day everyone had their own experience of Various Voices. The one moment which encapsulated it for me was when some of the Pinkies, together with Henning from Vox Homana, were in Pizza Express after the closing ceremony, having dinner, feeling a little tired and a little sad that things had come to an end. The women of Gemengd Dameskoor were at an adjacent table. Seeing us they started singing their songs to us in the middle of the restaurant, and we sang our songs back to them, to applause from diners and staff. It is memories like this which make my world a little brighter. Various Voices is a very special treasure; it has been an honour to be a part of Various Voices London 2009. Roll on VV2013!
We ran through our repertoire: the arching harmony of ‘Somewhere’, the lilt of ‘America’, the mayhem of the ‘Motown Medley’ until finally Mladen intoned the fateful words ‘Dies Irae’. My heart started pounding. Could I remember the words? If I got them wrong, could I get away without Mladen noticing? Should I just fake a massive coughing fit throughout? Should I pretend to be a second alto (god forbid) and hide behind Rachel? Fortunately by the time I had considered all my escape options we had nearly finished singing the song, and as far as I can tell I got away with it.
Then, lights went red, Mladen gave us his Dies Irae grimace and we were off! “DIES IRAE! DIES ILLA!” We put the fear of eternal damnation into the hearts of all those listening! Fortunately from there on in the subject matter got lighter, so after raising a tear to the eye with ‘Somewhere’, and getting fingers clicking with ‘America’, by the time we reached the musical froth that is the Motown Medley everyone was in the mood.
A swift glass of wine and a nibble, pre-gig, took the edge off for both performers and audience and we were thankfully received with open arms! Philip R, warmed the audience up in his inimitable style with his cheeky quips and the first plink of the piano and the drop of our heads in the introduction to Goldfinger provoked roars of laughter which was initially a little worrying but this soon turned to reassurance that we were being received in the manner intended - tongue in cheek and fun! Ply the audiences with alcohol every time I say! Bond went down a storm with cheers and whooping from the audience. Could it get any better? Apparently so as we had people singing along and even a couple dancing in the aisles to the Motown medley!
