The winter season has begun, old faces have returned and new faces have joined the choir. A very warm welcome to everyone! We've hit the ground running with performance in Windsor at the fringe festival under our belt, and there is loads more to come. Have a look at our season schedule for what lies ahead in Winter 2006. The rehearsal schedule is also available for download, particularly if you are a resting Pinkie thinking of just joining the small group and not the main choir this season. Don't forget to have a peek at our repertoire as well - it is our usual eclectic mix of pop, jazz and classical.

This logo, courtesy of Richard Seymour, dates from 1991 - you've just gotta love ye olde dot matrix printers! FOPS itself wil be making a return this season, partly as a way of recognising those friends, family and fans who have helped to support the Pink Singers through the years. We have a dedicated FOPS page which is still under development, and a new column 'Because Of You' kick started by Martin. In 'Diary Of A Chorus Camel' he recalls manning the Pink Singers stall at GALA 2000 in San Jose. While you are there, you can also pick up a Pink Singers promotional button to decorate your website, blog or email signature!

Speaking of past events, over the years we have produced a ton of original artwork for our flyers, tickets and posters. While they do get archived, much of the effort goes unrecognised and forgotten. To remedy this we now have a poster showcase where you can flick through some of the graphics our choir has used for past events. There have also been a couple of additions to our on-line archive of press cuttings - don't forget to have a look at Pinkies In The Press! If you have any lurking around please send them along to add to our collection.

Did you know that the Pink Singers appeared in the Milennium episode of Gimme Gimme Gimme? Well, Andy M was there and he regales us with his story of what it was like in Tales Of The Pinkie. Also, our Pinkie Of The Month is none other than the amazing Simon (absolutely no bias there!). I know what he gets up to in his free time (those Carry On films!) and now so will you!

Yes, you get this monthly email news bulletin, but did you realise that you can also get real-time updates with our RSS feed? We already have a number of subscribers who have added our feed to their blogs, and it is now easier than ever to keep up with developments in the choir and on the website. First of all, our newsfeed is syndicated via Feedburner which makes it simple for you to add the RSS to the aggregator of your choice. Secondly, what you see here is the special Pink Singers News widget. If you already use Yahoo! Widgets, then this is an easy way of getting the feed delivered to your desktop. Finally, when all else fails, you can still subcribe via email.

Joined the forum yet? Not only is it a way to let the choir know how we're doing, it is a chance to offer ideas of where we should be heading. Think of it as an open meeting outside an open meeting; an after pub chat after we've left the pub. This is a space where you can discuss all things Pink Singer: the music, the rehearsals, the performances and the socializing. This term sees much to discuss on the agenda - so sign up now!

If, like me, you have a ton of rehearsal recordings stored on your computer, you might be interested in adding a little album art to go with each season. Well, this is now available on our desktop downloads page. Here you can also download a Pink Singers folder icon pack if you want to customize the look of your computer even more. Firefox users can also install a special Pink Singers search plug-in which allows you to search our site from anywhere on the web.

Over the summer you may have noticed a number of changes to the appearance of the website - yes, we're going all Web 2.0 with a glossier logo. This required a redraw of our classic logo from the ground up, but it has meant much more versatility in how the logo can be used. It is now plastered across a number of graphics on the website, so if you didn't know we had a logo - you will now! Many of the icons signifying particular functions on the website have been changed, and, if you use Firefox, you will be greeted with an animated favicon in your browser address bar. Following the comments from the survey of the empty space on our website, all pages have a background graphic - basically a few bars of 'Hand In Hand'. If you hit our home page you will also be greeted with us singing it as well. Fortunately, this can be turned off using the speaker button on the top right! The home page also has a slideshow of the more recent photos in our on-line album.

The new control panel was created as a direct result of the website survey. People asked why the fonts were so big - well, it was to help the partially sighted like me! With these controls though, you can adjust the font sizes as you like, from miniscule to humungous. Taking it further, I am continuing to improve accessibility for the vision impaired. Enhanced commenting of the website should improve accessibility to text-to-speech-based web browsers like Lynx, and braille-based browsers like Mozbraille. In fact, the coding of the entire website has undergone a revision over the break - it is cleaner and leaner, and much more modular in its appearance - much better for the next webmaster! Furthermore, although we continue to make downloads available in Microsoft Office and Adobe PDF formats, we now release non-proprietrary and open-source versions so you can view the contents even if you don't have these programs. If you look at our ehearsal schedule you will see that it is available in formats like XML and HTML as well - perfect for toting the timetable with you on your web-enabled PDA or mobile phone!

Given the heat wave we seem to be having at the moment, it is hard to imagine that summer will ever end, but looking back at the number of Pinkies events in July it already feels like it has gone on forever. Have a look at the reports from Nathalina on our gig at the launch of the print version of Pink News, from Kay about this year's fantastic Europride Parade, and from Mikki and our trip up to Leeds to sing with the wonderful Gay Abandon. While you're there, don't forget to check out the photo albums which go with them, as well as pictures from the Pinkies Summer Picnic on Hampstead Heath this year.

There are many new faces on the website - we have a new exec for instance. Jenny has now stepped down after having served tirelessly as publicity co-ordinator for many years. We are eternally grateful to her, and she now takes a well-deserved rest - she should be Pinkie of the year, not just Pinkie of the month! Some old friends also make a showing: read Andy Quan's stories of what being a Pinkie in the late 90s was like. As for (now no longer) new faces, see what Tim Robinson made of his Pink Singers debut.

The website itself is slowly being adapted and enlarged due in the main to the feedback from the choir. There have been some changes to the colours, the interface and to the RSS feed but most importantly there have been two new sections. The first is the Pink Singers forum (currently available to active choir members only I'm afraid). It's the place for chat about all things pink, and is kindly moderated by Sally and Cormac. Sign up, sign in and start writing! And then there's the Team London Blog from Ritchie. Stay tuned for news from him on how Sing Out and Various Voices are shaping up for 2007 and 2009!

The summer season has culminated in a frenzy of activities for the Pink Singers. It was a sweltering evening for a summer concert, but we bore up and managed to wow the audience with a full two act set. Have a look at Hester's experience of the evening in the Past Events section. You'll notice the masthead of Pink Singers News and the website has changed and it now incorporates our positions at the end of Sheer Madness: jazz hands! If you were at the concert, please leave us some feedback - it will help make us even better!

The Pinkies were really honoured to be a part of the gala event of EuroPride, EuroPride Sings. It was great catching up with familiar faces in other choirs in the larger gay and lesbian community, both in the U.K. and overseas. Have a look at Cormac's musings. But EuroPride Sings was not all fun and games; you may have heard that London was successful in its bid to host the next Various Voicesin 2009. EuroPride Sings was a dry run of sorts. Together with the LGMC and Diversity, the Pink Singers are helping to organise this major event. It's a big responsibility to put on a party as wonderful as Paris 2005. If you can help let us know!

Updates to the website for July include this month's POTM, Adam- see why he's joined the Pink Singers! I have also written an article myself, for Tales Of The Pinkie, relating my experience of GALA in Montreal. I am sure you all have stories to tell of our history, please keep them coming! In our Past Event reports, James regales us with his tale of the Big Pink Hunt, and the final cut of the photos of Copenhagen has made it to our photo album, together with Mel's report of what it was like to sing with the "Curlers".

Our other major change is to the RSS feed. Up till now, the RSS feed was little more than a direct copy of this newsletter which comes out once a month. Thanks to your feedback though, from now on the Pinkies News RSS feed will be a real time update of news and all changes to the website - why not subscribe now?

Double Entendre is the last event of the Summer season 2006. The Pink Singers are travelling up to Leeds on the 15th of July for a weekend of singing with the ever-talented Gay Abandon. If you're in the neighbourhood, why not catch us (and them) in action?

The Pinkies are back from our trip to Denmark, and I'm still running on a high. I know I'm not the only one who felt jittery before going on stage, particularly since we still hadn't nailed some of the more complicated Britten pieces in the rehearsal. But we redeemed ourselves with the actual performance, and the Danes gave us one of the warmest welcomes in recent memory! Special thanks go to the Carmen Curlers, who went out of their way to make us feel at home. There's nothing like the rush of singing together - we've made new friends and I feel really proud to be a Pinkie! Congratulations to all.

While we had a bit of a dry run in Copenhagen, there are at least twice as many songs to get through for our grand summer concert, Brahms To Broadway, on the 17th of June. The small group may also be performing, and there may be solos from Adam, Simon and Tanya. If you've already heard them in rehearsal, you'll know they are performances to watch out for. So what are you waiting for? Get your tickets on-line now!

Thanks to Nathalina, the poster for our summer concert is now available. If you'd like to take a look, and download a copy for yourself and your friends, have a look at our upcoming events. This event is helping to kick off Europride 2006, so make the 17th of June a date with the Pink Singers!

In conjunction with the summer concert, we are also launching our on-line box office. Getting tickets for future events is even easier than before. We are using the secure Paypal system, so you can rest assured that your ticket purchases are made safely. You don't even need a Paypal account - all you need is a credit or debit card.

There are loads of activities happening this month. First of all comes the altos' big pink hunt. Have you had a peek inside yet? It's still not too late to get a team together for a fun afternoon around central London - and you stand to win some prizes too!

Following on from this is our concert in Copenhagen with the Carmen Curlers. For the groupies out there (you know who you are!), the end of May Bank Holiday is the weekend we hit Denmark. It is really the inaugural run of some of the songs from our Summer 2006 repertoire before the highlight of the Pink Singers' year: the summer concert. Stay tuned - tickets will be going on sale for this event in the next few weeks!

Speaking of the summer concert, the small groupwill be perfoming a piece then as well. It is still not too late to join - we will be having a rehearsal on Saturday 6th May. Even if you are not singing in the main choir this season, why not come along for an hour of singing, and a chance to perform on stage?

The weather is warming up, as are we before the big summer concert. It is hard to believe we are already half way through the season! There have also been many additions to the website, the most prominent of which is details of the altos' big pink hunt. Tickets are cheap so why not get a team together for a jaunt around our great city and let Kay know?

Don't forget to check out contributions from this April's Pinkie of the Month Fran (find out what she does when she is not singing) and Richard Seymour who has written a reflection on his experience as a Pink Singer in Tales of the Pinkie.

Thank you for your help with Tales Of The Pinkie. It is coming along nicely, with several contributions from members old and new. We could always do with more stories, so please do keep those historic juices flowing and keep sending those anecdotes in! To read some of the memories you've shared and to share more of your own, have a look in our history section. This project is an on-going one, but our aim is to develop a bank of history for our 25th anniversay in 2007.

We're kicking off a new section on the website called Tales of the Pinkie. In the run up to our 25th anniversary we are collecting stories of what it is and was like to be a Pink Singer in the last two decades. Of course, we'd like anecdotes from those of you who are in the choir at the moment, but we'd really like tales from Pinkies who were in the choir in the late 80s and throughout the 90s.

What are your recollections of the choir, especially in those early days? Who were the other choir members? How did you get in touch? Where did you rehearse? What did you sing? Now is the time to share those memories, and help give the Pink Singers and even deeper sense of heritage.

This is an ongoing project, so your words will continue to be added to our pages. We would be really grateful if you could share your stories, and please do pass on the word to any Pinkie you are still in touch with!

The repertoire for the summer season is now confirmed, and Pink Singers can suggest a title for the summer concert. There is an added incentive - if your title is selected, you win a bottle of champagne! So get cracking, all ideas on a postcard (or more practically, an email) to Lynne.

While we are on the topic of suggestions, now is the time to come up with ideas for the Winter 2006 repertoire. This is open to anyone, Pink Singers and the public alike. What would you like to hear us perform? Have a look at our music resource links for ideas, and send your suggestions to Mladen. Who knows? Your wish might very well come true!

Apologies for the lack of updates over the last fortnight but I've just got back from a much needed break!

As you can see there have been a few significant changes, not least of which are a couple of social activities organised by the basses and the sopranos. These are taking the form of a theatre evening, followed by a race night, happening in quick succession on the 21st and 22nd. To find out more, have a look at our next events page. You'll not only have a great night out, you'll be helping support the Pink Singers too!

We also have a number of new members this season - as well as returning Pinkies. To check out who's singing for Summer 2006 take a peek at our current season's choir.

The summer season starts on Sunday the 5th of February, and for the next three weeks we're hoping you'll join the Pink Singers. Contact our new members' rep Rachel if you are interested!

Thank you so much for your comments on the winter concert, especially those who took the time to fill in our feedback form. We really appreciate it!

Judy, now no longer new, has written a warm piece on her debut concert with us, and you can see it in the new Pinkie's view section.

The pink accessories have been put away, the music has been filed, it is hard to imagine that the winter season has finally wrapped up. A great big thank you to the audience at the Royal Academy of Music on Saturday - we hope you enjoyed the evening as much as we enjoyed putting it on! Thanks also to our fantastic guest choirs, the Rainbow Voices and LGMC. We'll be seeing more of you in the future!

If you are interested in joining the Pink Singers, now is the time to do it! We are taking on choir members for the summer season, and you'd better hurry - the summer season starts on Sunday the 5th of February. Join us and we hope to see you at our first rehearsal.

On Sunday afternoon we'll be hosting the traditonal post-concert party at Bar Aquda in Covent Garden. This event is for the performing choirs only, and is a chance for Pink Singer, Rainbow Voice and London Gay Man to get to know each other better after the performance.

For more details see the next event page.

Yes, we have been cutting it really fine, but the winter concert finally has a name and a fantastic poster to go along with it. A very big thank you to our graphic-designer-in-residence Nathalina!

Check out the official poster, and if you are thinking of buying tickets, don't leave things to the last minute like us!

Taking time out from pressing his performance shirt and spit-polishing his dress shoes, Philip has written a brief history of the Pink Singers. It is really hard to imagine that we are already in our 22nd year. We've really blossomed since our inception as a tiny protest choir at the first Pride rally, but we've never forgotten our LGBT roots.

Have a look at our potted history, reminisce, reflect, and come see us in concert!

We are in the final stretch to the winter concert - the Pinkies are busy rehearsing and Mladen is busy stressing! The music is pretty much ready to go and we are polishing our dance moves.

Remember, the concert is this Saturday, 21st January at 7.30pm at the Royal Academy of music. If you haven't booked your tickets yet, get them from our Box Office now!

To kick start this feature on the website, and to help new Pinkies get to know the others a little better, who better than everyone's favourite tenor Johnathon? Have you ever wondered why he joined the Pink Singers, or what he does when he isn't singing? If he hasn't told you already - you can read all about it in our Who's Who? page.

Keep checking back every month for a new face!

Thanks to Liang, photos of the recent end of year brunch we had at Bar Aquda in Covent Garden have been posted. Most are available on his Yahoo! Photos page, and if you are Pinkie, you should have received an invitation to view them.

If not, don't worry! A selection of these photos has also been put up on the Pink Singers website. They can be viewed in our on-line photo album.

News from the Pink Singers will be posted on this page. In time it will hopefully contain new announcements about concerts and other events, as well as changes to this website, and maybe some Pinkies gossip!

The RSS feed is available to add to your aggregator, so if you'd like news updates delivered directly to your browser, have a look at the column on the right!

This is the new-look Pink Singers website. Unfortunately, not all the links are currently operational, so please be patient with us as we iron out some of the kinks in the coming months!

Stay tuned for even more exciting new changes to come, and if you see any broken links or have any suggestions for content, please do let the webmaster know!