httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLKQFL5aeqo
With just six weeks to go until the New Year concert on Saturday, 8 January 2011, you’d be right in assuming the pressure is on to get the singing down pat, but our regular fans will also recognize that we put in loads of work to perfect the choreography as well. This season we’re debuting two pieces with entirely new moves and, in a choir where moving is ninth or tenth nature, the end result really is the hard work of all the Pinkies.
No-one works harder than our choreographers Karin, Oli and Rachel though, but in between rehearsals they stopped for minute and sat down in front of the camera for a heart-to-heart chat. Watch the interview for a behind-the-scenes look at how they got into dancing, where they get their inspiration from, what they get out of working with the choir, and what you can expect to see at ‘A Burst of Song’. And if you look closely, you’ll also catch a glimpse of the Pinkies rehearsing Proud Mary!
Wondering whether their — and our — hard work has paid off? Get your tickets and come see us in the new year!
Year: 2010
A pink Christmas for Marie Curie
Marie Curie works with terminally ill cancer patients, championing new ways of helping them to have compassionate and appropriate end-of-life care. The Pinkies have been doing Christmas carolling for Marie Curie for the last three years and this year we’re coming out again in support.
We had a great time showing our holiday spirit in the station last year. Although it was pretty cold in there, moving around, singing and wearing tinsel and Santa hats warmed us all up. Oh and we got these super duper “permission to ply your musical trade” ID badges for the day. We did a combination of Christmas carols (with some guitar accompaniment) and part of our a capella repertoire, including our awarding-winning rendition of Now is the Month of Maying. Okay, it was perhaps not a traditional Christmas offering, by hey, why not? We got a prize for it! We ended with the Pinkie traditional reward of a nice drink in the pub, a good time was had by audience and singers alike, and this year we can sing it again, all for a worthy cause. Do join us!
It gets better: behind the scenes
Last month we filmed our contribution to the It Gets Better Project. What struck me was the enthusiasm with which the Pinkies supported the making of this video. Within a week of the original YouTube upload by Dan Savage and his husband going viral on Facebook, we knew we had to take part, and a fortnight later, there we were in the break between rehearsals speaking into the camera. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, because we all have our own stories of coming out, but what I did find unexpected was the heartfelt honesty with which the Pink Singers spoke about their own lives. We are all good friends in the choir, yet there are some things which just don’t come up in conversation, because they are perhaps too personal. So it was a privilege indeed to hear what our members wanted to share with those kids who are being bullied for being different, who have no-one to turn to, and who think their own lives are uniquely dark: you are not alone and things do get better.
Have a look at some of the photos taken behind the scenes, and do check out our video, as well as the hundreds of other videos on the It Gets Better Project website. We are the Pink Singers and we’re here to say, “It gets better!”
Working hard but having fun!
No-one ever said that being a Pink Singer was easy, and this season has been tougher than most, with one change after another. We’re making sure we put on the greatest show we’ve ever done, which can be rather difficult when you have to sing in several languages – including French and Swedish – and dance like Tina Turner! Despite this, we’re pulling through and having a great time doing it; have a look at the photos taken at last Sunday’s rehearsal for the proof.
This weekend we’re travelling up north to meet the Manchester Lesbian & Gay Chorus and sing at their concert ‘We Go Together‘. We love them, and know you will too when you come to our own New Year concert ‘A Burst of Song‘ right here in London on 8 January 2011.
If you are looking to get an early bird discount on the most popular seats, remember the deadline is this Sunday, 21 November 2010. So dial 020 7730 4500 for your tickets and see what we’re all smiling about!
We stand against hate crime
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXrWH_SGvDg
It was 23 October 2010. The sun shone earlier in the afternoon when the three larger London LGBT choirs – Diversity choir, London Gay Men’s Chorus and the Pink Singers, gathered to rehearse on the steps of Trafalgar Square. A sudden rain shower as the sun was setting, however, dropped the temperatures to near freezing, but it did not deter us. We were singing for a good cause: to say “no” to hate crime, and tell the victims of hate crime that they are not alone. Here are some of the sights and sounds of the evening.
Photos follow after the break. Continue reading “We stand against hate crime”