Five months, eighteen rehearsals, a lot of belly laughs and tears of pride later, our Around The World concert is over! And what a concert! Murray, our Musical Director – fresh from working on Dr Dee at the ENO and a multitude of other projects, along with our Artistic Director Oli, skilfully guided us through a tough final afternoon rehearsal as we got to grips with new venue acoustics, percussion and the heat of the spotlights.
After donning our roses and gathering for a final bit of briefing in the green room, suddenly the concert hall filled, the colourful lights came up and it was time to hit the stage.
For me, it was a particularly special evening as it was my first concert with the Pinkies. Nerves nearly got the better of me before we went on. But many mornings rehearsing the lines and choreography on the bus to work (to the amusement of fellow passengers) paid off. I popped my pinkie cherry before a packed audience of hundreds (and one pigeon) at the beautiful St John’s, Smith Square.
This season’s whistle-stop tour of the globe, a celebration of London as a host of the 2012 Olympics and World Pride, saw us get our mouths around a whole host of languages including French, Hebrew, Italian, three Indian dialects, Portugese, Zulu, Swahili and Jiangsu Mandarin.
We were privileged to be joined by the super Gloria choir from Dublin, brought to the stage and conducted by Ian Packham, sporting a cheeky grin. After a grand set nestled around the interval, both choirs joined forces to perform the beautifully elegant Cantique de Jean Racine.
There were a few notable highlights for me – Hsien and Rafael flawlessly opening the concert with Baba Yetu, brimming with confidence; Gloria’s soulful rendition of the heartbreaking And So It Goes by Billy Joel which made me well up; and the lady Pinkies strutting their stuff during a medley of songs from Cabaret (several of the basses had to be held back from bursting onto stage to join them).
No concert is complete without an after-show party, and we let our hair down in style thanks to Gary, our social secretary, who organised a proper knees-up with plenty of dancing and, of course, singing. A fitting way to celebrate the culmination of so much hard work and effort from everyone involved. Many of us wandered home in the daylight some hours later!
After a busy spring, the Pinkies are having a little rest over the summer. I for one can’t wait until next season – it’s one of the biggest in the choir’s long and vibrant history as we turn thirty next year (and, co-incidentally, so do I!). There are big plans afoot! Put Saturday 19th January 2013 in your diary right now as our next concert promises to be a real firework.
In 2012, the choir performed a joint concert with St George’s in Harpenden, a religious foundation school, in support of the charity Diversity Role Models. The Herts Advertiser covered the story in the run-up to the event…
INTERNATIONALLY-acclaimed choir, Pink Singers, travel to Harpenden from their London base next Friday, May 3, to join St George’s School senior and chamber choirs for an evening of music.
Continuing their work to combat homophobic bullying, the 1,325-strong Harpenden school will perform a variety of classical and modern pieces with the Pink Singers as the London choir complete their final preparations for a June appearance in Lisbon.
Assistant conductor Alice Humphrey, who has taught music at the school since last September is thrilled that St George’s students have the chance to sing with the choir she trains each week with English National Opera-based musical director Murray Hipkin.
She said: “‘The Pinkies’ as we are affectionately known are of an incredible high standard and they will be so impressed with my St George’s students who have mastered a whole range of chamber and popular music. It is so good that the school’s work against homophobic bullying amongst younger students is being extended to this fund-raising concert for our important charity – Diversity Role Models.”
Diversity Role Models speakers with Mark and Liang
Headmaster Norman Hoare commented: “Any chance for our super choirs to sing with professional groups is something we promote and to work with this choir is a real privilege. It will be a stunning concert and at the same time reflects this schools pledge to work against unfairness in society and homophobic bullying which we have been praised for on the national stage – including the Department for Education and Stonewall.
It’s often said that the middle Monday in January is the glummest day of the year. Marooned between paydays, together with the combination of plummeting temperatures, seemingly endless dark mornings and the twinkling festivities of Christmas all but a distant memory, “Blue Monday” is always a struggle to get through. This Blue Monday however is proving a little easier as I’m still grinning from ear to ear at the memory of my full-length debut concert with the wonderful Pink Singers, ‘Comparing Notes’ that took place on 14 Jan 2012. And as Magic radio blares out I Don’t Feel Like Dancingacross the office this morning, let me sum up for you what a fantastic weekend it was to pop my pink cherry…….
After hours of intense rehearsal, the day we’d been waiting for finally dawned, sunny and crisp, and as we gathered hesitantly outside the stage door by the imposing facade of Cadogan Hall, there was a real buzz in anticipation of what we were about to embark on. Having been lucky enough in my previous life as an actor to perform at some great venues, walking out on a new stage is always exciting and today was no exception.
Murray, our Musical Director, was quick to put us at ease though, taking us through a gentle warm-up and getting our bodies and minds focused for the job at hand. The first few bars of Lux Aurumque sounded a little hesitant as our ears adjusted to the new environment, but it wasn’t long before we were in full voice, enjoying the gorgeous acoustics that Cadogan Hall provides.
Seeing the show gradually coming together throughout the afternoon, lights, projections and the fantastic addition of the beautiful string quartet, all added to the excitement and news that ticket sales were heading towards record levels, made us all the more determined to make that night’s show all the more memorable. Finally the arrival of the wonderful gentlemen of the South Wales Gay Men’s Chorus, our guest choir, made sure that the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves would be a highlight of what was to come.
The final countdown soon began backstage and the dressing rooms were a flurry of hair and makeup, last minute choreography checks and preening of pink roses and feathers. Kate, our Chair, took a few moments to thank everyone who had worked so hard to make the night possible (with the help of some black and pink M&Ms!) and it really struck me then how hard so many people had worked behind the scenes to make what we do run so smoothly.
Before we knew it, the clock had swung round to 7.30pm and we were on. Lux Aurumque set the scene perfectly, its shimmering chords sending us well on our way. It was amazing to spot so many friendly and familiar faces in the audience and you knew they were with us when you could hear a pin drop during TheBlue Bird, holding their breath as the final soprano note rang beautifully through the auditorium. The effervescent energy and incredible voice of Larry Newman made Sit Down You’re Rocking the Boat (already going down as a Pinkies classic) a chance for us to start showing off our finely honed choreography before SWGMC joined us.
As we came off stage to watch the boys from Cardiff strut their stuff, the energy felt amazing and we knew that the second half could only get better. The SWGMC opened part 2 brilliantly with a medley from Chicago, followed by – amongst others – a great arrangement of Bohemian Rhapsody (BSL interpreter Zane, resplendent in his pink gloves, did more than justice to the stylings of the great Freddie Mercury with his signing!). Then it was the turn of our string quartet, (the Pink Stringers?!), to enjoy their moment in the spotlight with beautiful contrasting Dvořák and Gluck pieces.
Finally the Pink Singers returned to the stage for the last few songs – including Pinkie Chris’s stunning arrangement of Make You Feel My Love before we busted a collective move to Scissor Sisters and The Black Eyed Peas. Murray asked the audience, by now on their feet, if they wanted more so we duly obliged with Katy Perry’s Firework, our sparkling rings working to perfection creating a stunning final firework image for the audience to take home with them.
After a few drinks in the bar with friends – none of whom had been to a Pink Singers concert before and who all promised to become dedicated groupies in the future – it was on to the after show party at Bar 229. Gary, our Social Secretary, had, as ever, come up with a real find of a venue and it was great to celebrate a brilliant night with the rest of the group knowing that our hard work had really paid off. The DJ certainly knew her crowd, spinning the cheesy pop until the wee hours and throwing in a few tracks from the concert which we couldn’t resist singing at the top of our voices.
Finally to finish off the weekend in style, I couldn’t miss the traditional Pink Singers end of season brunch at the Retro Bar. As we got stuck into the various goodies that people had brought, we compared notes (geddit!) on the previous night’s events and got to know the gents of SWGMC before bidding them a fond farewell with promises to visit in the future.
So all in all, I’ve had a fantastic first concert weekend with the Pinkies. It’s been a huge honour to be able to work with such a dedicated and talented group of people who genuinely love what they do and I can’t wait to do it all over again with them. So, never mind “Blue Monday”, here’s to “Pink Monday” and may there be many more…
Arriving at the Bloomsbury Theatre brought back a flood of memories for me as my last visit was nearly 20 years ago when I saw a soon to be famous Paul O’Grady there, as his venomous alter ego Lilly Savage.
Just as the throng of excited Pinkies grew, the heavens opened reminding us that the day of our ‘summer’ concert was finally upon us.
We were led down backstage and the buzz of excitement and anticipation was electric. Then there were Pinkies everywhere, running around like kids in a sweet shop, exploring our new domain where we ruled for the day. “How big are the dressing rooms, my mirror, the star on my door?!”
Backstage, where most people never see, was a labyrinth of corridors, twisting and turning up and around until you find the pass door into the wings and onto the illuminated runway of joy, as Lilly used to call it. I walked out onto the stage for the first time and looked out across the vast expanse of seats that would soon be filled with our paying public. My buttocks clenched and cursed at the thought of my nearest and dearest who would soon be sitting in the second row and wished that my attendance at rehearsals had been as committed as my attendance at the pub and the parties!
We started the rehearsal but this time was different — we all went out into the auditorium and explored there too. We stood, looking back at our stage and the exciting task before us. We sang to it and to each other and it became our space. Then the work started and suddenly we all realised what we had to do and what a show we’d created like no other we’d done before.
So many cues, moves, songs, soloists, canes, cabaret, conductors, curtain calls and encores (well almost). We had a master of ceremonies, a barbershop quartet, a piano AND an organ, temperamental stars, sugar plum fairies, a locomotive, Lady Gaga and our very own Dolly Levi. How will I get through it? We need more time!
Suddenly, there was no more time… it was time! The audience were there, the bars were full, the programmes sold and the bums were well and truly on the seats. Pink accessories on! We were in show state. Well, some of us (me) were just in a state! Warm up, cool down, nervous, excited, terrified. In the wings, in the dark, silence.
Then the Pinkies surrounded me and we were together again, as one, our choir, to perform as we love to do, and we filled the room with song and laughter and magic and love.
It was warm. The streets were old and welcoming. There was a buzz in the air. We were sitting directly under the magnificent, ancient Acropolis, having dinner at the beginning of our weekend in Athens. The food was amazing. We are the Pink Singers, and we were there to perform in Athens’ 7th Gay Pride Festival.
As it turned out, the weekend couldn’t have gotten much better (or having gone much more smoothly). From the moment we arrived at at the main site for a sound-check on the Saturday afternoon, the organisers were genial, welcoming and inclusive. As we warmed up on stage, the public milled around, smiling and clapping. This was just a sign of things to come.
Back on that stage at sunset, as the opening act for Athens Pride 2011, we were welcomed by thousands of Grecians (and their international friends!) who cheered, clapped, wolf-whistled and swayed as we ripped out repertoire from Sondheim to Madonna; from Sunday to Proud Mary; from Hairspray to West Side Story. We felt special; that we were there for more of a purpose than to simply entertain. We were helping celebrate the cause closest to our hearts and sharing that support with an ancient city.
We ignored the (unimpressive) anti-gay protesters on the side of the road and sang (and danced) as loud and proud as our voices (and our almighty Leader/MD, Murray) would let us.
Upon finishing our set we were escorted through the crowd to the back of a float. We scrambled on, cranked Beyonce, Pink and Lady Gaga on the affixed loud-speaker, and sang and danced as the crowd (allegedly 10,000-odd strong) followed us around the city streets. It was incredible!
Thousands of people smiled, cheered and waved as we cruised along with the other Pride floats. There was brass bands and drummer-girls and costumes and craziness. While Alice (support conductor and singer) leaned off the side of the float, painting the smiling faces of the ancient city with her iconic gay-flag-coloured crayon, Jerome (tour organiser and singer) lead the rest of us in a Pride dance-off. It was mad: if you punched the air (and we did), the crowd followed suit. If you were Rachel (choreographer and singer), they even wanted to kiss you! The feeling of support and oneness with those around us was unprecedented.
Back at the main festival site, we spent the rest of the evening watching the other acts and enjoying the incredible hospitality of the organisers and volunteers of Athens Pride 2011. The love and support shown was definitely in keeping with the festival’s slogan for the year, “Kiss Me Everywhere”. A big, big ‘thank you’ to all involved and for inviting us to be a part. It was a weekend that the Pinkies will never forget.
