Saturday 15th July 2023 – Cadogan Hall, 5 Sloane Terrace, London SW1X 9DQ
Join us on a breath-taking musical journey spanning continents, cultures, and major events in LGBT+ history. Back again at Cadogan Hall, the choir is celebrating our 40th anniversary and bringing back a variety of timeless hits from our repertoire. This two-hour concert is absolutely jam-packed full of synth-fuelled 80’s punk, 90’s power ballads and some of the biggest hits from the 2000’s, many of which are arranged by choir members. We’ll also be treated to a visual montage of Pink Singers’ 40 Year Journey, exploring remarkable events in which the choir supported LGBT+ communities around the world.
Expect a moving revival of Pinkies anthems from past and present.
“It was a wonderfully exuberant and engaging evening….All were given with theatrical pizazz which left everyone wanting more. ” Planet Hugill
Tickets start at £10. Don’t forget, you can secure a VIP ticket including a free glass of champagne from £45. Try to book in advance – this concert is likely to sell out as we did in April!
Pink Singers to perform as part of the Coronation Choir
Members of the Pink Singers, Europe’s oldest mixed LGBTQ+ choir, will make up 22 of the 300-strong ensemble of singers performing at the Coronation Concert this weekend.
The Coronation Choir will bring together singing groups of all shapes and sizes from across the four corners of Britain. The choirs performing are from a range of diverse backgrounds and include an all-deaf sign performance organisation, a traditional male voice choir from Caerphilly, Yorkshire’s only female South Asian choir, the London Fire Brigade and a sea shanty troupe of RNLI volunteers.
The groups will be led by coaches Amanda Holden, Motsi Mabuse and Rose Ayling-Ellis, joined by choirmaster Gareth Malone to prepare the choir for the Windsor Castle event.
Zoe Johannes, the Pink Singers’ Events Manager and a soprano in the choir, spoke about our involvement:
“At the last coronation in 1953 being LGBT was illegal, and it is a significant sign of how much times have changed that the Royal family has gone out of their way to say that they want to include LGBTQ+ people in the concert. That visibility is so important. We wanted to be there for that reason to show the country that we’re out here and we’re proud.”
“There’s a big diversity in our group and where people have chosen to participate it is for a variety of different reasons, but one common feeling is wanting to send a message of inclusion to those watching the event in the UK and around the World.”
In this, our 40th anniversary year, we are proud that we’re able to openly represent the diversity and brilliance of LGBTQ+ people on an international stage through singing.
The journey of the Coronation Choir will be charted in a documentary screening on BBC1 this Friday 5th May at 8pm, and the performance will be shown live during the concert taking place on Sunday 7th May at 8pm. Both programmes can also be watched on the BBC iPlayer, through the links below.
The Pink Singers were proud this weekend to be invited to take part in the Soho Act of Remembrance on the anniversary of the nail bomb attack at the Admiral Duncan pub.
The attack on 20th April 1999 led to the tragic loss of three lives and another 79 people were injured in this hate crime aimed at the local LGBT community. It was the final attack in a series of three bombings, the other two aimed at the Black community in Brixton, and the Asian community in Brick Lane.
The remembrance event – organised by 17-24-30 NationalHCAW – began outside the Admiral Duncan on Old Compton Street before moving to St Anne’s Gardens, where those gathered for the ceremony lit three candles to remember the three people killed in the attack. Moving speeches and readings were given by the vicar of St Anne’s Soho, the LGBT+ Poet Laureate Trudy Howson, the Deputy Lord Mayor of Westminster, the family of Nick Moore, and the LGBT liaison officers for MPS Soho. The Pink Singers performed three songs as part of the ceremony: I Know A Place, You’ll Never Walk Alone, and Chosen Family.
We were extremely proud to sing at this event as one that is close to our hearts. The Pink Singers took part in the vigil held in 1999 in the immediate aftermath of the attack, and we commend the ongoing crucial work of National Hate Crime Awareness Week and so many others working to bring people together and campaign for an end to hate crimes against the LGBTQ+ community.
On Saturday 21st January we performed in our 40th anniversary concert “Party”. The concert on this momentous occasion is considered as one of our best ever! Check out this review from Robert Hugil, our former Musical Director and now a music critic.
Will at the stage door!
Will, a new member of the Pinkies, takes us through the day below.
Over to Will…
“Just think, six months ago, neither of us had met any of the Pinkies and now we are going on stage with them.” I mused whilst unpacking my show outfits.
“It’s not even that.” said Max (a fellow bass newbie). “I haven’t even passed my probation at work yet.” Remembering that Max had joined the Pink Singers the same week as he moved down to London to start a new job, a nervous wonderment came over me. All the hours of rehearsals, the songs round the camp fire at the weekend away, and the additional dance rehearsal which left us all aching. So much life had been crammed into a few months. For myself it has also been impossible to recognise myself from the person that walked into the first rehearsal in Pimlico. So much has changed; choir members have become chosen family, found a healing common ground in the shared experiences, and I’ve found more of my own queer identify through seeing all different shades of the queer spectrum.
Photo credit: Jessica Rowbottom
One thing is the same as that first rehearsal, I am a bag full of nerves! At 10.30am on the day of the concert we amassed in the stalls. Our Musical and Artistic Directors both gave us a run down of what the day would look like. The morning would be taken up with a step by step walk through of the show Including getting on and off stage and the transitions between numbers. Next would be a full run, adding in strings, percussion, and the wonderful performance from Queer Tango London, with lunch acting as the interval. As the day progressed, thankfully the nerves started the fall away. There were two reasons for this: firstly, I got used to the stage, focusing on the job I had to do; secondly, all of those around me brought a relaxed atmosphere. Smiling selfies were taken, shared dislike of one particular song was voiced, and if no one else looks nervous then why should I?!
Spice Girls meets English Madrigal. Photo credit: Jessica Rowbottom
Furthermore, the amount of support around me was phenomenal. The Pink Singers is a volunteer army and it was in full evidence that day. Props, set, and projection had all been prepared in advance, specifically for this show. Which meant when I was in concert dress with my pink rose, I felt ready to pop my pink cherry, by which I mean carry on the traditional where all of the newbies have their photo taken with a cherry.
The silence as you waiting in the wings ready to go on is always the part of a show day with the most tension. “How are you feeling Will?” Rachel (an established Alto) asked.
“I feel like I could throw up.” I replied.
“It’s natural to be nervous, but just remember it is going to be amazing.”
And it was.
Our very own John Flinders. Photo credit: Jessica Rowbottom
The audience were fantastic, heck we were fantastic! Rapturous applause for every number and a standing ovation at the end. Cloud nine, doesn’t quite cover it. For those two hours we all held each other and that audience together. Shared glances, joyous smiles and the cheers as we went back to the dressing room. All of which meant the atmosphere was electric. As I am writing this 24 hours later I have not been able to stop smiling, this day is a core memory that will stay with me forever.
Ready to celebrate 40 years of Pink Singers? You are not going to want to miss this amazing concert! Join the party at Cadogan Hall for iconic queer anthems and badass ballads, featuring the musical mastery of Lizzo, Spice Girls, Mika, Cat Burns and many more.
Running for 1 hour and 30 minutes, the show will be balanced with choral versions of famous film scores and classical tunes, so there’s something for everyone to enjoy. All-singing, all-dancing, all-harmonising – is there anything Pink Singers can’t do? Grab a VIP entry with a glass of fizz to toast the special anniversary in style.
From £10 to £45 for VIP tickets (includes a glass of fizz & programme). Transaction fees apply.
