In this special New Pinkie’s View one of our altos Sue tells us what it is like to join the Pink Singers. Interested in trying our choir on for size? Then don’t hesitate: get in touch with Gary on our Join Us page now!
Sue
Talk about popping my cherry! There have been so many things that I have done for the first time since I joined the Pinkies! I have always loved singing but it has mainly been consigned to the car or the bath. I have a job, family and friends that keep me quite busy but felt it was time for me to find something that I could do just for myself and meet some new friends along the way. A friend told me about the Pink Singers, I had never heard of them before so I took a look on their website and immediately liked what I saw. So for the first time in my life I went along to a choir alone (which for me is a very big thing!) I need not have worried because as soon as I arrived I was met by Gary who made me feel welcome. So many of the Pinkies came and spoke to me and put me at ease. Continue reading “Proud to be a Pinkie”
Being a Pinkie does not just mean spending a few hours every Sunday singing scales and belting our lungs out in four-part harmony – although this sounds rather nice already! There really is a lot more. It means being part of a group of friendly people with diverse characters from various backgrounds. It’s a group that’s committed to socialising and enjoying one another’s company as well as to singing. For someone who has been in London – and England – for just four months, I’ve had an extraordinary journey! I can hardly believe what I have done in the short time I’ve been here and I have largely the Pink Singers to thank. Back in September, I was 7,000 miles away in Singapore and getting all psyched up for an exciting time in London. I was looking forward to a new phase in my life, but not without much trepidation at the same time. After all, I was new to the city and knew no-one there, though I had a cousin living in distant Surrey. While I relished the thrilling prospect of a whole new experience in a foreign land, it was somewhat daunting. Continue reading “A choir that’s like a family – join us now”
Thursday 18 November 8 pm Final rehearsal in London. Pretty confident. I know my words, notes and moves. I have abs of steel from doing Proud Mary 3,000 times in front of the mirror. Roll on Saturday. Friday 19 November 7 pm The scene on the train from Euston to Manchester is the Titanic in reverse. Everyone is trying to get on, not off. A kind man sits me in first class in a seat that comes with free gin. Things are looking up. Continue reading “Diary of a Pinkie virgin”
My journey with the Pinkies began with an internet search engine. A lively website and interesting-looking range of songs led me to their Winter Concert. After seeing the live performance, I just knew I had to be a part of it! This is how I found myself standing outside the Pinkies’ rehearsal venue on a Sunday afternoon in January facing the first audition of my life! After a few moments of trying to remember how to breathe, I was met by the lovely Liang. He helped put my nerves at ease and did an amazing job of remembering all of our names as he introduced us ‘newbies’ to each other. Once inside we were welcomed warmly by the Pinkies and guided to the relevant section. Mladen then took us through a thorough warm up, waking up some forgotten vocal muscles before revealing the repertoire for the season. It was as varied as I’d hoped – from Abba to Sondheim to Vivaldi! It was wonderful to be singing in a group again. Continue reading “My journey with the Pinkies begins!”
The choir comes second in the Manchester Amateur Choral Competition – the first event like this the Pink Singers entered, which saw 15 choirs from around the country meet and compete. The competition is not solely focused on the winning choir – simply the satisfaction of having sung to a high standard and the opportunity to experience and enjoy the diversity of performance from other amateur choirs. Our bass, Tom, gives his account here…
To paraphrase Kermit the Frog, it’s not easy being a Pinkie: first there’s the rehearsal commitment, where you have to sing with your friends once a week for a few hours. Then there’s the requirement to learn and perform some spine-tingling pieces. And there’s occasional travel….
So when the rallying call went out for willing participants to enter a choral competition in Manchester and spend a weekend up north, of course I jumped at the chance. What better opportunity to see the Pinkie family, crush those post-concert blues, and turn the red rose pink in the process.
Travelling up to Manchester in style!
We set off on a cold Friday evening and after a lively train journey, gathered on Canal Street for a night out. Much silly dancing took place – the kind that only seems to exist on holiday.
Saturday was our rehearsal day. Time to have some lunch and get down to the business of polishing our competition performance. With everyone gathered in the cosy surroundings of the downstairs room at Via on Canal Street, we ran through our songs. A last chance to dot the “i”s and cross the “t”s.
And then came Sunday, competition day. The air was filled with excitement in the foyer at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM). Choirs from across the country were here to compete for the trophy, performing in the RNCM’s stunning, newly-refurbished Concert Hall, buoyed by some fantastic support from the audience. We were scheduled to be on last, so we were able to see a good few of the other choirs perform – and as their notes resonated around the room it was clear that the standard was very high.
All too soon it was our turn. We were ushered into the warm-up room. Deep breaths all round. It feels like a different kind of adrenaline kicks in for a competition performance. A brief run-through. More deep breaths. Queuing up outside the concert hall. Then, walking on stage.
We opened with Murray’s (our conductor) arrangement (remix) of Vieni Imeneo from Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, followed by a rearrangement of Blackbird and finishing with I Wanna Dance With Somebody. As the last note of Whitney drifted up to the ceiling it was time to relax a little. We didn’t have long to wait before the results came in from the judges, and…
…were thrilled to come third! following some superb performances from the Edinburgh Police Choir and the winning choir, The Noteables.
The return journey seemed to pass by in a haze, with a collective sing-along through the entire Pinkies’ back catalogue. The acoustics of a Virgin Pendolino aren’t quite as glorious as the RNCM Concert Hall but we gave it a go anyway.
And so with Manchester my last cherry was popped – my “competition cherry” (in the Pinkies there seems to be a cherry for everything).
The last four months have been hard work. But, as I write this blog, watching a video of our competition performance has made me realise why I joined. It’s when people get together that great things happen. This season has been an absolute blast. Wild horses wouldn’t keep me away from the next one.
