2013 was a big year for the Pink Singers and a very special one at that. It was a year of celebration, both for the choir and also the country. Our landmark 30th year saw our 2nd CD Recording as well as our ‘Singing the Changes’ Exhibition. But we had a very special invitation: to sing at No. 10 Downing Street to celebrate the legalisation of Gay Marriage in the UK.
I remember the day we received an email saying that we had been asked to sing at No.10 but at quite short notice (if I recall it was within a matter of days). We managed to form a small group of us quickly and I was lucky enough to be part of the experience, as my Manager at work allowed me to take an extended lunch break to go and sing at quite a momentous occasion.
We all convened on a hot Summer’s day in July 2013 outside the main gates of Downing Street and excitedly gathered outside the main door. I had imagined a Martine McCutcheon-like person to greet us at the door (just like Love Actually) but obviously it was a little more formal than that!
We were given a rehearsal space in one of the Prime Minister’s rooms they used for dining and John, our accompanist, led a warm up for us. Everyone was so spirited and raring to go. We made our way downstairs into the gardens of No.10 and had the opportunity to network with some of the guests who had been part of local society and were LGBT figures and role models, including Clare Balding!
We sang a 20 minute set that consisted of some of our Summer Repertoire including L-O-V-E and Seasons of Love from our previous Winter Season. It was perfectly apt for the occasion and David Cameron even took the time to introduce himself and thank us for our contribution. What stuck in my mind that day is that it wasn’t about what the current government had managed to do, as Cameron specifically thanked Tony Blair and Labour for ‘starting the process’ of allowing Gay Marriage to be legal.
The afternoon finished with celebrations amongst the guests with some Pimms and Lemonade and general high spirits all round. That day I had never been prouder to be a Pinkie and it’s something I’ll never forget. Once again, the Pink Singers made important history and reinforced how important it is to have such communities like ours in this current time.
“Why have you got bright pink nails, Miss?” must have been the most asked question of the day in my primary school. Why, indeed…
This Saturday was the culmination of the Pink Singers’ 30th birthday celebrations: the ‘Hand in Hand’ festival and concert at The Troxy in Limehouse. As a new Pinkie, this was the day I was to ‘pop my concert cherry’ and – despite the 6am alarm bell, the 90-minute trek into the wilds of East London and the fear of being in the same room as 500 bananas (don’t ask) – I was beyond excited!
The five months since I auditioned for the Pink Singers has flown by, yet we have achieved so much. I am so honoured to be part of such a talented, creative, intelligent, loyal and passionate group of people. People who have created an incredibly powerful exhibition; people with the vision to commission Richard Thomas to compose music for them; people who have welcomed choirs large and small from around the British Isles to come and share a stage with them; people who can sing and dance so amazingly well it takes one’s breath away.
James Burton leads Va Pensiero (Photo: Pete Stean)
At times this season I have felt a bit of a fraud, sneaking in on all this wonderfulness halfway through. However, standing in the foyer of The Troxy on Saturday morning ready to buddy one of the visiting choirs, I wore my Pinkies’ t-shirt with pride and truly felt like I belonged. There was such a buzz of excitement as the doors were opened and the crowds flooded in. Over 400 participants, dressed in all colours of the rainbow (what else?), were here to sing and celebrate with us – how amazing!
The vocal workshops were both fun and informative. They took us on a journey from opera to medieval music, via world music and ‘belting’! All 500 of us joined in with gusto and it was a great way for us to bond with our new friends from the other choirs. By the time the concert was due to begin, I was pacing up and down the corridor practising my very small, but seemingly epic, introduction speech for the Deep C Divas. When I’d exclaimed a week or so beforehand that I was from Leeds I didn’t realise it would mean stepping into a spotlight and addressing the crowd.
Pink Singers’ set (Photo: Pete Stean)
Our first song, ‘I, Choir’ went down a storm. It was the first part of our three-part commission by Thomas, and as it was a world première, we had no idea what the reaction to it would be! The laughs and applause told us all we needed to know. It was so special watching all the other choirs sing and dance, one of them for the first time ever. But, I couldn’t wait for the time for our set to arrive. The ‘tropical’ conditions inside the Troxy, owing to a good ol’ fashioned heatwave made our hands a little clammier than usual, but that was soon forgotten as we watched a series of stellar performances from all our fabulous guest choirs. All of a sudden it was time for our set, and we were up on stage. From the moment the first few notes of ‘Jericho’ sounded, the whole thing flew by in a flash. I got the giggles when the risers started squeaking in time to our choreography, I almost got all the moves right, and I smiled one of the biggest smiles of my life when the audience clapped and cheered our final number, ‘Earth, Wind and Choir’, joined in wonderful harmony by all 500 voices who joined us for the day.
Thank you Pinkies, for making the first half of 2013 so unforgettable. It’s sad having to go back to reality until the Autumn…
“You know you’re not allowed nail varnish in school, Miss – you’d better take it off before Mr Foley sees you.” And so, I will go home and reluctantly reach for the remover, happy though that the little pink bottle will be there, ready for next time…
‘Hand in Hand’ festival takes place at The Troxy, Limehouse. Representatives from 21 choirs from around the UK and Ireland took part, with 12 performing in the evening concert.
Back in July we invited LGBT choirs from around the nation to help us celebrate our thirtieth anniversary with a festival of song, Hand in Hand. We came together at the Troxy in East London for a day of vocal workshops and a spectacular evening concert.
The Pink Singers’ set included the premiere of The Great Choir of London: a pair of pieces written for us by Richard Thomas of Jerry Springer The Opera fame. We’ve made a small film documentary about this memorable day as a thank you to all who made it so special.
They say life begins at 30…and for the Pink Singers it doesn’t seem to have stopped since the anniversary concert! As a choir we were honoured to accept the invitation to perform at the Victoria and Albert Museum (arguably the most prestigious museum in the UK). The performance concluded a whole day’s events organised by the LGBT curatorial group at the V&A as part of the LGBT History Month.
A stone’s throw away from where Queen Victoria was born lays a museum packed with variety ranging from neo-classical paintings to the finest ceramics. As suspected the men paid a lot of attention to David that day…(created by Michael Angelo).
After warming up thanks to the 14 flights of stairs we headed to our performance space and on the way I walked past my second favourite place in the museum, the café…and if that wasn’t good enough I then walked past my third favourite place…the shop (a crying shame I didn’t get to visit my favourite place which is the Theatre and Performance exhibition…naturally).
Amidst renaissance and medieval paintings and statues (with Christ hanging over us) the choir gathered to sing some of the repertoire from P.S. We’re 30! An intimate crowd of 150 – 200 people turned out to hear us sing a range of music ranging from Massive Attack’s Teardrop to Mozart’s Lacrimosa. Opening with Hand in Hand seemed both prominent and appropriate to celebrate LGBT History Month and still reinforce the strong message it prevails.
The audience ranged from familiar friendly faces to those who may have been visiting the museum for the first time, who stopped, listened and acknowledged the work of a community choir that has grown over the years. One highlight for the onlookers seemed to be our rendition of the William Tell Overture which didn’t surprise me really as I know a few members had felt a little hoarse that day.
As the famous phrase goes they say ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ but in this instance it was the keyholder. Closing our set with Hand in Hand (of course) we were then strictly escorted back to a Seminar room to collect our belongings as the Museum was officially closed….time for Victoria and Albert to reflect on the days activities and remember the day the Pink Singers created history in the spectacular V&A. And if you missed it…fear not. We’re back on Friday 15th March just because we loved it so much!
The whole choir at rehearsal in December 2012. Photo by Simon Pearson
Lara
In the second of a couple of posts, Newbie Lara reflects on her first season as a Pink Singer, and reveals a little bit of choir romance to boot!
My very first rehearsal with the Pink Singers, I remember I’d originally felt so shy and nervous to step into what I’d earlier read to be ‘Europe’s longest-running LGBT choir’ of about 80 members, I almost turned around and went home! Having previously made a habit of keeping myself just a little distanced from the mainstream hubbub of the LGBT community, I was a little unsure and had my reservations about joining such a large choir of its type.
Yet as I approached the rehearsal venue, brain chatter by now in a state of drastic panic and near evacuation, I was immediately greeted by friendly smiles and hellos and introduced to a gaggle of equally timid potential newbies (and I should mention here in a sad attempt to embarrass her, that I have been seeing one of these other newbies for the last few months now and it was one of the most unexpected yet awesome things to happen in my life to date!). We were then escorted into the building to watch and take part in the first rehearsal of the season, and the second I heard the choir burst into a fantastically uplifting rendition of the gospel piece, ‘Joyful Joyful,’ I was hooked! My previous reservations vanished on the spot, particularly after spotting the colour co-ordination of Murray Hipkin’s fabulous bright pink socks and shirt.
As someone who has had quite a lot of choral and singing experience, it’s always fascinating to me to see how different groups operate, and one of the immediate attractions of the Pink Singers was the vast array of different musical styles within the repertoire. From classical Brahms and Mozart, to the show tunes of Les Miserables and Hairspray, across to pop covers of Tina Turner and Elvis Presley, it seems there is nothing this choir won’t try! There is truly something for everyone in the Pinkies, and the choir welcomes people with open arms from all walks of life, whether they have had previous singing experience or not. Whilst I personally aspire to make singing and performance my career, I have felt so humbled to enter into such a loving family of some of the most interesting and inspiring people I have ever met. We have IT consultants, business managers, charity workers, lawyers, teachers, doctors, artists, dancers, and even the odd musician here and there. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, if you love to express yourself through song, the Pink Singers have a place for you.
Rehearsing at Cadogan Hall
My first season has been especially exciting, as this year is an ongoing celebration of the Pink Singer’s 30th anniversary! We started this January with a fantastic first concert in Cadogan Hall to celebrate the choir’s ‘greatest hits’ in conjunction with our brand new CD recording, ‘The Pink Singers, P.S. We’re 30’. This included a whole range of different music specially selected in order to reflect the history of the last 30 years of the Pink Singers, tracing the political, social and cultural changes that affected the LGBT community, alongside the choir’s own development. For me, this gave a whole new meaning to the powerful opening and closing song of the concert, ‘Hand In Hand’, reminding us that historic events and the lives and actions of all people are intrinsically connected.
I have been blessed to grow up in an environment where it is gradually becoming more acceptable to be a member of the LGBT community, a fact that should not be taken for granted. Our hard work this season as a choir, plus all the direction, help and stories emerging from the wonderful committee members and our artistic directors have taught me so much about our brothers and sisters before us who fought hard to get where we are today, and how much work there is still to be done across the world to make our voices heard. Through a cleverly put together combination of photomontages, documentaries, speeches, and different types of live performances (with choreography!), we blew away our audience whilst also moving them to think and reflect. ‘That performance certainly conveyed a message,’ is what my father said after our performance, for which we received a mighty standing ovation! This ability to both entertain and provoke people to think and reflect is one of the most special qualities of the Pink Singers.
I felt honoured to be amongst so many talented new friends in Cadogan Hall and to receive such a positive response, and I’m so looking forward to the rest of the year to come. Happy Anniversary to The Pink Singers I say! Thank you all for making me feel so welcomed, and here’s to the next season ahead!
