In December the Pink Singers went a-carolling to support the fundraising efforts of Marie Curie Cancer Care. We performed both at Victoria Station and in Trafalgar Square. Here Bruce and Sue tell us about their experiences.
At Victoria Station
Bruce
A group of enthusiastic Pinkies arrived around the start of the evening rush hour on the eve of 14 December ready to entertain the public with our dulcet tones. It must have been the pre-cursor to the deep freeze — as although covered, the main concourse at Victoria is definitely not heated! Within a few minutes my feet were starting to feel distinctly cold. During this time, many of our throng had adorned ourselves with tinsel, a variety of other decorations and had agreed what the first carol was going to be. And then they were off….! We launched into our first carol, a little tentatively at first and then as we got used to the acoustics, each other, the words and the music we built up to a good volume, the sopranos doing some rather impressive descants on a few of the numbers. Continue reading “Carolling to fight cancer”
It is safe to say that the majority of Pinkies are also fans of Glee: singing, dancing, what’s not to like? So now the show is back on TV, it is a great time to relive the Pinkie tribute to Madonna’s classic song done show-choir-style at our new year’s concert last Saturday.
If you missed ‘A Burst of Song’, you missed out on ‘Like A Prayer’ and many other great choral pieces. To avoid disappointment, keep Saturday 16 July 2011 free for the post-Pride gay icon themed Pink Singers summer concert which is all about our signature mix of classical, jazz and pop. Sign up to our newsletter, or follow us on your favourite social networking site for all the latest news.
This week’s episode of Glee was called ‘Auditions’ which is remarkably good timing because the summer season starts on Sunday 13 February 2011 and we’re taking on new members. Why not come along and see whether you like being in a choir like ours? Contact us for more information (it’s a lot less stressful than the TV show – no solos required) and hope to see you then!
As a seasoned Pinkie — eight years and counting — you would have thought that concerts were a walk in the park for me. Not so. I still feel the nervous excitement before performances. Our concert ‘A Burst of Song’ at Cadogan Hall on 8 January was no exception.
We arrived at 1 pm fresh and well hydrated — a tip from the top to help us sing — ready for an afternoon of technical rehearsals and preparation for our concert. Our new Musical Director Murray, the choir’s artistic team and Poppy our Stage Manager made sure that the Pinkies and our guest choir from Manchester both sounded and looked our absolute best. Everyone wanted to put on a pinktastic show.
There was a short break after rehearsals — time to get dressed, ready and psyched up. This was the first concert for some choir members. They were understandably nervous of going on stage in front of family, friends and guests.Established members of the choir tried to put newbies’ fears to rest before we climbed the stairs for our first number.
We opened with a lively rendition of Proud Mary complete with an energetic dance routine which celebrated many of Tina Turner’s distinctive moves and shakes. This was followed by John Rutter’s soft and subtle setting of Fauré’s Cantique de Jean Racine, the jazz classic Lullaby of Birdland, a traditional Swedish hymn Härlig är Jorden and the tongue-twisting With a Lily in your Hand by Eric Whitacre to close the Pinkies’ first half contribution. Manchester Lesbian and Gay Chorus then performed until the interval.
We had a few minutes to mingle with friends and family before the second half began, which was successfully opened by our Manchester friends. The Pink Singers then returned to perform the thoughtful and melancholy Deep River followed by Gershwin’s up tempo I’ve got Rhythm. The mood changed again for Send in the Clowns from the musical A Little Night Music. Next came Billy Joel’s touching ballad And so it Goes. A brilliant arrangement of Madonna’s Like a Prayer from the hit TV show Glee closed the show.
Some choir members shone as soloists while the rest of us danced and pranced gospel style. Following a resounding show of appreciation from the audience, we performed With a Lily in Your Hand and Proud Mary again for our encore. To say that we brought the house down is an understatement! Everyone in the audience seemed to be on their feet clapping enthusiastically. It was a brilliant and jubilant feeling.
We’d had a challenging season for a number of reasons and to achieve that level of appreciation made all the hard work and dedication worthwhile. It will be a night that I will always remember and I am proud as punch of the Pinkie crew for pulling off such an amazing show.
I am still buzzing and eagerly await what’s in store for the Pinkies next season!
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”
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!”
