Tag: videos

Away with LGBT stereotypes!

As we enter the last week of LGBT History Month, we’re revisiting one of the themes of an event which we took part in at the start of February called Queer Question Time. The panel discussed being gay in professional sports, the need for more sportspeople to come out publicly, and how important this is in demonstrating to the wider society that the LGBT community is not made up exclusively of “white able-bodied TV chat show presenters”.

 Photo credit: Hsien

Indeed, our community is all about diversity, as is our choir, and we’re not just about singing Glee versions of Madonna classics (as much as we love to!) Here we perform Eric Whitacre’s modern choral work With A Lily In Your Hand, set to words from a poem by Federico García Lorca.

Just like a gleeful prayer!

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!

Backstage pass: All the right moves

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLKQFL5aeqo
With just six weeks to go until the New Year concert on Saturday, 8 January 2011, you’d be right in assuming the pressure is on to get the singing down pat, but our regular fans will also recognize that we put in loads of work to perfect the choreography as well. This season we’re debuting two pieces with entirely new moves and, in a choir where moving is ninth or tenth nature, the end result really is the hard work of all the Pinkies.
No-one works harder than our choreographers Karin, Oli and Rachel though, but in between rehearsals they stopped for minute and sat down in front of the camera for a heart-to-heart chat. Watch the interview for a behind-the-scenes look at how they got into dancing, where they get their inspiration from, what they get out of working with the choir, and what you can expect to see at ‘A Burst of Song’. And if you look closely, you’ll also catch a glimpse of the Pinkies rehearsing Proud Mary!
Wondering whether their — and our — hard work has paid off? Get your tickets and come see us in the new year!

We stand against hate crime

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXrWH_SGvDg
It was 23 October 2010. The sun shone earlier in the afternoon when the three larger London LGBT choirs – Diversity choir, London Gay Men’s Chorus and the Pink Singers, gathered to rehearse on the steps of Trafalgar Square. A sudden rain shower as the sun was setting, however, dropped the temperatures to near freezing, but it did not deter us. We were singing for a good cause: to say “no” to hate crime, and tell the victims of hate crime that they are not alone. Here are some of the sights and sounds of the evening.
Photos follow after the break. Continue reading “We stand against hate crime”

It gets better: our stories

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAtQrZYFnEM
Unless you’ve spent your waking hours under a rock the last few weeks, you will have noticed several videos on YouTube bearing the tag “It Gets Better”. The It Gets Better project is the brainchild of Dan Savage, who noticed that in the last month several bullied gay teenagers have taken their own lives. These children are often isolated and have no-one to turn to: their teachers may be uninterested, their parents may be unhearing and their friends may be uncaring. That’s why he started this project: to encourage ordinary people to let these young men and women know that no matter how dark it may seem, things will work out right, and happiness is just round the corner. It gets better.
Yesterday some of the Pink Singers got together to record a little video as our choir’s contribution to this project, and you can see it here.
We are the Pink Singers, and we’re here to say, “It gets better!”