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!

A Burst of Song

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!

Claire

Timeline datestamp: 08 January 2011

Diary of a Pinkie virgin

Sarah
Sarah

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”

‘A Burst of Song’ breaks a leg

Simon
Simon

It is quite safe to say that in an LGBT choir we are bound to have more than our fair share of Elaine Paige devotees. She has her own radio show on BBC Radio 2 at 1 pm every Sunday, and you can imagine that a number of us tune in religiously to hear her present her favourite songs from musical theatre on the way in to rehearsal. Simon is clearly one of these Pinkies and he lent his dulcet tones to promote our upcoming concert ‘A Burst of Song‘.
In her radio show, Elaine supports amateur singing and theatrical groups by giving them the chance to speak to a national audience in the ‘Break A Leg’ segment. In case you missed it, you can hear Simon’s little blurb in her last show after the break. He’ll definitely convince you to get tickets to come see us at Cadogan Hall on 8 January 2011! Continue reading “‘A Burst of Song’ breaks a leg”

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”