The Pink Singers: 25 Years Of Pride

"Pride" is such an odd term. In its original sense, the concept is quite un-British. We are almost expected to feel embarassed about our accomplishments. So when I get asked, "What are you proud of?", the conflicted mix queasiness and confusion is exactly the same as I get when asked, "What are your strengths?" in an interview.

When it comes to the Pink Singers, however, I find it a lot easier to know exactly what I am proud of: I am proud of the fact that we are a very diverse group of individuals from all backgrounds, all shapes and sizes, with very different temprements, who all get along with each other. I am proud that we come togther once a week for just twelve weeks or so, and put together a slick, polished and musically accomplished performance. I am proud that the Pink Singers provides a safe and supportive space for people who love to sing who just happen to be gay and lesbian. And the best thing is that we have been doing all the above for 25 years.

I am very proud of the fact that the Pink Singers were created to add a musical accompaniment to the London Pride of 1983, and we have been singing at every single Pride since then. This year was no exception, and nearly the entire choir showed up to strut our stuff and wow the crowds in Trafalgar Square. Things started out rather grim that morning with torrential rain pouring down, but come midday, the clouds cleared and the sun came out in force. By the time Simon and I got down to Pizza Express to meet Lynne and the other Pinkies it was blazing down.

Pride (this time with a capital 'P') is that one day of the year when it seems like London's entire gay population turns out at once. There is an incredibly festive atmosphere and everyone, gay or straight, seems that much 'gayer'. Our maitre d' gave us a knowing wink when we sat down and you could tell he was checking out the passing hordes of muscle marys, twinks, drag queens and the much larger undefined majority as they poured out of Charing Cross station on their way down to the square.

After a hurried lunch - this is the second time the Pink Singers have eaten at Pizza Express in as many weeks, so we don't really even need the menu to order! - we joined the rest of the group up front and wandered backstage in preparation. Michael led the warmup by singing Son Of A Preacher Man. The altos really gave it all and I have to say they are sounding really excellent; they got us in the mood and there was a lot of jumping and jiving going on, and we weren't even on stage yet!

When we emerged from our marquee to make our appearance the atmosphere was electric! The sun was shining brightly and there were thousands of people standing in the square. It was a riot of colour and, thanks to the assorted sponsors, a cacophony of whistles. It is funny how little things prick that sense of pride in you, but seeing the words 'lesbian', 'gay', 'bisexual' and 'trans' in large posters on the parapet at the top of Trafalgar Square made my heart swell. The cheers when we finally got on stage certainly helped as well.

Philip R worked the crowd, Michael played the introduction to Son Of A Preacher Man and we were off! And for once, the sound engineer gods were kind and managed, by the second verse, to get the balance of piano and choir right. Old Pinkies in the audience, including our favourites like Ritchie, Andrew D (with Jamie) and Kay, were waving like mad and singing along. It always puts a huge smile on my face to see members of the wider Pinkie family coming along to give us support.

By the time we got to Forever Motown, spirits were so high and I was singing so loudly I would say that all musical nuances were called off. The sense of unbridled happiness I get when we start singing "Ah... ah... ah... ah!" in unison at the start of Ain't No Mountain always sends a shiver down my spine. This was by no means our most subtle performance, but it really didn't matter at all, and the cheers from the audience were loud and sustained at the end of our set.

Unlike previous years where we both opened and closed the ceremony, this time our duty was only to open the celebrations, so we could wander in and around the crowds. We were tasked to give out flyers to the concert this Saturday (see link to the right for details and tickets by the way!) and it was remarkably easy to do. I had people coming up to me to find out more about the choir, when the next gig was and how they could join. The Pink Singers are nearly at maximum capacity, but with members leaving at the end of every season there is always a space for new recruits.

After that it was off to Soho to fight our way through the mass of gay humanity along Old Compton Street and Soho Square. It was indeed a big 'family' reunion and I ran into several friends, many Frontrunners, and assorted members of our extended choir family. Who would've thought there were that many gay people out there? What really reassured me is that although there were many who fell into one or other of the 'gay' categories, there were many, many others who do not subscribe to these stereotypes. I blogged recently about the hijras in India and how they are the fighting for gay rights in India, and at that early stage of progress, I think you do need such high visibility. Thankfully British society has moved on a bit and there is less need for that kind of identity.

Indeed, to me the Pink Singers are a microcosm of our community. We have a few bears, a few queens (I'm not saying who!), not nearly enough muscle marys (join! join!), butch dykes and lipstick lesbians, but we mainly have a whole lot of members who just don't fit into any category, and who just want to sing. Now that is something to be proud of!

Almost Paris

I have been away from rehearsal for 2 weekends while Simon and I were away in the U.S. on holiday, but we are back now, and it was with some trepidation that we returned to rehearsal to face two new songs
Let The Sun Shine In and Dies Irae from Jenkins' Requiem. The latter Mladen would like us to perform in Paris, while the former, well, we have to perform because it is our joint song. A few seasons ago we attempted, but never followed through on, a version of this song from Hair, and all I will say, for diplomacy's sake, is that it is an interesting arrangement. I don't know the musical well at all, but England and Manchester in particular seem to feature prominently in it. Perhaps this is an incentive to watch the show? Despite these misgivings, I think we did pretty well and the difference between how it sounded at the start of the rehearsal and the end of the rehearsal was staggering, thank goodness!

As for the other songs, they are shaping up well too, and for the first time ever, I think we paid attention to the markings on the sheet music and actually sang "pianissimo" when it was written "pianissimo". Notice I did not write "forte", mainly because we tend not to have a problem with "forte". Ever. In particular, even the semi-horrifying Come What May is sounding less like a dying cat, although we are still quite a way away from tenderness and romance.

The other highlight was some of the Soprano 1s going for gold by singing parts of Lacrimosa an entire octave above what was written; that goes to a high D for the musically inclined. Despite their hesitation, I think it sounded wonderful, and it was quite angelic to hear their high voices floating above the more earthy tones of the rest of the choir.

It was good to chat with some of the new members, even if I find that I am often in such a rush to arrive and leave that I don't get that much of a chance. Celso, who is the tenor who got me into the Front Runners in the first place, was there. He seems to be enjoying himself and is a really dedicated member, so props to him! It seems rather tragic to me, but in the break I was regaling Miranda, Tim R and Andrew D with my, and Johnathon's, adventures in the Front Runners. I also spoke briefly to Joey and Colm, ironically as my bladder was about to explode while queueing for the loo. Needless to say, the conversation was very brief.

All in all I thought it was a very exhausting rehearsal, especially for the tenors who have to hit ridiculously high notes in both Come What May and You'll Never Walk Alone but one in which we seemed to cover a lot. Paris really isn't very far away, so we need it!

P.S. The picture associated with this post is actually quite accurately linked to the title because the Eiffel Towel you see above is the one in Las Vegas, not Paris, but you knew that!

Fun In The Sun...

...or rather the lack thereof!

Given the amazing weather we have been having, I was quite surprised at how well attended yesterday's rehearsal was, particularly since it was in the recital room, buried in the bowels of the Royal Academy of Music. At least it wasn't hot!

Then again, given that we have had a fortnight's hiatus - what with the weekend away followed in quick succession by the bank holiday - I know I certainly missed our weekly sing-song.

We attacked Big Band Bash which is one of my absolute favourite pieces we have ever sung. I remember first learning it three or four years ago, and just what a hard slog it was with the rhythms and clashing harmonies. Now we have the hang of it though, it is great to really get into the swing of it. And this time round we are doing the whole kaboodle, including Don't Get Around Much Anymore and In A Sentimental Mood which we cut last time due to our smaller soprano and alto sections back then. Yesterday the girls sounded really, really good.

The other surprise for me was how okay (we're not quite there yet) This Woman's Work sounds. Andy has worked his magic with the melodies there, but it is very hard to sing owing to the rather difficult rhythms. As Andrew D was saying, it could well become the next Angels.

Something Fishy also gave us their a capella rendition of Only You - a kind of a taster really, for their free gig at Central Station on Tuesday. Given how great they sound it should be a blast! A whole bunch of us will be heading down there. What I really love is how they have alter egos. You go Lara Montagne!

Finally, a sneak peak at Winter 2007's repertoire. It is obviously not yet fixed, but in addition to the rest of Jenkins' Requiem, Liang managed to track down an SATB version of Come What May from Moulin Rouge. He bought the sheet music from the States, and Mladen has looked at and approved it, so that's something to look forward to. A few years ago I managed to cajole Stefan into singing the duet version (AT arrangement with the 'A' transposed down to 'B' for Stefan) with me. It never materialized, and I am glad it didn't because we would have made an utter hash of it.

Simon, ever the Babs Streisand fan, has put forward People, and which may also get through. I am personally hoping that When I Fall In Love eventually gets done by the big choir, given how successful it was with the small group. Still waiting with bated breath to see what the rest of the choir suggests!