Look Back In Wonder

Every season with the Pinkies is memorable, just as every season is different. There are always new Pinkies coming, old Pinkies leaving, new places to visit, old friends to catch up with, and the baseline level of flux keeps things interesting. This season, and this year in fact, has been significantly more exciting than before though, because there has been a considerable amount of change happening. Lynne, our former chair, left the Pinkies on a very even keel, and I know I felt a little trepidation at the prospect of someone else taking over. But Mark and the new committee have put their own successful stamp on the Pinkies, and I thought I'd like to jot some of my thoughts down on what it has meant for me.

1. A much busier season
The biggest change has got to have been that we have performed a whole lot more this season than in any season before. Even before the summer session properly kicked off we were in the Southbank Centre, and this was followed by loads of small gigs, trips to Paris, Edinburgh and Malta, Various Voices London and our usual summer concert. There has been nothing quite like it, and it has been challenging to the choir to learn all the music and choreography to the level we want.

I must confess to not being entirely comfortable with this level of activity, in the main because choral singing really is a team effort. Because we are amateurs, it is hard for all of us to commit the time required to fully polishing up our performance. Most seasons I learn all my music by week 6 or 7, and then I just cruise until the concert. This time round though, the music was chopped and changed from concert to concert, and we had new joint songs to learn as well. I barely got all my music down pat, and must confess that I probably had 95% of the repertoire at performance level, not the 99% I am used to, but even that required a lot of hard work. I am not sure that others want to or can put in the hours needed, nor, arguably, should they be expected to.

On the plus side - there's nothing like common adversity (this word is a bit strong, but you get the idea) and a shared challenge to draw people closer together, and I know the Pinkies who stuck through all the gigs from the start of the year came away feeling exhausted, yes, but with a sense of satisfaction at having worked hard to create something which was worthwhile. I was rather teary at the end of our gig in Malta, partly because we performed really well, but also because it was the end of a great season, packed to the brim with fantastic moments and lasting memories.

I hear that in the coming season we are going to take things just a little bit easier, with fewer events. After the summer I think we need it! But at the same time we do need more performance opportunities to progress us musically, and also to create those experiences which make me glad to be in the Pink Singers. That line is a fine one, and I think the Pinkies are still trying to find the right balance. We know now how far we can go if pushed though!

2. A cap on numbers
When I joined the choir those years ago there were just over thirty members. In the intervening years our choir has grown steadily, and each time we moved our rehearsal venue, from the Drill hall to the Royal Academy of Music, and then to the Place, it became possible to increase the size of the choir. Thankfully, the choir has never had a shortage of would-be Pinkies, but the number of place in the choir always seemed to grow in tandem with the them. At present, however, we have a cap of 80 members, that's 20 per section or 10 per voice. Yet our retention rate is now very high as well, and if you couple that with more and more people writing in their interest to Liang, our new-members' rep, something has got to give.

The first thing was that former Pink Singers are now no longer guaranteed a place in the choir if they have spent more than 2 seasons out. Retired Pinkies still get first dibs on places if they are under that threshold, because people have to take time out for a multitude of reasons. But I certainly think this makes it much fairer for newbies. At the back of my mind, I realise that circumstances may mean I am unable to sing for a year, which would in turn mean that I may not be able to come back. But at the same time I would not want to deny others the wonderful experience of being a Pink Singer.

The second thing, is that the entry process is now not just a simple "voice check" as it used to be. In fact, for a while it has been an audition of sorts. But while Mladen and Michael De can keep an ear out for vocal quality, the Pinkies are not just about singing, it is a real community of people. Sadly, you can't tell how much people will embrace being in the choir by a single trial session: some of the quietest people in their first rehearsal have blossomed the most in the past year, just as some of the noisiest contribute the least. How this is going to be addressed is another issue. I know this is an area that Liang is putting a lot of thought into. We'll see what happens in the coming year!

3. Dividing the load
Although a larger choir means a lot more organisation, this is balanced by having more people who are willing to volunteer a little bit more in running the choir. For the first time in a while all the committee positions were filled, and we even had two positions which were contested at the elections. This is a marvellous place to be in. Part of this was due to the reorganisation of the roles within the committee, to make them more consistent with what they were actually doing, but part of it is due to people now getting more involved in how the choir is run. The open meetings certainly give people a say, and many Pinkies now participate in the running and promotion of our concerts. I agree with Emelda, as she told me on the night of the concert, that it has felt a whole lot more of a team effort this season.

What is probably most reassuring for the committee members is that there are many Pink Singers who would be willing to take on individual projects, even if they do not want to go for a committee role. For instance, Gary did a superb job in handling our new T-shirts with Mark's guidance. Our twitter, Facebook and MySpace pages have been handled by people other than the webmaster (already a full-time job!). It was wonderful that the committee this year recognised the help so many general members provide by giving them a token of appreciation - the limited edition Pink Singers mug. Looks like I have to keep doing stuff for the next few years if I want to get my set of 6!

4. Taking care of new Pinkies, remembering old ones.
One downside of the manic summer season was that because we had so many concerts early on, it was really only possible for existing members to perform, using older repertoire. The new Pinkies were started on the new repertoire of course, but they didn't really get a chance to be part of a performance until later on, and I think they felt a little left out as the rest of us went of and did gigs everywhere else. Some people, like Joanna and Frances for instance, seized the day, but some others found it really hard going and eventually left the choir. My philosophy is that we can't please everyone all the time, but what we can do is offer as much support to struggling members as we can. I know the section leaders do keep an eye out to make sure people are not being left behind, but if they do, and they decide that being a Pink Singers is not for them, then we need to find out whether there is anything that can be done to remedy the situation. Often there is not, and being in a choir does need a degree of commitment which they were perhaps unwilling to make.

Conversely, this season we have also had to deal with two of our longest serving members leaving the choir for personal reasons. Bill has been a Pinkie for 11 years and Andy M has been one for a decade. Both have contributed in so many different ways to the choir, by singing and taking part in events, and in Andy's case also arranging music for us. They will be sorely missed, and it was wonderful that we could recognise their labours. Thank you both once again!

5. A sense of Pride
Although we can hardly be described as activists, I don't think it is going too far to say that for an LGBT choir we weren't very LGBT about it. This does not, of course, mean wearing spandex or platform shoes - we can be gay or lesbian without any of the stereotypes thank you very much - it meant that, apart from Pride, LGBT History Month and World AIDS Day, we weren't really doing very much in or for the community. Part of the hesitation was that people were, for personal reasons, worried about being out. However, the fact that the Pink Singers identifies as a lesbian and gay choir, and have many public performances, makes this point somewhat moot, as well as being incongruous. Indeed, just because you are in the choir doesn't mean that you are necessarily lesbian or gay, just that you share a sense of social justice for all members of society, especially lesbian and gay people. The good news is that where we were once hamstrung by issues of privacy, we are now much prouder. Our role in Malta has galvanised me, and now that we have a community director by way of Jules, expect a lot more Pinkies community involvement in the future.

There are so many other people to thank this season: the entire committee of course, with special shout outs to Ben P, Andrew F and of course Mark. And there are so many things to look forward to in Winter 2009. It is a very exciting and challenging time to be in the Pink Singers, and we are still all trying to find our way. But it is oh so rewarding as well!

Symphonik Sounds In Malta

I had a chat with Andrew F yesterday about our trip to Malta, and he was telling me about our host choir there called Symphonik (horrible Flash website warning!). They seem to be a relatively new choir, but, obviously being quite young as well they have their Facebook and MySpace pages up and running too. These two pages are of particular interest because they have sample music on it so we can hear them in action. And they are indeed unlike any other choir we have performed with. They appear to be a bit more of a backing chorus, and their performance includes a rock band and solo singers as well. I'm a bit old to classify the music but to me they sound a lot like 80s synth. Everything seems really chirpy and fun, and I'm looking forward to what should be a really interesting juxtaposition of sounds.

We Did It: What A Rush!

Well it is now the day after the day after, but I am still riding high after our 25th anniversary concert. We have worked jolly hard this season: not only did we have to perform the full concert with all the repertoire that involves, but we also had learn and perform the choreography with last minute tweaks all the way through. The past few months have been long and arduous, but it all paid off in the end - what an amazing concert we gave!

The day itself began early, starting at 2pm with our stage rehearsal. We ran through the entire concert, from Locus Iste to Come What May, and have to say that there was the usual horror of sounding terribly flat through nearly all the songs. This was interspersed with the similarly traditional trauma of having to get on and off the stage, and getting into the right positions for our moves. I have to say that running through There Is Nothing Like A Dame for only the second time on stage with last minute jiggery and pokery to the choreography was not the easiest experience on my nerves.

By the time the run-through was over, nearly three hours later, my nerves were fairly well shot through and I was totally exhausted. Usually, I'm a bundle of nerves and can't eat a thing just before the concert, but given that we were on our feet for so long, I was absolutely famished. There was no time to go out for our meal (plus the choir is now huge, so we would have filled Pizza Express quite easily) so we had a 'pot luck' type meal down in the canteen of the Royal Academy of Music. This worked out really well for us as some people had really gone out of their way to prepare some amazing food. Kudos especially to Nathalina for making the most beautiful fairy cakes known to mankind! Yum! We also had Warren to thank for being the man behind laying all of the food out in an artistic and oh-so-tasty-looking way.

Pretty soon it was time to get into costume and warm up backstage. This year, since we were doing both halves, we were given the option of wearing two outfits, and some people really made the effort. Lynne's spangly dress for the first half, followed by her corset for the second (ooh la la!) was one of the stand outs. Jo C's full length tail coat was a stunner, and of course people like Amy always look glamorous. Ben P, who is already very cute anyway, looked very Prada in his black ensemble including pencil tie, and Johnathon and Naomi's rock chic(k) leather trousers certainly turned up the heat in the second half.

We gathered backstage as Mark Bunyan introduced the Pink Singers. Unfortunately, we couldn't hear anything of what he said, but in his ten minute preamble he gave a little bit of the history of the Pink Singers, and apparently led the audience in song with I Am A Homosexual, the first song the choir ever sang at that Pride twenty-five years ago. I think it must have been quite a surprise then when we got onto stage and opened with Locus Iste!

I am always nervous on stage, and more so when I know I have to make an announcement or sing a solo piece. It always makes me feel really edgy which means I can't really get into the singing until after the ordeal is over. I'm much happier melding into the background. That said, from the moment we finished singing the Bruckner Motet, I knew that this was going to be an amazing concert. We have never sung that piece better, and there was a wonderful union of voices, we didn't drift in pitch and the ebb and flow of the dynamics was amazing. It certainly set the tone for what was to follow.

If I had to pick out a slightly weaker piece in the first half it would have to be the Triumphal March from Aida. The piece is a grandiose one, and still, I think, a little bit beyond the reach of a sixty voice choir with piano accompaniment. I have to say that Karl Jenkin's Requiem never sounded better though, and Italian Salad was a triumph! Our soloists Adam, Michael D, Simon and Sally Ann really camped it up, and I especially liked Sally Ann's little kick of the heels at the end of her piece. It made the audience, and me, giggle.

The final piece of the first half was Ave Maria, one of the songs we performed at the IndigO2 a couple of weeks ago, with Gari Glaysher returning his visit. If anything, I think this performance was better, partly because we were singing along to Michael D's piano accompaniment, and could therefore be a little more fluid. Gari's voice was as wonderful as ever, although from where we were on stage you could not really hear it well. By this stage I think of Gari as a real friend of the Pink Singers, which reflects his intrinsically friendly nature. It was wonderful having him come along.

By the time we got to the second half things were much more relaxed and I think the whole choir really got into the performance aspect. America certainly gave us a chance to interact with each other, and a friend who came for the first time remarked how much it looked like we were having a good time as part of a team. I couldn't agree more. Everyone really dug deep and pulled what they could out of the bag.

There is a certain schizophrenia in the Pink Singers in that we sing a very varied repertoire, and the two halves really highlighted this, but whether you are singing classical or Motown, the same level of concentration and skill is required, even if the vocal style is different. If I had to choose a favourite piece of the evening, it would have to be Love Song for a Vampire. It seems superficially simple, but to imbue the song with the amount of emotion it deserves is no easy task. I thought the basses were particularly wonderful and their opening line, "Come into these arms again" was the most fused and piano that I have ever heard them. It made me go weak at the knees.

Actually, all the love songs were beautiful, and I spotted some of my friends at the back bawling their eyes out at Your Song and If We Hold On Together. As Andrew F pointed out in his introduction, Michael D's arrangement of the latter song allows for a virtuoso performance on the piano, and I have so say that his fingers flew through that, and all the other songs that evening. It must feel very vulnerable to be so exposed, but Michael D is extremely talented and he turned out a near flawless performace.

Of course, the lynch pin in all of this is our wonderful musical director Mladen. it is impossible to emphasize how important an MD is in tying together the various sections and music, and Mladen does it all with panache. Even if you have only been in the choir for one season, Mladen's directions are like an open book: one gesture and you know when to really go for it, when to slow down, when to hush your voice, when to stop. The Pink Singers would definitely not be at the standard we are without him.

There are times when Mladen has to step aside, and that was certainly the case for the choreography-rich Forever Motown. And what a way to end the concert! The audience was clapping and singing along and we were having a whale of a time. This was followed by a standing ovation from the wonderful and enthusiastic crowd. I almost didn't want it to end.

But end it eventually did, and I have to say that I was running on empty by the end of it. To me, it was the best concert I have ever been priveleged to have participated in, and an example of how far we have come. This season the choir has been pushed harder vocally than ever before and it was very rewarding to see it all come to fruition. At the same time it was so much fun and I've made many new friends this year.

We have just one more gig in Brighton in a fortnight and then it is the end of the summer season. Summer 2008 will definitely go down in my memory as one of my best ever Pink Singers experiences. Pinkies rock!

A Countdown Of Blogs: Premiere

Last season, Andrew, one of the webmasters, decided to do a blog post a day on the run up to the concert. This year, he has invited a 'select' (basically anyone who can be cajoled into doing it - I know about these things!) number of Pinkies to chronicle the run up to our winter performance on the official Pink Singers blog, found on our MySpace page. And, doing the noble thing, he has kicked it off with a post he himself wrote. Here'a a snippet:

Singing with the Pinkies reminds of a jigsaw puzzle, it might take time to put it together, but the end result is always amazing and worth all the effort.

Whether you are coming to the concert or not, and of course I hope you are, it is a great window into the what makes Pinkies tick, and what it takes to put together a performance like we do!

And So It Begins - Winter 2007

The new season started on Sunday. I hadn't been away to Helsinki, so for me the break from choir really was a break, and I was very keen to get back into the swing of things. Having been in the choir now for a number of years, and having missed just one season in all that time, I can safely say that one of my favourite times of the year is the start of the winter season. It is almost like being back at school again after the long summer holidays - you get to catch up with friends who have been away, see your old (double entendre) "teachers" again, and meet a whole slew of new faces.

In the last few years our little choir really has been growing. When I joined the Pink Singers were probably about 30 members, which would mean between 7 and 8 members per section. This year I think we are aiming for 8 members per voice. With 8 voices, that means a total of 64! Of course, the reality is that when it comes to the concert we will not have all 64 members on stage, but it does give us room to accomodate the inevitable cold or food poisoning on the night. At the same time, it is my strong belief that we should not get any bigger than that. At the moment everyone knows everyone else, and there is a strong sense of community in the Pinkies. The larger you get the more fragmented the choir becomes and we will lose the very element which makes us such fun to sing with.

On Sunday the first group of newbies came along. This is basically a chance for potential new members to get a feel for what the choir is about and whether they feel they would fit in. There was a tenor and several basses - which is a good thing because that section needs a bit of a boost, especially in the bass twos - and there were several women as well, a couple of new sopranos and altos. I hate to be an old fogey, but I remember when I first joined just how downright frightening it was, especially since I didn't know anyone. Things are quite different now, because everyone new joins at the same time, so they at least have each other in common, and the oldies are also much friendlier once they know a member is committed.

At the pub after rehearsal I had a chat with a guy who sang with Gloria in Ireland, and Andrew F found a compatriot in a guy who also hailed from Malta. Who would have thought it? They both professed to loving the Pink Singers, so here's hoping we will see them again.

One thing I was concerned about the last time was how terrifying an initial rehearsal can be. Last season we started off with Big Band Bash which is a complex piece with rather odd rhythms and harmonies. Needless to say, by the end of that first session we still sounded pretty painful. If I had joined for the first time I would have been put off. I am pleased to say that on Sunday, however, we started off with When I Fall In Love, a simple song which we pretty much nailed straight off. Then again, we also tried our hand at Come What May which has potential, but which we still managed to utterly slaughter. Can't let the newbies, or the oldies, get too complacent!

Man, I'm Knackered!

Whew! Just got back from the basses' event South Side Story which was a treasure hunt along the South Bank. Thankfully, despite rather inclement weather in the last week, the sun decided to make a welcome appearance, and it was actually quite warm. We had a very civilized start at 11.30 a.m., met in the gardens of Southwark Cathedral and set off with a bang.

I will say that our first clue was relatively easy, but after we had spent the first hour getting to clue five (of thirteen) the busy week leading up to this event took its toll. So when a very friendly tea shop beckoned Simon, Ben, Liang, Julia and I took the chance to have a leisurely lunch. Thereafter Julia and Ben had other things to do, so our numbers were decimated, and with a full tummy and the warm sunshine, my brain had started to shut down!

The clues were progressively cryptic and while there were some lovely paths which I had not taken before, we had to drop several of the answers. Unfortunately, I didn't get to chat with Pinkies on other teams either apart from Emelda and Hester in the crypt at St. Paul's, and Andrew F on the phone. By the time we reached Oxo tower, all I wanted to do was go home have a cup of tea and a biscuit. Three hours in, we did ran into a couple of the teams outside St. Thomas' hospital, and I'm afraid my resolve just cracked and I threw in the towel. What a wuss!

Did get back for a well-deserved pint of Samuel Smith wheat beer at my local, the Yorkie Grey. A great big thanks to the basses though, for arranging an energetic afternoon out. I'm pooped!

Paleday At The Soho Revue Bar

Met Andrew F, Mladen, Johnathon and his friend at the Yard for drinks a couple of weeks ago for Anthony and Paleday's gig at the Soho Revue Bar. I missed the last time they performed there, but everyone I spoke to said it was a blast.

In fact, the venue is pretty amazing. I'd always wondered what exactly people were queuing up for in between all those shows, and now I know. Small tables, booths, red velvet, candles - and a stage for some of the most eclectic performances ever.

The ones who made the most impact were the Diamond Girls who kicked off the show with a run in one diamond's tights and some moves I am sure we can incorporate into our own routine (Chris and Sally, you know what I'm talkin' about!), and a super singer called Baby Soul something. I tried to track down her MySpace page but couldn't - she was really, really good though. There was also a super cheesy Eurovision-esque performance by some Irish guy who sang far too many songs. He was memorable only because of the completely superfluous dancers in the background.

There was a sigh of relief when Paleday came on. We hit the dance floor and others joined us - in my own frenzy someone gave me a complimentary Paleday T-shirt. Woo hoo! Worryingly enough Andrew F knew the words to all the songs. I can sing a couple myself, "I can dance by myself, I don't need nobody else!"

All in all a superb evening!

Something Fishy At Bar Wotever!

Some of the Pinkies went down to Bar Wotever in Kings X last night to catch Something Fishy perform. The venue itself is quite small, but it was packed to the rafters. They had a warm-up act, quite unintentionally no doubt, of a tall guy in glasses dressed in pumps, a black devore dress and pearls.

Then Eliza (Tanya), Lara (Gill), Vinny (Carol) and 'Funky' Fingers (Johnathon) came on. They stole the show with a mix of funny, new and gloriously cunningly (mis)appropriated songs. And there was the curious incident with the guitar in the night, and Fingers' synthesizer which seemed to have a mind of it's own sometimes! All great fun.

Ir was also really wonderful to see old members like Line and Iain there, as well as members who have just joined this season, like Maia and Andrew (on his mobile as usual). Something old, and something new. Nothing like the Pinkie family getting behind you!

Here's the video I took of the evening. YouTube only allows me to upload a particular size, so I have had to split it into five bits. If you want the whole video (in a higher resolution too!), then you can grab it, and several photos off my pink bits.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

The Encore!

Their next performance is on Saturday, the 2nd of June at the Black Cap. Check out our home page or MySpace page for details as they come through!