Summer Lovin' With The Pink Singers

I can't believe what a hectic season it has been, but it was all about to culminate in our summer concert. There was a little trepidation as our home venue, the Royal Academy of Music, was closed for refurbishment and we were compelled to try out a new place; but arriving at the rather grand Britten theatre at the Royal College of Music most of our fears were put to rest.
Singing on a new stage always involves sound checks and modifications to choreography. I thought the audibility was improved both on stage (for the choir) and in the audience, so that was great for everyone. However, the risers on stage were lower than we are used to at the Royal Academy (where you can break a hip if you get off them too quickly), and it didn't help that some of the shortest tenors were standing behind the tallest basses and were playing peek-a-boo with Mladen. Overall though I did like the intimacy of the place which meant we were much closer to the audience than usual.
Claire H rejoined the choir to sing the parts from O Fortuna. She has a simply luminous voice, and gave the notes that effortless colour which made my spine tingle. Then there were the incredible solos from Tom, Sally-Ann, Andrew F, Tanya, Cilla and Alex. If I had to pick a favourite I would say it was Alex's Till There Was You which stole the show. Our own run-through went very well, with just a few nervous errors here and there, so it was particularly interesting to hear just how great we sounded in the actual performance. The Pinkies really upped their game!
It certainly helped that we had a great audience. They laughed when we sang America, clapped along when we did the 70s Dance Party, cheered when we looked vaguely revolutionary in One Day More and applauded heartily when we completed the cycle of Carmina Burana. I am not sure that whether it was in relief (Blaaaaaaniflor et Helena!) or admiration, but it was much appreciated!
Photo credit: Alp
All in all I think we put on quite the show and the audience left the auditorium on a high. But there was more to come as the party continued later at the Student Union bar in Imperial College. We'd hired a karaoke machine, which meant Pinkies like Susan, Daniel really had a chance to shine. Like my friends said, it was like a second concert!
The trite and overused phrase is that we "work hard and play hard", but that really is true with the Pink Singers. We do put in a lot of work to get our performances up to the standard they are, and what we create is something I am very impressed with and proud of. And there was tons of work behind the scenes all season to keep the Pinkies running smoothly as a choir. I am really glad that there was an official recognition for this, and for those members who have committed years of their time to the Pink Singers, by way of a presentation of gifts backstage. But we also have huge amounts of fun together too and that is at least as important.

Fair Thee Weel!

"Sit on the east side." I was told, "You can see much more of the British coastline". It was 7 a.m. and far too early to give much consideration to the geography of seating. Still, nearly half the Pink Singers had shown up at King's Cross and were waiting to get onto our London to Edinburgh train. Ben P, with his clip board, was in his natural school marm element, and the rest of us were much like school children, with our packed lunches and Kelly's ukelele.

The ride up to Edinburgh, apart from being very hot, was very enjoyable, and in true Pinkie fashion, there was considerably singing in the carriage. Kate N started off with songs from Oliver then Sally-Ann took over with her rendition of Fiddler On The Roof. None of this was from our repertoire, but at least it got some of the non-Pinkies in the carriage singing along. The other half just wondered (loudly) whether we were all drunk.

Our arrival in the Scottish capital meant that we had enough time to deposit our bags and take a quite rest before showing up at the concert venue for our rehearsal. This was a delightful Methodist church called the Central Hall in West Tollcross. It was there that we got to properly meet Loud & Proud, our Scottish equivalents and our hosts for the weekend. We'd already met some of them at Various Voices (I have the St. Andrew's tie pin to prove it!) so it was more of a gathering of friends than of strangers.

Although Loud & Proud were of a similar size to our delegation, and they were also a mixed choir, there were enough differences for us to be quite complementary. Led by their phenomenally talented MD Karen Dietz, Loud & Proud are principally an a capella choir, and a very accomplished one at that. Furthermore, their repertoire tends more towards folk songs, which they sang with the spirit, conviction and honesty which is so necessary, yet so hard to achieve. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to them perform, and we were fortunately given the opportunity to sit in the balcony to watch their second half. I especially loved the urgent emotionality of their rendition of I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free.

The Pinkies performed in the first half, and our set was essentially the songs that we did at Various Voices. Since, on the Friday of the festival, Loud & Proud were rehearsing while our concert(s) were going on, most of them never saw us, so I guess it must have been a bit of a surprise for them. I think we did well, and I felt much more relaxed this time round which helped. The acoustics of the hall were great and helped mold and amplify the voices, so it sounded very good from where we were on stage at least!

After the concert it was time to party! Loud & Proud had laid on a spread at a pub called the Counting House, and because of the Scottish summer, it was still bright when we made our way there. There was a slight glitch with the beer taps at the upstairs bar, and it delayed our drunken revelry by about 15 minutes as everyone then rushed to the downstairs bar. Once the much needed beer started flowing though, it was time for chatting and mingling. Made some new friends such as Jonathan and David, the latter of whom had just come from the Highland Festival, and in the bright sunshine had acquired a farmer's tan.

As you might imagine, there was a considerable amount of singing as well, we kicked off with a number, followed by Loud & Proud, and there was then a succession of songs, performed in groups and solo. Kelly's ukelele made an appearance, as did a guitar, and loads of Scottish songs. Right into the wee hours.

Sadly, it all had to come to an end though, and we made the trip back down to London with heavy, but contented hearts. I can honestly say that Loud & proud were one of the friendliest choirs we have ever performed with, and we are really looking forward to hearing them sing with us in the future.

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!

The Super-anos

Well, I was working late on Tuesday, but instead of my usual commute home followed by crashing out on the sofa, I decided to test my brain cell a little by going to the Pinkies quiz night at the Black Cap. It was expertly organized by the sopranos, and MCed expertly by Emelda, who mixed her dry wit with some of the fairly ludicrous questions to great acclaim.

Of course I arrived late, but by the time I got there it was already fairly busy. I was roped into Mel's team with Sally Ann, Liang, Philip R and a bunch of Mel's friends. They were actaully rather good, and despite my tardiness I think I acquitted my self nicely with my encyclopaedic knowledge of Star Wars, Star Trek and Nintendo video games. Er... perhaps I shouldn't be too proud of that! In the end my team actually won, oh novelty! Of course Gill P's team of just three people were neck and neck with us all the way, and probably should have won if it weren't for the fact that my team was nearly three times their numbers!

It was also great to see most of the Pink Singers out on a school night. I am presuming that most people either have a relaxed dress policy at work, or they had a chance to go home to get changed, because there were quite a number of people dressed in nothing but T-shirts and shorts in the hot weather. I love the summer, people look so much sexier and our choir is blessed with quite a few photogenic members. I'll name names if pressed!

The quiz itself was followed by the mandatory karaoke session. I love singing, and I love karaoke, but when it comes to performing on a stage in front of people I just chicken out. Thankfully there were people like the amazing Keri who took up the challenge. I already know Keri has an amazing voice - at least year's choir weekend away she dazzled us all with her range and repertoire - but it didn't stop me being impressed hearing her sing Bjork's It's So Quiet. Liang ang a song just before I left, but the sweetest moment of the night must have been when the Pink Singers got up behind Gwen, a more mature regular at the karaoke night, to sing Somewhere Over The Rainbow.

Fun was had by all - I can't wait until the altos' event!