Pinkies Choir 1995

Sometimes a google search for "Pink Singers" turns up real gems. Here is one of the choir in 1995. I can spot at least four members who are still active Pinkies, and one who is not in the choir any longer. I love this look at how we were 13 years ago! If you can name any of the Pink Singers, let me know in the comments.

Catch-22, Sandra And The Pinkies

Every year, for the last four years, the Pink Singers have been performing a gig in aid of Positive Rainbow, a local charity which provides support for people with AIDS in Haringey and beyond. Every year, the experience is slightly different. A couple of years ago we were in the public library, last year it was in a pub in Tottenham Hale which I hear is now closed down, and this time it was at Catch-22 at Turnpike Lane. Most AIDS charities are having problems with funding, and Positive Rainbow is no exception, so the fact that they are still in existence is a real testament to the people who work in it, providing outreach services and social events to the community.

This gig, which was arranged in conjunction with the upcoming World AIDS Day, was a chance for us to lend our support. Sure, it isn’t the most well organized, the show ran late by about an hour, and at one point last night we were standing in a cold corridor for about half of that, but that really wasn’t the point. We had a really good mix of mostly old Pinkies, together with a very enthusiastic newbie, Chris, who had learned all the words and music to the songs, and several newbies like Gareth and Naomi who came along for the support. In fact, the choir formed at least half the audience in the pub.

After the obligatory one minute’s silence, Sandra, the drag queen and hostess extraordinaire, opened the show with her usual banter, and a wonderful version of I Will Survive. Then it was our turn to go on. Performing in pubs is quite different from performing in, say, a hall or function room. Because of the more informal setup people are under no obligation to pay attention, and there is usually chatter going on in the background. This was certainly the case at last years’ gig. This time round, however, I was really pleased to notice that when we started singing the audience really shut up, and people even stopped ordering drinks at the bar so the bar staff could watch us in action.

We sang well, if a bit too loudly and uncontrolled for my taste, but what impressed me the most was when the music stopped suddenly in the middle of Forever Motown. For a moment there was slight panic, but then Sally Ann kept on clapping the rhythm, and the Pinkies, much to my amazement picked up the song a capella. Eventually the synthesizer was fixed and Michael came back in, but I was so proud of what consummate professionals we are.

Having The Time Of Your Life

Getting up at 6.30am for a 7.30am meeting at Victoria Station is not my idea of a good time. Add to that the fact that it was an absolutely freezing morning, and we were going to be singing songs from the Mamma Mia soundtrack to grumpy morning commuters, and I had very good reasons for not wanting to get up at all. But drag myself out of bed I did, and thank goodness I did, because it was really, really fun!

The setup was really simple. Six of the Pink Singers, Tanya, Nathalina, Susan, Johnathon, Liang and I, with Mark and Warren in supportive attendance, would stand on the station concourse, serenading passengers with ABBA songs to a CD backing track coming out of one of those mini-component systems. We were all wearing specially designed Mama Mia T-shirts in navy with silver glittery lettering. In fact, for once we were given options as to the size of the T-shirts – I’m used to wearing T-shirts at least 2 sizes too big – but this was negated by the fact that the sizing, especially for the women was (for once!) too small. Seeing Susan squeeze into the medium T-shirt made me cringe in sympathy. The girls from the publicity company who were handing out the flyers obviously had the right idea. They all ordered male XXL shirts and wore two fleeces under them. They did look a lot like Michelin men, but at least they were warm! With our snug but chic T-shirts there wasn’t really much room for much else, and pretty soon the blood supply my extremities started shutting down.

So what else was there to do but dance to keep warm? I must say that I am one of the more reserved of the Pink Singers, but restraint is impossible in the company of people like Liang, Johnathon and Nathalina, all of whom seemed not only to know ABBA’s music off by heart, they also knew the slight variations to the music as found on the film soundtrack, could sing counter melodies and, get this, had a few dance moves to go along with it as well! The mood really was infectious, and pretty soon not only was I singing and dancing along with gusto, so too were several commuters. We had several people come up to us and take pictures with their cameras, including a woman who seemed to think we were so good she had to video us with her phone for a good three or four songs.

In the end it was a very entertaining couple of hours, we had a good time, and also helped to raise funds for the choir. Hooray!

Playing Catch Up

There has once again been a bit of a hiatus in posts from the Pink Insider, what with being away then catching up with the day job there hasn’t really been much time to pen the odd thought. Not to say that there hasn’t been tons happening of course, and in the world of the Pink Singers not only have a come back to the usual rehearsal schedule, we’ve also had a couple of actually performances already – and it isn’t officially the Christmas season yet!

I’ve been away for the last three weeks and despite publicly professing not to miss the weekly sing-song, I really do of course. Part of it is motivated by my anxiety that I don’t yet know all the lyrics or indeed the choreography. The latter always fills me with dread mainly because I have two left feet and I am almost inevitably the one turning the opposite direction to everyone else. As long as you move with conviction and gusto, however, no-one really notices or cares. That’s my story and I’m sticking with it.

On Sunday only Rachel was present to take us through the moves, Tanya and Karin, our other choreographers, being unwell and away respectively. It is really tough to organize seventy singers, especially seventy noisy, boisterous Pink Singers, but she managed to keep us in check and run through the steps of both Christmas Medley and Rockin’ Round The Christmas Tree without too much disruption. This was my first run-through and I have to say that I was relieved to be able to pick the moves up without too much difficulty.

Choreography with the Pinkies tends to follow a similar pattern. Professional choreographers come in with great ideas about the kinds of things they want us to do. We try to do them. Said professional choreographers then realize we are unable to actually bend our hips at all or move in unison. In subsequent weeks moves are simplified to a level which everyone can achieve. Okay, I am exaggerating somewhat, but I do think that this year, with the in-house talents of Karin, Rachel and Tanya, we are now dispensing with the usual first week anxieties and going straight in at an achievable level.

As for the singing, well I must say that I am really impressed at how far the choir has improved over my last three weeks in absentia. Songs such as Good King Wenceslas/ Ma’oz Tsur and Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day, about which I feel jittery actually sounded quite acceptable, and most of the other songs are coming along nicely. Nothing is quite at performance standards yet, but there are a few weeks to go before the concert, and while some degree of vigilance is still required I’m feeling a whole lot more relaxed at this point than normal.

The Pink Singers’ Christmas Concert 2008, In The Pink Midwinter, happens on the 13th of December 2008 at 7pm at the Royal Academy of Music. Tickets are now available on-line (or even better via a Pink Singer!)

The Pocket Square

I never intended this blog to become a sartorial guide, but as we approach the concert there is palpable consternation over what to wear, and what our 'formal' concert outfit is. The reality is that pretty much anything is 'formal' as slong as it is clean, black and ironed.

One thing I have noticed in past seasons, however, is the propensity for the guys to pop their pink handkerchiefs into their shirt pockets, or even their jacket breast pockets. In this capacity it is really more a pocket square than a handkerchief, and it would be really rather inappropriate to blow ones's nose into the gorgeous fuschia thai silk fabric anyway.

Of course, thinking that this would be my move this season, I wondered what the rules are on pocket squares - there must be a guide somewhere. Indeed there is and I have found a rather comprehensive one. Get folding!

From Bass To Soprano

I have always sung tenor voice, initially by default since there weren't enough tenors in my choir before the Pink Singers, and then because it really is the range I am most comfortable in. The upper tenors are honestly a bit of a stretch for me and I do find getting to an A or B flat in head voice a real struggle, especially if I do not yet know the notes and am having to think about it. All in all though, on a good day I think my range spans a comfortable two octaves from chest voice to head voice, with an additional octave in falsetto.

Some people, however, have ranges of four or even five octaves as this article in the BBC about Yma Sumac suggests.

Such a range is so unusual because the human voice is very limited and we use only a small part of it. This makes it very difficult to expand the vocal range and articulate such high notes.

Exploiting the range we do have comes down to physical aspects, like body structure, the length of vocal cords, technique and psychological attitude.

What I like is how they quote a vocal coach as saying that some people have "a fear of using their voice". I can attest to that on a Sunday when we sing, "Angels and archangels may have gathered there" in Mid-winter. I generally just chicken out and go to falsetto. Perhaps I'll work up the courage to sing it normally one day!

P.S. If you're wondering why there is a dearth of posts it is because I'm in the U.S. Congratulations Obama!