Bass Gary shares his favourite things about being a Pinkie:
Someone asked me the other day what I enjoyed most about being a member of the Pink Singers and it took me a while to answer – when I joined I couldn’t have imagined the diverse range of things I would get up to!
Over the last few years the choir has performed at LGBT choral festivals in Dublin and Brighton, taken part in a choral competition in Manchester, and visited Reykjavik and Mallorca to sing with their respective LGBT choirs. And this summer we are off to Amsterdam for the Ama-SING festival! We have also recorded two CDs since I joined in 2012 and I have also performed on stage in Trafalgar Square during Pride in London.
The trips are great fun – you get to build on friendships within the choir and enable you to make friends with members of other LGBT choirs – for example a large group of us now have an annual skiing holiday together! We organised a 30th Anniversary ball, arranged several residential weekends away, tackled the Crystal Maze – and I have made friends with people who I would never had the opportunity to meet if I hadn’t joined the choir.
These things have all been amazing – however the one thing that stands out is our concerts.
One Night Only will be the eighth concert I’ve done with the Pinkies, and it will be the accumulation of four months’ hard work learning showtunes, opera and operetta pieces – as well as our renowned choreography!
I am always in awe of our artistic team, who every season pull everything together into a show that has the required level of what we like to call ‘Pinkie Magic’. This season includes favourites from Les Miserables, Wicked and My Fair Lady to name but a few, and promises to be a memorable night for our audience. I will still get nervous before the show, it will all go too quickly, and I will look back on it and think ‘wasn’t that awesome’ – for me, nothing else we do gives such a buzz!
The whole choir takes immense pride in our performances and if the reception is anything like previous concerts it will make it an amazing experience for all of us.
So if you’ve haven’t done so already, please book your tickets here before they all go – and I promise I’ll wave to you from the fourth row of the bass section!
Year: 2016
Popping my pinkie cherry for the very best of causes…
Fresh-faced Pinkie Abigail gives us the low down on what the Pinkies have been up to this week!
Learnt the words? Check.
Know the choreo? Check.
Dressed in black? Check.
All warmed up? La-la-la check!
I was ready to get up and give it my all.
A few days ago, on Tuesday 17 May, a group of about 25 Pink Singers came together on the ninth floor of EY’s riverside building, and, against a stunning backdrop of the Thames, performed a set drawn from our summer concert’s all-glitz, all-glamour repertoire.
This wasn’t just any old corporate performance, though. We were there as guests of Unity, EY’s LGBT network, to help them celebrate IDAHOBIT – International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia.
You may have heard it called IDAHO, IDAHOT or IDAHOBIT, but whichever acronym you use, 17 May is a powerful day which highlights the discrimination and violence which LGBTQ people face across the world and calls upon those with the ability to lead and make change to step up to the task. It was quite something, then, to stand as part of a group of 25 out-and-proud people and make our voices heard.
It was a very special evening for me on a personal level too, though. I joined the Pink Singers as a Soprano in February, not having sung properly in about six years, and it was my first performance with the choir!
I certainly didn’t imagine, two years ago at my first ever Pride, shortly after coming out to family and friends, that the choir I watched perform on the main stage would one day take me under their supportive wings. I remember turning to my best friend and saying, ‘you know, maybe I could do that.’ Well, now I’ve popped my Pinkie cherry – and I even got the choreography right…
This is just the beginning for me, and for us. Now I know I can perform while being upstaged by the Tower of London, I can’t wait to see what we can pull off for One Night Only on Saturday 4 June!
Preparing for a Solo
Bass Tom tells us about his preparations to sing a solo section in our upcoming concert…
You may already know that singing in a group has calming benefits for your brain and can even boost your immune system. But do those benefits apply to singing a solo piece? I’m not so certain!
Singing a solo can be a very daunting experience, especially if you’re not a professional singer. Why would you put yourself through that?!
Well for this season’s concert, our theatrical extravaganza One Night Only, I decided to do just that. The part in question is only a few lines in a song, but to me it’s a pretty big deal.
When I was then offered the part I managed a smile – but inside my brain was screaming at me OH GOD, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?! Needless to say I wasn’t feeling any of the ‘calming benefits’!
Performing doesn’t come naturally to all of us; however they do say the greatest things happen outside your comfort zone. Over the past few weeks I’ve tried to adopt a few tips for how to approach a solo with confidence, and make it seem like you’ve got it nailed.
So here are the tips I’m following while preparing for next month’s solo:
- Choose the song wisely
This season’s concert One Night Only is a showcase of songs from musical theatre and opera. The song I auditioned for is from one of my favourite shows, so when it appeared in the repertoire I was already looking forward to singing it with the choir.
If you already have an interest in the song, your enthusiasm should come across in your audition. It also helps if the song is in a suitable key for your voice.
So if you’re able to choose a song, use that choice to your benefit.
- Prepare for the audition
Of course, you need to prepare for the audition. But already knowing the song doesn’t always help, because you might be singing a different arrangement.
Also, preparation doesn’t just mean knowing the piece you’re expected to sing. Some classic tips for getting ready for an audition are to get a good night’s sleep the night before, and warm up properly.
But for me the most useful tip I found was to simply relax and try to enjoy it!
- Take many showers
I’ve tried various locations, and the shower seems to be the best place to practice. Not only is steam great for the voice, but bathroom acoustics are awesome. Plus, you have the best audience.
Practice your solo piece in the shower. Do it once a day until concert day, or your housemates beg you to stop (whichever is sooner).
- Get the body language and posture right
I’m still learning this. A good starting point for posture is keeping the shoulders back and jaw relaxed. But since my song is from a musical, it’s sung by a character. So I have to think about their feelings, and what’s happening in the plot.
I think this is the most difficult part. It’s not easy to pretend to be someone else, especially on stage. Actors make it look easy. But the best performances come from being sure of yourself, and a big part of that is expressed in your body language.
- Concert-ready
On the day of the concert, it’s important to relax. All the preparation is now done. I know I’ll be OK for most of the day, but then become a bag of nerves about half an hour before the concert starts!
And then there’s the all-important warm-up. If you’ve not got a warm-up routine sorted, try these tips from Celine…
One tip to settle any last-minute butterflies is to step outside of yourself for a second, and watch how you’re feeling. This disconnect can help put those nerves into perspective. Then relax into the performance and go for it!
Singing solo in the Pinkies
One of the things I love about the Pink Singers is that solo auditions are open to all choir members. It’s not about having the best technique – if you’re passionate and you want to sing your heart out in front of hundreds of fans (we have the best fans), you can do it.
Soloists get extra rehearsal time, with support and coaching from our artistic team to help your performance.
So if you want to know more, why not try it for yourself – come join us in our next season starting from September! Oh, and if you want to know the song is – well you will just have to wait and see, grab your tickets here now!
Happy Birthday to Us, Happy Birthday to Us!
Wanna hear how ‘Wicked’ our 33rd birthday party was, how much ‘hairspray’ was used, & how many Pinkies got ‘Footloose’ and fancy free on the dance floor? Spot the theme yet? Soprano Michelle gives us the low down on our 33rd birthday party shenanigans…
Happy Birthday to Us, Happy Birthday to Us!
In true Pinkies style we celebrated the choirs 33rd birthday by going FOOTLOOSE and ON THE TOWN for a LITTLE NIGHT OF MUSIC and CABARET at Claphams’ Two Brewers.
Us GUYS AND DOLLS were dressed up to the NINEs in our ‘musical theatre’ themed costumes in honor of our next Broadway inspired Concert – ONE NIGHT ONLY.
This is my 4th Pinkies birthday party and I never fail to be utterly amazed by the effort everyone puts in to the event. From MY FAIR LADY Rachel catering us with cake (complete with ‘green icing flowing down’ – a prize if you can spot that reference!) – to DREAM’GIRL Jezza ordering the fizz and decorating the venue to perfection. There are too many people to mention that make these celebrations the highlights of the Pinkies’ calendars.
Our traditional Open Mic session was was hosted by the suave Master of Ceremonies Paul with his naughty banter, cheeky smile and slick hair shining from his HAIRSPRAY.
(You have to remember the singing doesn’t stop after our small group gigs, concerts and weekly rehearsals. What excuse is better than celebrating our third-and-a-bit decade as London’s community choir. It wouldn’t be a Pinkie event without a sing song – or two, or three…).
Kicking off the show was our Saz singing a little ditty (she’s a FUNNY GIRL). Next up, those DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRALS – small group old favourites the Baberfellas – and new kids on the block the ‘Raundrettes’ entertained us with some close harmony campery. All followed by some amazing and show stopping numbers from resident Tenor Divas – What a THRILLER of a night!
The final act of the evening was our very own ACORN ANTIQUE Alto leader Jeremey and Artistic Director David who embodied good old ‘Barry and Freda’ for a final Hurrah! paying homage to our late and great Victoria Wood. [We all agree will now begin a petition to insist we replace the National Anthem with ‘Let’s Do it – The ballad of Barry and Freda’ so watch this space!]
There was however a very important absence from proceedings. THE MUSIC MAN himself, our Musical Director Murray Hipkin was busy tickling the ivories for another particular Diva at the Coliseum. However he did film a little video including The ENO Cast singing us Happy Birthday which was truly amazing and managed to race south of the river to catch the grand finale of the evening in full concert dress – TOP HAT missing but definitely the tails!
The SOUND OF MUSIC completely took over us. In our KINKY BOOTS and with moves like FOSSE we danced the night away until we MERRILY WE ROLL(ED) ALONG home.
We had such a WICKED evening.
We do hope you will be able to join us on the 4th of June for ONE NIGHT ONLY at Cadogan Hall where WE WILL ROCK YOU.
From an audition to a solo karaoke performance in just 2 weeks! My Newbie experience…
Newbie alto Zoe explains why she’s glad she chose the Pinkies when she decided to return to singing and how it didn’t take long before she found herself, microphone in hand, performing in front of the whole choir!
To say I was nervous before my first rehearsal would be an understatement. I knew I wanted to join – I badly missed singing in a group – but I hadn’t sung ‘properly’ for over ten years, and I was frankly worried I’d forgotten how. Within moments of arriving, however, Rachel and her team of helpers were right there to welcome us, and I was swept along in a wave of positivity and friendliness – no room for nerves!
From then on, it was great. Murray (our conductor) explained that while some of the songs were ‘old’, others were new to everybody, which helped me to relax even more, and stretch those rusty old sight-singing muscles. The choreography was a welcome break from sitting, and I was relieved to find I wasn’t the only one tripping over their own feet as we tried to follow along. Then the choir sang ‘Chandelier’ from their last concert for all us would-be newbies, and I was sold – this was why the Pinkies had stuck in my memory in the first place.
The audition itself couldn’t have been more friendly. Everyone wished us luck, and while my nerves had come back full-force as soon as I stepped back into the room with the panel, they were very sweet and understanding about that tremble in my voice. I fled to the pub once it was over, where once again all the Pinkies made an effort to be friendly, asking how the audition had gone and generally being supportive and lovely.
There were so many people auditioning, I had to wait a whole week to hear whether or not I’d got in. By that time I’d been to a second rehearsal, and I knew I’d be really upset if the news was bad – but thankfully it was good! A few weeks down the line, I can’t imagine spending Sunday afternoons doing anything else. The whole choir has been nothing but friendly and welcoming, a feeling enhanced by the fabulous Newbies party, which gave me the chance to talk to people from other sections, as well as get involved in the (inevitable, in hindsight) karaoke…
Watch Zoe and the rest of the choir perform at our next concert, ‘One Night Only’, on 4 June at Cadogan Hall! Tickets are on sale now!