Europe’s Largest Gay & Lesbian Choral Festival at Southbank Centre, May 2009
Various Voices 09, Europe’s largest ever gay and lesbian choral festival, brings to the Southbank Centre in London 60 choirs with more than 2,000 singers over 4 days of music and events over the early May Bank Holiday weekend, 1-4 May 2009.
Run by volunteers working in conjunction with Southbank Centre, Various Voices takes place in a European city every 4 years. This is the 12th festival, and the first in London since 1989. 2000 lesbian and gay singers will be arriving from across the UK, Europe and further afield. 13 choirs are from the UK, 16 from Germany, 7 from Holland and 4 from the USA with others from Switzerland, France, Ireland, Scandinavia, Belgium, Croatia and Canada. For many the festival marks their UK debut.
In the last year the profile of gay and lesbian choirs in the UK has been boosted by the appearance of The Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus in the live semi-finals of BBC1’s Last Choir Standing, which has boosted choral singing generally across the UK. Ten years ago, the UK had 6 lesbian and/or gay choirs. Now there are at least 15, with more starting every year. The same is true across Europe. In 1989 when what is now Various Voices (then called The European Festival of Song) was last in London, 14 choirs attended. In 2009 more than 60 are already registered.
With more than 70 concerts from over 60 choirs, cabaret from the biggest names on the alternative cabaret circuit, world and European premieres, public workshops, masterclasses, film and expert panels, Various Voices, run in partnership with Southbank Centre, promises to be a highlight of this year’s arts calendar. Most events are open to the public, including choir concerts in the Royal Festival Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall and Purcell Room, outdoor shows, ballroom dancing and appearances by high profile performers including Lea DeLaria, Sandi Toksvig, Amy Lamé and award winning choir Chantage.
Highlights of the festival weekend include:
- Opening Ceremony hosted by Sandi Toksvig including hundreds of singers performing outside the Festival Hall and across Hungerford Bridge.
- Voices of Our City: London’s three host choirs, The Pink Singers, Diversity and London Gay Men’s Chorus, welcome delegates to London with a concert of songs about London and by British gay composers.
- World premiere of specially commissioned choral work by Steve Martland, part of ‘With One Voice’, a major concert in The Royal Festival Hall that also includes Orlando Gough’s ‘Vogel’ and Orff’s Carmina Burana performed by a massed festival choir including The London Philharmonic Choir, all conducted by Howard Moody.
- European Premiere of ‘Sing for The Cure”, a major work about people affected by breast cancer, with the London Gay Symphony Orchestra and a specially formed choir, in a fundraising concert aiming to raise £15,000 for UK charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer.
- The Big Gay Sing: Hosted by Timberlina and Lorraine Bowen, this glamorous sing-a-long is your chance to belt out the likes of Bette, Barbra and Bassey with the Various Voices singers.
- Why We Sing: Film screenings and a discussion panel focusing on the political and social power of LGBT singing and choirs.
- Best in Show: An X-factor style talent contest with celebrity judges including DJ Lucio Buffone, jazz singer Lea DeLaria and TV star Chico, hosted by Amy Lamé.
UK choirs registered for Various Voices 2009 include:
- A Cappella Birmingham
- Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus
- Deep C Divas (Leeds)
- Diversity (London)
- Gay Abandon (Leeds)
- London Gay Men’s Chorus
- Loud & Proud (Edinburgh)
- Manchester Lesbian & Gay Chorus
- Out Aloud! (Sheffield)
- Pink Singers (London)
- Rainbow Chorus (Brighton)
- Rainbow Voices (Birmingham)
- Sing Out Bristol
The choirs will each give a half hour performance over the weekend with many singing in a variety of languages including English as well as their native tongue. Musical styles vary considerably, from traditional folk songs and classical favourites to pop, disco and musical theatre. Many choirs include costumes and choreography in their performances, making for a hugely varied range of concerts.
Other highlights of the long weekend include a concert by jazz singer Lea DeLaria; Jonathan Hellyer, better known as The D.E. Experience hosting and singing with his band as part of Small and Perfectly Formed, a celebration of small ensemble singing, and New York cabaret legend Our Lady J making a rare London appearance with her show Gospel for the Godless, singing the songs of Nine Inch Nails, Alanis Morissette and Dolly Parton among others.
The weekend will also feature a wide range of workshops covering singing, musical technique, conducting, choreography and choir management.
Southbank Centre Artistic Director Jude Kelly says Southbank Centre will never have seen anything quite like it:
Southbank Centre has a long tradition of choral activity. Two years ago we launched Voicelab to develop singing and choral work for all ages, so we are delighted to host Various Voices 09. This unique festival brings into focus the major contribution that the LGBT community – in all its diversity – has upon the creative world. It demonstrates the uniting power of the voice.
So come and celebrate with us – we look forward to hearing you there.
Festival Director Martin Brophy says Various Voices will be a unique event for London:
London has never seen a gay and lesbian arts event on this scale and for it to be taking place at Southbank Centre is fantastic, putting it at the heart of the city’s arts and music scene. Many of the choirs taking part have never performed outside their homeland before, giving London audiences an amazing opportunity to hear choirs and music that promise to be unlike any they have heard before.
Various Voices London 2009 is supported by The Mayor of London, Visit London, The Paul Hamlyn Foundation and The Foyle Foundation.
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