Sit back and hold tight as the Rainbow Chorus – Brighton’s go-to LGBT choir – whisk you away on a magical musical ride aboard The Sledge of Glory.
The tuneful tour will feature a collection of songs from old Christmas classics to contemporary favourites that will bring festive cheer and fill St. George’s Church with music and song that you’ll go Gaga for!
From a Fairytale in New York all the way to Africa, Jingle Bells will be ringing and even if they can’t promise a White Christmas they have a Snow Patrol on stand-by.
From Verdi and Vivaldi to standards made famous by Nat King Cole or Louis Armstrong, there’s a musical gift for everyone!
Taking the reins on this melodious journey is the chorus’s dynamic musical director Aneesa Chaudhry, expertly assisted by renowned accompanist Mojca Monte.
The full concert will be accessible to the Deaf and hard of hearing with Marco Nardi as the BSL interpreter for the evening.
The Rainbow Chorus have recently returned from performing at the world-famous Concertgebouw Hall as part of the EuroPride celebrations in Amsterdam where they received a standing ovation and they are delighted to share this selection of treats to delight the senses and warm the heart with you all.
The Sledge of Glory departs from St George’s Church, St Georges Road, Kemp Town, Brighton, BN2 1ED on Saturday, December 10, 2016, at 7.30pm.
Event: THE SLEDGE OF GLORY with the Rainbow Chorus
When: Saturday, December 10
Where: St George’s Church, St Georges Road, Kemp Town, Brighton, BN2 1ED
Back by popular demand, the country’s biggest gay men’s chorus outside London returns to the Dome tonight, December 10 to celebrate the festive season.
Pull a Cracker with Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus and peek behind the scenes in Santa’s grotto, where the elves will be taking centre stage, and working their magic to see that everybody gets what they want.
What will they be putting in your musical stocking? It might be an old favourite, this year’s must-have novelty, or a big surprise. Go and find out – it will be good for your elf.
The evening will be raising funds for the British Red Cross, which helps over 1 million people throughout the UK, providing care and support to people of all ages and backgrounds.
Resound and Rebelles, two Brighton & Hove-based singing groups, invite you to join them for Hove for the Holidays 2016, a unique evening of beautiful music and personal stories around Christmas.
Among others, you’ll meet the highly eccentric Auntie May whose Christmas presents will make your jaw drop and a father who wraps his gifts very quickly in newspaper.
The groups, both led by opera singer and vocal coach, Stefan Holmström, will be performing music from classical to folk and swing including Biebl’sAve Maria, the wonderful Huron Carol, 12 Days To Christmas from She Loves Me and Bei Mir Bist Du Schein by the Andrew Sisters.
Stefan Holmström said:“It’s been a fun year for these two groups. Rebelles had sell-out performances of their show ‘9’ during Brighton Fringe and at the Purple Playhouse Theatre whilst Resound was recently featured on BBC Radio 3. It’s going to be great to have all of us together again at Christmastime and much to my delight we’re more Swedish than ever this year with our own take on a Lucia procession!”
Resound Male Voices is a male voice ensemble, founded in 2011 and based in Brighton & Hove. They perform a diverse repertoire from baroque to bee bop and actively welcome new members and run a thriving Facebook page.
Rebelles: Photo by Matt Jones
Rebelles is a nine piece female voice group, also based in Brighton. They love swing and folk and adding a highly personal touch to their performance. Their first show Nine was a sell out in the Brighton Fringe 2016.
Event: Hove for the Holiday 2016
Where: St Andrews Church, Waterloo Street, Hove, BN3 1AQ
When: Saturday, December 10
Time: 7.30pm
Cost: Tickets £12
To book online, click here: or get directly from members
Britten and Pears at the Old Mill, Snape, c. 1943: (c) Britten-Pears Foundation
New exhibition will profile the life and creative output of Benjamin Britten, one of the twentieth century’s finest composers, during the period of social change that led to the 1967 decriminalisation of homosexuality.
Queer Talk: Homosexuality In Britten’s Britain will take place at The Red House, the home in Suffolk that the composer shared with the tenor Peter Pears – his muse, collaborator, recital partner and lover for 39 years.
The house was one of a number relisted earlier this year by Historic England in recognition of its role in LGBT+ history and is now home to the Britten-Pears Foundation, which welcomes visitors to experience its special sense of place.
Britten and Pears at Kebajoren, Djakarta, Jan 1956
Throughout most of Britten’s life, homosexuality was illegal and socially stigmatised. Queer Talk will focus on two extraordinary works that Britten created against a backdrop of widespread debate on homosexuality: the 1951 all-male opera Billy Budd (1951), and the extended solo vocal work Canticle I ‘My beloved is mine and I am his’ (1947) an open declaration of Britten’s love for Pears and a work they performed together.
The exhibition will explore the social climate of the 1950s, as well as drawing comparisons between the experience of Britten and Pears with other high-profile figures who found their personal lives at odds with the law of the time. Letters by Alan Turing, manuscripts and edits of EM Forster’s homoerotic novel Maurice and photographs of Noël Coward and his long-term companion Graham Payn will be displayed.
Exhibition curator Lucy Walker, said: “Unlike other men in their situation, Britten and Pears didn’t face arrest (although there were rumours that Britten was interviewed by Scotland Yard in 1953) and, to some, their relationship was an ‘open secret’, particularly as Britten composed so much and so openly for his male ‘muse’ and on the subject of male love. But before 1967, having been together nearly 30 years, it would have been impossible for them to admit in public they were a couple, and they remained discreet on that matter even after then.
“The Queer Talk exhibition presents the situation facing Britten and Pears in the 1950s and 1960s, and looks at how Britten in particular kept resolutely quiet on the subject of his private life but at the same time produced a number of works that—to modern eyes—seem to be obviously homoerotic in subject matter.
“Britten and Pears lived through an extraordinary period of change in social attitudes towards homosexuality, and that change continues today; we hope that visitors to the exhibition will find the circumstances surrounding their personal and creative partnership allow a deeper understanding of their incredible legacy.”
Homosexual acts between men had been illegal since the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885, with arrests and prosecutions increasing after World War II. By the mid 1950s, more than 1,000 men were in prison in England and Wales.
Britten and Pears in Dilidjan, Armenia, August 1965: (c) Britten-Pears Foundation
After a number of high-profile prosecutions, the government set up a departmental committee under Sir John Wolfenden to review the law. The publication of his report in 1957 prompted much debate and a wide range of responses, which the exhibition will depict through contemporary local and national newspaper cuttings, local police reports and television programmes.
The exhibition will also feature a 7-metre timeline charting Britten’s significant relationships, his ‘queer’ compositions and the progress of LGBT rights from the 1900s to the present day.
Queer Talk will run from the February 1 to October 28, 2017 alongside a programme of special events and activities across Aldeburgh. They will include study days and recitals at Britten and Pears’ home, The Red House, Aldeburgh, as well as collaborations with LGBT+ History Month, the international Aldeburgh Music Festival, Aldeburgh Cinema and Poetry in Aldeburgh.
Britten and Pears near Snape Maltings, May 1975: (c) Britten-Pears Foundation
Event: QUEER TALK: Homosexuality in Britten’s Britain
Where: The Red House, Golf Lane, Aldeburgh, IP15 5PZ
When: February 1 to October 28, 2017
Times:
Low Season: The Studio, Library, exhibition rooms and Gardens will be open from: Wednesday February 1 – Monday, March 27: Tuesday to Friday, 1pm – 4pm
High Season: The Red House and the whole site opens to the public from: Tuesday March 28 – Saturday October 28 Tuesday to Saturday, 1pm – 5pm
The Red House is open for free-flow viewing from 2.30pm (last entry 4.30pm) with guided tours available at 2pm (book in advance) except during the Aldeburgh Music Festival
Gaydio, the radio station for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT+) communities awarded, an FM licence by Ofcom, to broadcast a radio service in Brighton & Hove.
The Gaydio Board
Gaydio already serves Brighton & Hove on digital radio with a simulcast of its London service. This new licence means that a new independent Board, will provide a local service specifically for Brighton on the FM waveband.
The Gaydio Brighton board consists of:
Nick MacEvoy:Chairman. Nick is a Certified Human Resources Professional currently working for a large NHS Organisation in Sussex. Nick has a large portfolio of skills and experience, from Business Development to Contract Management. Nick has always lived in Brighton and has a passion for driving forward LGBT+ Equality.
Toby Whitehouse:Co-Founder and Director. Toby previously worked for the BBC, was named as one of the Radio Academy’s 30 Under 30 and has been twice listed on The Independent on Sunday’s Pink List of influential LGBT+ people in the UK. He currently presents weekdays on Gaydio, 4pm – 8pm.
Dan Lambourne:Director. Dan is a Management Consultant and Brighton resident. Dan has experience in managing organisation change and transformation programmes across a number of different industries.
Marcus Patrick:Director. Marcus has been working in the radio and the media industry for over 25 years. He has been involved in 3 station launches, including Brighton Station Surf 107.2, during which time the station won a Sony Award for Station Branding. Other work has included running training courses at Punjabi Community Station, Desi Radio and as a Producer on Breakfast at Talk Radio UK.
Chantal Cooke:Director. Chantal is an award-winning broadcaster and co-founder of the UK’s first ethical radio station; PASSION for the PLANET. Chantal has 30 years’ experience in the radio industry working for both the BBC and independent sector in the UK and abroad, and has launched nine radio stations for a variety of radio groups.
Alex Baker:Director. Alex has a decade of radio experience under his belt, in a variety of roles including digital, content, production and programming. A regular face DJing on Brighton’s LGBT+ club scene, Baker grew up in Sussex and has been on-air in the city for several years, on Gaydio, Juice 107.2 and GaydarRadio.
Ian Wallace:Business Director of Gaydio’s current operation. Ian has worked with Gaydio since 2006 and brings a wealth of experience about the day-to-day running of a radio service for LGBT+ people. He will be a key link with the wider Gaydio network.
Alex Kakavelakis:Director. Alex is an award-winning marketing professional having worked for Samsung, Coca Cola, DHL and Thomson. Alex spent the first half of his life in Greece where he helped launch the first ever community online radio station. He has lived in Brighton ever since and now specialises in building communities through marketing.
Rachel Regan:Director. Rachel has a wealth of experience working in commercial radio across Brighton & Hove and Sussex with a real passion for radio.
Gaydio is the only UK radio station specifically aimed at lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people. It is available in a number of cities and reaches over half a million listeners per week.
In 2017, Gaydio launches a dedicated FM service for Brighton & Hove, based in the city.
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