The London Gay Men’s Chorus (LGMC) celebrates its Silver Jubilee with a special gala concert at the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall on November 27.
The LGMC began in 1991 when 9 friends sang at Angel tube station to raise money for the Terrence Higgins Trust. 25 years’ later and the LGMC now has over 220 members and is the largest male voice choir in Europe.
Speaking about the Silver Jubilee, Chairman of the LGMC, John D. Carrion, said: “Across our 25 years, the LGMC has developed from a small operation to a internationally performing organisation with over 200 members. From combatting homophobia in schools through music via our Youth, Education, and Outreach programme to helping raise funds for other charities or to our work at home and abroad to promote equality, the LGMC stands as a true pillar of the international LGBT community. We’re thrilled to have the opportunity to celebrate our achievements with our supporters with a special concert in such a prestigious venue. This is a landmark event that will launch the LGMC into preparation for the second 25 years. ”
The concert will bring the Southbank Centre’s Being a Man festival to a close. The Festival, which launched in 2014, returns to explore the challenges and pressures of masculine identity in the 21st century.
Taking place a week after International Men’s Day (November 19), the festival features a 3-day programme of talks and debates, performances and workshops with contributions from over 150 speakers and performers including Sir Roger Moore, Ashley Walters, Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke and Pulitzer Prize winning author Robert Olen Butler.
The panels and workshops will cover such key issues as shared parental leave, depression, video games, education, and of course dad dancing.
In addition to being a celebration of the Chorus’ 25 years, UGotMale? will therefore also explore the subject of masculinity.
Artistic Director, Simon Sharp, said: “The subject of masculinity was a fantastic one to explore for a concert and, in itself, it’s a statement to have a gay men’s chorus doing a show about masculinity. In our song choices for the show, we aimed to explore and celebrate masculinity with thought-provoking, fun and sometimes cheeky numbers, along with a few old favourites to give an uplifting and celebratory feel. We hope the combination of songs will make the show enjoyable, surprising, stimulating and memorable.”
UGotMale? features new arrangements including songs by Michael Jackson, Take That and Alice Cooper, as well as numbers from Dreamgirls, West Side Story and La Cage Aux Folles.
Event: Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall
Where: Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX
When: Sunday, November 27
Time: 19.30pm
Cost: Tickets £25, £30, £35 and £40: conc 50% off (limited availability)
To book tickets online, click here:
