All our Queer choirs in Brighton will be exercising their vocal chords across the 4 weekends of December.
Kicking off the seasonal singing will be Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus, under the direction of Joe Paxton, who bring their show called Ding Dong on 2 and 3 December at St George’s Church. It promises us their usual mixture of songs old and new, interspersed with Queer-themed sketches that always intrigue and entertain. Tickets : brightongmc.org
Next in line is a concert by Resound and their female partner choir Rebelles. They perform on 9 and 10 December at that hidden gem of a church, St Paul’s in West Street. Beat The Bleak Midwinter is an eclectic programme, including songs by Kate Bush, Irving Berlin and Eric Whitacre. Their concert also includes both choirs’ commitment to champion music by living LGBTQ+ composers including Mari Esabel Valverde and Jennifer Higdon. Musical director Sam Barton told me: “with the cost of living crisis making life difficult for so many, we wanted to create a night of sheer escapism”. Tickets- resoundmalevoices.org
The widely diverse Rainbow Chorus are back with avengeance, under the direction of Aneesa Chaudhry on 10 December at St George’s Church, Kemptown. Continuing to celebrate their 25th anniversary, they will give us Pachelbel’s Canon, A Million Dreams from the Greatest Showman, Together In Electric Dreams and Time To Say Goodbye, among many others. Their show is fully BSL interpreted. Tickets – rainbowchorus.org
Bringing the season to a close, led by Samuel Cousins, are Actually Gay Men’s Chorus who perform on 16 and 17 December at St Mary’s in Kemptown. Together For Christmas will give us old favourites, carols and 80’s classics, all delivered with Actually’s usual twist. Samuel told me: “we will transport you to a land of festive cheer, where family and friends really are everything”. Tickets- actuallygmc.org.
Look out for my reviews of all four concerts in Scene.
