1 week Ago
The Brighton Gay Men's Chorus is set to celebrate its 20th anniversary with a special concert. The event, titled "Retrospective: 20 years of Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus," will take place at St George’s Church in Kemptown on May 2 and 3, 2025. The show will highlight the history of the chorus, which has grown from a small group of friends to the third largest queer choir in Europe.
(Image: BrightonGMC) The chorus is internationally recognised for its standout performances and artistic ability. Thomas Aird, Brighton GMC’s in-house historian, said: "The main goal of the chorus was, and still is, to create a space where people can celebrate music, find friendship and contribute to the local community. "This year’s Fringe show will feature all of those elements and we’re busy pulling together a memorable selection of stories and songs.
" (Image: BrightonGMC) The concert will feature classic crowd-pleasers such as "I Am What I Am" and contemporary arrangements like "Wrecking Ball." The chorus promises to deliver pure entertainment with an emphasis on the nostalgic. The 20th anniversary celebration will also include a series of initiatives and programmes.
(Image: BrightonGMC) The chorus will perform at local events such as the Brighton Marathon on April 6 and various Pride events across the region. Long-standing members will record audio histories of their time in the chorus, which will be released as part of a podcast series later this year. The chorus also plans to build on existing partnerships with local charities to encourage future singers.
Dan Langasco, Brighton GMC chair, said: "We are first and foremost a community choir. "Our members come from all walks of life and we’re proud to offer a friendly, non-judgemental place for people to be themselves. "Our audiences often don’t realise we’re a charity ourselves and one of our charitable aims is to promote equality and diversity.
"As part of our 20 for 20 initiative we’re going to go all out to do exactly that by engaging the community in new and exciting ways." Tickets for the concert are available from the chorus's website, with a special offer of a sixth ticket free when five are purchased. The chorus will also be raising funds for Lunch Positive, a local charity that creates safe spaces and works to end HIV stigma.
The Brighton Gay Men’s Chorus is celebrating its 20th anniversary by performing "Retrospective," a two-night show that is likely to sell out at St George’s Church in Kemptown. The show will feature a variety of songs from across the history of the chorus and will be joy-filled as well as contain poignant moments of reflection on the impact and legacy of the chorus as the third largest queer choir in Europe..
