Christmas has passed, New Year is just around the corner, and we’re all now only just sitting down to think about what our resolutions will be for the coming year (that is, unless you’re one of those really organised people who plan ahead, in which case go you!).
We’re asking all the usual questions: What do I want to change about my life? Will I really stick to this after 5th January? How hard can it be to make a change? If it was so easy, why haven’t I made this change before now? Now that I think about it, why have I only started worrying about this one thing now? If it was really important to change, why am I waiting to make a resolution about it? Okay, so I might have a tendency to overthink my own resolutions…
Fortunately, Jane and the Gay Abandon Committee like to overthink a little less about the choirs own New Year’s Resolution, which this year is to ensure that Gay Abandon stays the warm, welcoming, and beautifully sounding choir that it has grown to be.
I hope we manage to stick with it, but I’m not too worried.
Happy holidays everyone, we wish you a very happy New Year!
I thought for this month’s blog, it would be nice to share with you all a reflection that a new member of the choir has written about their experiences of joining this term (especially as by now you’re probably a little bored of everything I’ve written!). It’s lovely hearing from someone else that our choir really is the friendly, welcoming place we try and make it. Have a read yourself:
Having previously had experience of singing with other groups joining Gay Abandon has proven to be a fantastic choice for my Husband and I.
We were looking to join a group that would fulfil our hopes of making new friends while finding a hobby we both enjoyed; finding the Gay Abandon choir has been more than either of us could have hoped for.
We were both welcomed with open arms by every member of the Choir and quickly found our place. Every rehearsal we’re learning new songs while reminding ourselves of numbers we’ve previously learnt.
The Choir Master, Jane, is just fantastic! Each week she makes sure everyone is included and confident with what they are singing and she clearly puts a lot of work into the performance programmes, rehearsal music and arrangements. You never feel pressured to perform and, not only is the Choir inclusive, they are thoughtful, generous and giving.
Joining Gay Abandon has been an incredibly positive experience and I can’t wait to sing with them for many years to come!
This October we were fortunate to once again be invited to perform as a part of Light Night Leeds, the UK’s largest annual light and multi-arts festival. Spread over 2 days, this years festival was exploring the theme of Mind Body Spirit, and the whole city was alive with lights and people.
Our own performances were on the Friday evening, with us performing twice in the Victoria Gate shopping centre, and twice in the Victoria Arcade. While we revived some hits from our last Fruity concert (our favourites being Tourdion and Dancing Queen), we also incorporated some new songs we have been working on such as “There’s a Fire in My Heart” so that some of our incredible new members could perform with us.
We absolutely loved performing at the event, and really hope we get invited back next year as well. Thank you Light Night Leeds for being so wonderful!
P.s. If you want to see images of us performing, keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter pages over the next month!
With summer coming slowly to an end that can only mean one thing…a new term and a new year for the choir!
We had such an incredibly busy and exciting summer that it hardly feels like we’ve had a break at all. It started with our fruit themed summer concert (thank you to all of you that came!), which was followed very quickly by us working with filmmakers Jesson Hill on a very secret but very exciting project that we will let you know about soon. This was then topped off by the choir going to sing in Cardiff as a part of Hand in Hand 2019 (a nationwide festival that celebrate LGBTQ+ choirs up and down the country).
However, that’s all behind us now, and September is actually the time of year that Gay Abandon members love best – getting back into rehearsals, meeting old friends, making new ones. We can’t wait to kick the new term, and the new year, off, and we’re excited to see what’s in store!
That’s right! Tickets are now on sale for Gay Abandon’s next Summer concert, Get Fruity with Gay Abandon! Here are the juicy details:
Date: Saturday 6th July Time: 7:30pm Venue: Kala Sangam, Bradford Cost: £12 Standard, £9 Concession
Be prepared for an evening as varied as a fruit salad, with musical numbers including Dancing Queen, Strawberry Fields Forever, and The Lady in the Tutti Fruity Hat. What’s more, Gay Abandon is being joined by friends The Fingersmiths and Harissa who will be joining in with the fruit-filled fun.
Last Saturday on 21st July 2018, we performed in our anniversary concert. (Whether it was our 20th or 21st is debatable!) Needless to say, it was amazing!
