The LGBT choir Northern Proud Voices celebrates its 5th birthday.
Newcastle’s largest and longest running choir, Northern Proud Voices will have its fifth birthday in May and to celebrate will host a series of fundraisers across Newcastle and the North East to raise awareness and collect donations for LGBT causes.
As part of UK-wide Pride events, the choir will perform at Pride Durham (30 May), Newcastle Pride (16 July), Cumbria Pride (17 September) and Sunderland Pride (25 September), showcasing four-part choral arrangements of artists including Radio Head, Annie Lennox, Seal and Train.
Weekly rehearsals have been taking place in Newcastle in preparation for the events, and a social media campaign has been launched to encourage others to show their support and get involved.
Kathleen McDonald, Chair of NPV, is overwhelmed with the popularity of the choir and said,
“It has been wonderful to see the choir grow over the past five years, from a handful of singers to the largest LGBT choir in the North East with almost 100 registered members.
“We are extremely proud of the community we represent and we are always keen to welcome new members. Being able to offer an inclusive and safe social space for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people in Newcastle is truly rewarding for myself, and very important for some of our members.”
Supporting the choir’s fundraising celebrations, Ouseburn venues The Ship Inn and The Cumberland Arms will welcome NPV supporters with a fifth birthday party and an LGBT themed Lip Sync Battle with songs from queer culture. Local improv-comedy group, Spontaneous Wrecks, will stage a 2-hour improvised show and musical to raise donations.
Choir member, Andrew Layton, said:
“Not only is the choir great fun but it helps change perceptions some people may have of the LGBT community. I’m proud to be part of such a diverse group of people brought together by music.”
Event tickets and further information are available via https://www.facebook.com/NorthernProudVoices.
Northern Proud Voices is a fully-inclusive, non-audition choir and their rehearsals take place every Thursday 7-9pm at The Mining Institute, Newcastle (excluding August).
