Hi Folks

Welcome to the first of an irregular series of mailings about what Gay
Abandon's up to. Well actually it's the third; but I've only just
discovered that after writing the two last year I should then have
logged on to egroups to authorise my own posts. D'oh, as Julie Andrews
sang.

We finished 2000 with what was generally agreed to be our best-ever
concert, the culmination of the Millennium Workshops. We'll be building
on the work we did then over the coming months; and it looks as though
there'll be a couple of small barbershop groups starting up within the
main choir.

Rehearsals start at 7.45 on Tuesday 9th January at the Swarthmore
Centre. If you're one of the people who's interested in joining us then
feel free just to turn up - we'll probably be learning new music for the
first few weeks so this is a good time. Email me if you want directions;
and if you're uncomfortable about walking into a room of 50 strangers,
then I'll be in the coffee bar on the ground floor of the centre from
about 7.30. We'll be in the Joseph's Well next door from about 9.45!

We're still looking for a pianist. We have a couple of accomplished
players in the choir, but they far prefer to look on Tuesdays as a night
off and just sing. At concerts we sing most music unaccompanied, so if
you or anyone you know would be willing to notebash in rehearsals that
would be a great help - but accompanying at concerts would be even
better. We might be able to stretch to a small honorarium.

No concerts confirmed for this term as yet. We're going to Berlin for a
European lgb choirs festival in May. Our summer concert will be in June
or July, and we're probably singing at Hyde Out in July. We're looking
at putting on another December concert in 2001, probably instead of
singing at the World Aids Day vigil which is becoming a bit overloaded
with singers.

We're linking up with the dozen or so other UK & Ireland lgb choirs; the
first public "Sing Out" event will probably be at a Gay Arts Festival in
London's South Bank sometime in 2002, but look out for a number of
visits to and from other choirs before then. We've already invited
Gloria from Dublin and Sang und Klang Los from Leeds' twin city
Dortmund, but no dates yet.

Most of us will be going for our annual weekend rehearsing at a youth
hostel sometime in February. After being bowled over when we attended a
rehearsal of the White Rosettes last year (did you see them in the
finals of the Sainsbury's Choir of The Year on BBC over Christmas?
They're even better live!), we're inviting them along to one of our
rehearsals this term.

Lynn Daniel is interested in starting a Friends of Gay Abandon group. If
you can't sing with us but would like to support the choir (fundraising,
backstage, front of house, any other skills you can offer) and didn't
fill in a form at the Millennium Concert, then let me know and I'll pass
a message on.

Wishing you all the best for a prosperous and music-filled 2001,

--
Henry Tickner