‘I am one voice; I will not be silent ’til my song is sung around the world’
The Various Voices festival is proud to announce the European premiere of Sing For the Cure, a major symphonic work for choir and orchestra about breast cancer, raising funds for Breakthrough Breast Cancer Charity.
Sing for the Cure is a poignant and ultimately uplifting musical event chronicling the feelings and experiences of those touched by breast cancer through ten songs in different styles from a range of composers. Each of the 11 pieces in this symphonic song cycle carries a powerful message from the different stages of, and perspectives on, breast cancer.
Powerful and inspiring, Sing for the Cure has been performed in almost every major city in the U.S. and features an orchestra, full chorus and celebrity narrators. This European premiere will raise funds for the UK’s leading breast cancer charity, Breakthrough Breast Cancer. The London Gay Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Dr Tim Seelig. Tim is Artistic Director in Residence for GALA Choruses, Director of Art for Peace & Justice and former Artistic Director of Turtle Creek Chorale. Pamela Martin’s poetic libretto will be narrated by leading BBC journalist Jane Hill, and Coronation Street’s irrepressible Jennie McAlpine. Shawn Northcutt has contributed the images and graphics for this performance.
The LGSO will open the concert with Poulenc’s Suite for Les Biches conducted by their resident conductor, Simon Bowler. Originally commissioned by Serge Diaghilev for his Ballets Russes, Poulenc’s Suite for Les Biches took him almost three years to complete. Poulenc noted in his autobiography, written many years later, that, ‘Diaghilev’s idea was to stage a sort of modern Les Syphildes, that is to say a ballet of atmosphere. That’s when I had the idea to place it in a vast room in a country house, with as the only furniture a sofa in Laurencin blue, a modern fêtes galantes’.
Jane Hill – Narrator
Jane Hill is the presenter of the BBC news channel’s lunchtime programming, 11am to 2pm weekdays, alongside Matthew Amroliwala. On BBC1 she presents the One o’clock News and weekend bulletins, and has fronted Breakfast and the Six o’clock News on numerous occasions. She also presents The World Tonight on Radio 4, and BBC World. She has anchored many rolling stories for television news, including the US elections of November 2008; the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, from New Orleans and Texas; Irish voters’ rejection of the EU referendum, from Dublin; and the BAFTA film awards. She reported from Washington DC in the aftermath of September 11th 2001, and from Ground Zero on the first anniversary of the attacks. Jane worked in local and network radio for 10 years before moving into television. She has a Politics degree from London University, and worked for the Democrats in the US Senate after graduation.
Jennie McAlpine – Narrator
Jennie McAlpine was born in Bury, Lancashire. She attended a local theatre workshop from where her talent as a character and comedy actress led to leading roles in local stage shows including period pieces and pantomimes. She further developed her comedy talents with performances at the London Comedy Store and stand up TV appearances on Granada and Channel 4. Best known as larger than life Fiz in ITV’s Coronation Street, Jennie began her TV career playing the part of Michelle in Yorkshire Television’s Emmerdale. In March 2001 Jennie made such an impact as the troubled teenager Fiz in Coronation Street, that she was asked back four months later as a regular character. Jennie has most recently taken her character Fiz across the world to film the Coronation Street feature film Out of Africa, which was on general release last Christmas. Jennie spends any spare time working on behalf of the mental health charity Mood Swings Network.
Dr Timothy Seelig – Conductor for Sing For The Cure
As Artistic Director of Turtle Creek Chorale in 1987 and The Women’s Chorus of Dallas in 1994, Dr. Tim has led the choruses in a number of significant achievements. Tim is both performer and educator. Tim is a member of the music faculty of Southern Methodist University, and received the 1995 President’s Citation ‘Distinguished Alumnus’ from The University of North Texas. Upon stepping down from the TCC, Tim began as the Director of Art for Peace & Justice, a program of the national non-profit Hope for Peace & Justice working to use the arts to raise awareness and further social issues and causes. He is the Artistic Director in Residence
for GALA Choruses, Inc.
The Festival Chorus
We are delighted that a large number of North American singers have agreed to come to London to sing in this wonderful fundraising event. Joined by singers from Europe and beyond, the Festival Chorus is a massed choir of over 100 voices formed during the festival to rehearse and perform this great work.
Simon Bowler – Conductor for Poulenc’s Les Biches
Simon’s early musical training from his father led to him becoming a chorister at Southwell Minster. After studying at the Royal College of Music and London University he became Assistant Organist at Peterborough Cathedral where he made several recordings and live broadcasts on BBC Radio 3. Simon was Director of Music at Bryanston School in Dorset from 2001 to 2002. He left to pursue his conducting career, and was appointed Associate Conductor of the Royal Oman Symphony Orchestra. After a hugely successful season he was invited to be the orchestra’s Principal Guest Conductor for the following season. Simon became Musical Director of the London Gay Symphony Orchestra in 2005. He also currently conducts the Enfield Youth Symphony and Derbyshire County Intermediate Orchestras. Simon has performed as a conductor at the Barbican and Queen Elizabeth Hall in London and made his debut at London’s Cadogan Hall with the London Gay Symphony Orchestra in July 2008 in a performance of Verdi’s Requiem.
The London Gay Symphony Orchestra
The London Gay Symphony Orchestra was founded in May 1996 and rapidly grew in size. Like many gay and lesbian groups, the Orchestra was formed to give people the opportunity to do something they enjoyed in a friendly and supportive environment without the fear of encountering prejudice. The Orchestra has always been as much a social group as a musical one, and is one of only a handful of such orchestras in the world. During the past ten years, the LGSO has taken part in a wide range of activities and events, including performances at various festivals in the UK; recording the score to the cult film Pervirella; and performing with Jimmy Somerville, Simon Callow and Rosalind Plowright.
Pamela Martin – Lyricist
Pamela Martin is a widely published lyricist who has collaborated with many composers and currently has more than 70 pieces with several major publishers. Her work is widely diverse and Pamela Martin is a frequent speaker on the art of lyric writing. She lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband, composer Joseph Martin, and their children.
Delegates only: If you want to perform in this concert see our Focus on “Sing for the Cure” for more information. You need to register as a delegate if you haven’t already done so and add “Sing for the Cure” to the list of choirs on your registration form.
This event is British Sign Language interpreted
