Tenth Anniversary Celebrations
On 30 June 2006, the LGSO held a celebratory concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on London's South Bank. A choir of friends, family and soon to be friends was formed for an evening of classical favourites. It was a fantastic night with old friends and conductors invited back. Over 700 people came to share the evening with us and we raised nearly £1000 for the Lesbian and Gay Switchboard.
The orchestra and soloists having played the 4th movement from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony
One of our patrons, Clare Summerskill, narrated the evening for us and excerpts are given below:
"Welcome to the Queen Elizabeth Hall and thank you for joining us for this celebration of the London Gay Symphony Orchestra’s 10th anniversary.
For the benefit of those of you who have decided against buying a programme, you’ve just heard the first movement of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony.
To anyone shuffling around in their seats at this point, slightly embarrassed by not yet having bought a programme, please don’t worry: it will be my pleasure to guide you through this evening’s programme, and of course make a few stops on the way to tell you a little bit about the story of the London Gay Symphony Orchestra.
The opening bars of this story were heard in the early months of 1996, when Robin Gordon-Powell decided to start an orchestra for lesbians and gay men. Ads were placed in the gay press; notices were put up in cafes and bars; leaflets distributed; a rehearsal venue was found; music was arranged…and then one evening in May 1996, at the University of London Union Building in Malet Street, the first rehearsal of the London Gay Symphony Orchestra was underway. There was a keen, although perhaps slightly apprehensive, crowd of around 20 players.
However, in the following few months, as news of this unique group spread on the grapevine, or the ‘gayvine’, as we might call it, the membership grew rapidly, quadrupling in fact, and pretty soon there were enough players to justify calling it a Symphony Orchestra.
And so, the LGSO made its first public appearance at London’s Drill Hall on the 12th of October 1996.
The concert was sponsored by The Pink Paper, and was given in memory of Stuart Murray, who had worked at the paper in the early 90s. The programme included Tchaikovsky’s Suite from Swan Lake, and the premiere of a piece by François Evans who was to become Associate Conductor. Robert Masarachi was the Concert Master.
People were turned away at the box office; the orchestra received a wildly enthusiastic response; an encore was demanded and given; and the LGSO was on its way.
Back to the music now, and it’s time to introduce these very fine singers - the LGSO Chorus - who have come from hither and thither to join the orchestra for this special concert. Ladies and gentlemen: the LGSO and Chorus, conducted by Simon Bowler, performing Zadok the Priest by Handel.
Apart from the four or five regular concerts a year that the orchestra performs, it also gets involved in a range of other events, and indeed its dance card has been rather full of extra curricular activity since the beginning.
Its many credits include: recording the score to the fantasy-epic film ‘Pervirella’; playing at numerous Pride events around the UK; participating in the Queer Zagreb festival in Croatia; appearing on Carlton TV; being the subject of a radio documentary; and performing and commissioning new works.
One such piece was ‘Free’, described as an ‘anti-requiem’, which was written for the LGSO’s World Aids Day concert in 1998 by a group of musicians from the orchestra, with words by Eric Presland. The performance of ‘Free’ was given as part of Spitalfields Market Opera, and the narrator of the work was none other than Simon Callow. Suzanne Cross was one of the composers of ‘Free’, and is still very much a part of the orchestra. After starting her LGSO career as a shaker, basher and rattler in the percussion department, Suzanne can now be found residing in the oboe section.
This evening of course is a celebration of the first ten years of the LGSO, and regardless of whether you are a regular supporter or a Classical music-virgin, we are very pleased that you have joined us for the occasion. We are also delighted that many of the people who have contributed to the orchestra over the years are here tonight in the audience. We’re talking about players, conductors, committee members, supporters, sponsors, and volunteers….all those people who have played, organised, conducted, persuaded, collected, catered, persevered, yelled and screamed on behalf of the LGSO since 1996.
Thank you all for your contributions, and for being here to join in the celebration.
In particular, among the orchestra’s invited guests tonight are:
Robin Gordon-Powell – the founder and first conductor, without whom we would not be here at all;
Robert Maserachi, concert master and first ever leader;
Peter Crockford, conductor from 1999 until 2004;
former Chair Rosalind Haber;
and Kate O’Connor, former leader.
Could we perhaps have a little wave or ask them to stand up?
Five special people in the history of the LGSO, ladies and gentlemen.
Now, regular LGSO concert-goers among you be familiar with the percussive - and persuasive - rattle of the charity collection tin as you leave St John’s after concerts.
Since the first days of the LGSO, one of its aims has been to help raise money for a variety of causes. Indeed, at the first concert, admission was by donation to The Food Chain. Over the past 10 years, the orchestra and its audiences have raised several thousand pounds for many more charities, including Amnesty International; Action for Southern Africa; Child Hope; Barnardos; Red Ribbon International; Crusaid; The Albert Kennedy Trust; St. Christopher’s Hospice and Kairos in Soho.
Tonight’s concert continues this LGSO tradition, and accordingly, I now call upon Steve Wilkinson, Co-chair of the London Lesbian & Gay Switchboard to say a few words, and of course tell you why they are going to be rattling tins as you leave the hall this evening.
That was of course ‘O Fortuna’ from Carmina Burana by Carl Orff…or ‘the music from that aftershave ad’, as I believe it’s also called.
As well as the standard orchestral repertoire, the orchestra has also championed and performed works of lesser-known composers such as the late Wilfred Joseph and Benjamin Frankel. And in March 1999, it presented a concert of music by female composers to mark International Women’s Day. The programme included “The Wrecker’s Overture” by Ethel Smyth, “Konzertsatz” by Clara Schumann and “Serenade” by Fanny Mendelssohn. Yes, that really was her name…
This has been an important year in terms of presenting new works. At our World Aids Day Concert in December, we heard the world premiere of a piece by young and definitely up-and-coming composer Sam Watts…..a work that produced an unprecedented number of requests from the audience for recordings. And in February this year, there was another premiere, a piece written for the LGSO by Daniel Bush, one of the cellists and this was also quite a hit with the audience and orchestra alike. The orchestra’s commitment to new work continues later this year with a workshop that will launch an annual programme of collaboration between the LGSO and composers.
Now, you will need no reminder that we are in the midst of London’s hosting of EuroPride, and that tomorrow is the day of the Pride march and the rally. The march is going along Oxford Street for the first time ever, which is just so exciting. But there’s even more excitement ahead because at 3:45pm on the main stage in Trafalgar Square there will be the debut performance of the London Gay Symphonic Wind ensemble. Not surprisingly, the group is calling itself LGSW for short.
LGSW is a group of brass, woodwind and percussion players who are mainly made up of LGSO members, and they are the opening act on the main stage in Trafalgar Square. I’ve heard they’re going to be playing that music from the Can-Can in their set, so if you’re around tomorrow, and fancy a bit of a knees-up, you know where to go.
Another group that has developed from within the orchestra is the wind quintet ‘Fivesome’, and they are also involved in Pride tomorrow - they’re performing at St Anne’s Church in Soho, at the Age Concern Chill Out space, at around 4:30pm.
The next piece this evening is the Largo - the 2nd movement – from Dvorak’s 9th Symphony…or ‘the music from the Hovis ad’, to give it its proper title.
The LGSO was the first, and remains the only lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender orchestra in the UK.
There are so many people – those who are here tonight – and those who aren’t who have made the LGSO what it is today: an important, exciting and vital addition to gay life in London and beyond.
We’ve mentioned our special invited guests in the audience, but we turn now to this side of the stage. As we know, ten years is a long time in the lesbian and gay world, and certainly a long time in London, which makes it all the more remarkable and wonderful that some players who joined either at the beginning or at sometime in the first season are still with the orchestra, or have come back especially for this concert.
There are fifteen such 10 year veterans here tonight, and I would like to introduce them to you, and at the same time ask them to come up to receive a special presentation on behalf of the LGSO.
They are, from the violins, Peter Austin, Kate O’Connor and Douglas Bilton.
Viola player Darryl Davies.
Cellists Jackie Tan and Nick Robinson.
Bass player Simon Jagger.
Nathan Evans and Suzanne Cross in the oboe section.
Flautist Chris Moller.
Anna Deignan and Harry Small in the bassoons.
French horn player Iain Clarke.
Percussionist Richard Souper.
Harpist Russell Martin.
And finally, cellist Richard McKinnon, who sadly and unexpectedly isn’t here tonight, but we send him our very best wishes.
Many of these people, as well as playing in the orchestra, have also made invaluable contributions behind the scenes, serving as committee members. Please join me in thanking and congratulating each of them for their hard work – and indeed stamina – over the past 10 years.
As we near the end of this special celebration, I must thank on behalf of the orchestra, our wonderful choir and soloists, who have performed so well on just one rehearsal - and can we also give a little whoop for the parents of orchestra members who have come along to sing; the man with the stick, Simon Bowler, who has conducted with style and a smile throughout his first season with the LGSO; everyone who has worked hard to make this year one to remember, and of course, you, our audience.
The orchestra is further grateful for the support of Awards for All, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and AOL Time Warner.
It would also like to say a special thank you to Peter Kite.
The finale to the programme is a suitably grand one for such an occasion. It is the 4th movement from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. And joining the LGSO and Chorus are soloists Deborah Stoddart, Stephanie Seeney, John Upperton and Robert Presley.
But before that, ladies and gentlemen, please raise any remaining glasses and join me in a toast congratulating The London Gay Symphony Orchestra on 10 years of music-making, and wishing it many more to come.
To the LGSO!"