Singing out loud and proud in Liverpool

LIVERPOOL PRIDE SINGS OUT LOUD AND PROUD WITH COMMUNITY CHOIR PROJECT

VOCAL EXPERT JENNIFER JOHN COMMISSIONED TO CO-ORDINATE LIVERPOOL ICONS CHOIR PROJECT FOR PRIDE SUNDAY FAMILY DAY

LIVERPOOL PRIDE PAYS TRIBUTE TO CILLA BLACK AS A LIVERPOOL ICON ON ANNIVERSARY OF HER DEATH

Liverpool Pride have announced another new community project via funding received from the Arts Council of England.  Singer and Sense of Sound creative director Jennifer John has been commissioned to run a new choir project working with six local choirs to perform a number of songs as part of the Liverpool Pride Festival 2016, under the theme of Liverpool Icons.

The choirs come from a wide range of diverse communities across the Liverpool City Region and overall will perform 22 songs on Liverpool Pride’s new family focused day ‘We Are Family’ on Sunday 31st July at St George’s Quarter.

There are six choirs and over 150 singers involved in the project, they are Up For Arts Community Choir, The Choir With No Name, Kaboodle, Sunlight Unplugged, Liverpool LGBT Choir and Sense of Sound Singers. They will each perform a number of songs from iconic Liverpool bands and performers including The Beatles, The Christians, Dead or Alive, The Real Thing, Black, Mel C, Echo and the Bunnymen to name but a few.  The event will close with a special tribute by all choirs along with singer Thomas Lang singing You’re My World by Cilla Black, which co-incidentally will be almost 1 year since her death on 1st August 2015.

Liverpool is officially a UNESCO City of Music and this year’s Liverpool Pride Festival will embrace local icons, artists, music and song working creatively with the choirs headed by Jennifer John to deliver a choral concert that embraces the city and its people. The concert will feature an inspired selection of songs that engages new audiences, encourage participation and allows people to embrace Liverpool’s heritage.

Michael Carey, from Liverpool Pride Festival, said: “Liverpool is a UNESCO City of Music and complementary to this our choral performance brings together diverse choirs to celebrate an eclectic mix of iconic Liverpool songs.  We invite everyone from across Merseyside to come along to St Georges Quarter and join in the fun singing along to your favourite tunes. “

Jennifer John is best known as a singer in her own right and also as a director of Sense of Sound, an award winning, Liverpool based music company that specialises in a-cappella, singing training and choir creation and development. They create and produce amazing ways to celebrate singing and have worked within the music industry, commercial music industry, health and community sectors.

Singer and Creative Director of the Choir Project Jennifer John, added: “I am so excited to be an integral part of Liverpool Pride’s choral project, that brings people together while promoting the ideals of respect, acceptance and accessibility is always high on my creative agenda. Singing has always been the tool I have been proud to advocate as an effective way of breaking down barriers and uniting people so to be able to do so for Liverpool Pride is a real honour.”

Liverpool Pride Festival 2016 offers a week-long programme of activity which culminates with a two-day event on Saturday 30th and Sunday 31st July. It takes place in a new, more prominent position in the St George’s Quarter and features the well-established Liverpool Pride March on the Saturday.

As always, the festival coincides with the anniversary of murdered gay teenager Michael Causer, who tragically lost his life on 2 August 2008. The Liverpool Pride festival was specifically created in his memory as a way to celebrate his life and to empower the LGBT communities.

The Sing With Pride choral concert is the latest addition to Liverpool Pride Festival 2016. Other new initiatives for 2016 include LOOK’s Liverpool Icons, a photography exhibition in Liverpool ONE. ‘What’s Your Pride Story’ in partnership with Writing On The Wall. ‘Dress With Pride’ to encourage customer facing businesses to dress up during the week of Pride to help raise funds for the Liverpool Pride charity; and ‘Come Out Of The Shadows’, a campaign to see the city’s iconic venues lit in the Pride rainbow colours in a bid to make Liverpool the most visibly LGBT friendly city in the UK, this is supported by the Police Commissioner’s Fund as a Hate Crime initiative.

Liverpool Pride Festival is now a key highlight in the city’s Summer events programme, attracting more than 25,000 people each year to attend, take part and support the annual LGBT festival.

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Published: 26-May-2016: (3736)