London Gay Men's Chorus

London Gay Men’s Chorus

London Gay Men’s Chorus is a gay chorus based in London, England. It is founded in 1991 by a group of six gay men and becomes Europe’s largest and best known gay chorus, with around 190 singing members and more than 230 members in total.

Formation and structure

The chorus begins with a first performance at Angel Underground station, where the gathering crowd is large enough that the station has to close. It develops into a large organisation with five singing sections: bass, baritone, first tenor, second tenor and SemiTones. SemiTones are non-singing members who help support the chorus. A group called Far From Kansas, made up of 24 auditioned members, acts as an ambassadorial and fundraising ensemble and performs at corporate events and civil partnership ceremonies.

The musical team includes the musical director, deputies and assistants, who work on freelance contracts. The chorus also employs a general manager and relies heavily on volunteer work from its members. Its governance includes an elected steering committee with a chair, vice-chair, secretary and treasurer, plus seven additional members with responsibility for performance, production, business development and membership. It is a charity and a private limited company registered in England.

Performances and touring

London Gay Men’s Chorus performs across the UK and tours overseas in the United States, France, Italy, Canada, Ireland, Spain and Australia. It appears at a wide range of venues and events, including Trafalgar Square, Heaven, XXL, the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the Royal Albert Hall, the London Coliseum, the Millennium Dome in the presence of HM The Queen, the Sydney Opera House, the Aussie Stadium, La Cigale in Paris, The Kennedy Center in Washington DC, the National Concert Hall in Dublin and the Gianni Agnelli Auditorium in Turin. It also performs in more informal settings such as pubs, street corners and the tube station where it first begins.

Broadcasts, collaborators and charity work

The chorus makes television and radio appearances on programmes and stations including Top of the Pops, So Graham Norton, Loose Ends, the Ruby Wax Christmas special, London Tonight, the Paul Ross weekend breakfast show on LBC and Comic Relief. It performs with artists including Sir Elton John, Human League, Heather Small, Damien Hirst, Simon Callow, Alison Jiear, Jocelyn Brown, Toyah Willcox, k.d. lang, Rula Lenska, Sandi Toksvig, Dame Cleo Laine and the Pet Shop Boys.

Over the years it raises money for charities including the Food Chain, the Royal Marsden Hospital, Crusaid, the RNIB, Changing Attitude, the Terrence Higgins Trust, the Orchid Cancer Appeal and Cara.

Recordings and support

The chorus releases five CDs. Its commercial sponsors and supporters include Queercompany, Marsh and Malone, Brakeley and Selfridges, with the latter linked to annual Christmas carol performances in the store.