Harnessing the power of song and the internet, Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir has launched an exciting project to celebrate diversity and speak out against discrimination and violence towards gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (GLBTQI) people.
OutPostChoir will allow people to sing out with the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir no matter where they are in Australia or around the world.
In April 2012, as the world takes action for the annual International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO), the OutPostChoir website will launch a specially written choral song. People from all corners of the globe and all walks of life will be able learn the song on line, record their part on their personal webcam and then submit their video to the OutPostChoir website. Each video submitted will be mixed into the virtual choir performance which will become an ever expanding mosaic of voices and faces as more and more people participate over the life of the project.
The first stage in the project launched this week is an international competition to choose the song which best captures the essence of the project. Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir’s Music Director, Dr Sarah Penicka-Smith said, “We are calling on composers from around the world to submit original songs which convey a positive message about celebrating diversity and speaking out against discrimination towards GLBTQI people. They must be approximately 3 minutes in length and in four-part harmony for soprano, tenor, alto and bass. It must be a song that will inspire the whole GLBTQI community and its allies to sing together from the comfort of their own homes, whether they live in the suburbs of Sydney, a remote town in regional Australia, New York City, Tanzania, or Iran.
This is an opportunity to be out, sing out, post your voice online and be a part of the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir no matter what outpost you live in.
The winning composer will have the honour of having their song performed by the world’s largest queer choir, creating a united message for the whole world to hear.
Entries for the OutPostChoir song competition close on Sunday 22 January 2012. The winning song will be announced on Monday 27 February and will be launched on the website in early April.
Sarah Penicka-Smith said, “As we approach IDAHO day on Thursday 17 May 2012, we will also be taking the winning song and the OutPostChoir project to the streets to get the message out there and to encourage as many people as possible to add their voice to the project.”
Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir is a non-auditioned choir which welcomes members regardless of their age, sexual identity or musical experience. Since forming 20 years ago, the choir has performed Carl Vine's Mythologia with Sydney Dance Company at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Arts Festival, hosted the first Australasian Gay and Lesbian Choral Festival, performed at the Sydney Gay Games Choral Festival, and toured Europe, Auckland and North America. Its 2009 production of Henry Purcell's The Fairy Queen was the first opera in the world to be staged by a queer choir. In June this year, Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir performed a major concert at Sydney Town Hall, performing the choir’s favourite pieces from its repertoire of the past twenty years. It recently performed the world premiere of a major new choral work Dreams & Visions, commissioned from Sydney composer John Peterson.
The OutPostChoir project supports the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir’s objectives of promoting inclusion and access, providing a positive role model for the GLBTQI community, and fostering new Australian music.
Further details on the Song Competition entry conditions and the OutPostChoir project can be found at www.outpostchoir.com.
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