Pride Men’s Chorus London proudly presents a choral celebration of LGBTQ2 history: “Brave.”  It is a personal as well as a collective story about liberation, the joy of living authentically, and the power of love and compassion. “Brave” documents the journey from the dark days of discrimination and persecution to the present day of equal rights and tolerance in our own community and across the nation, lest we forget the dark history from which we came. The goal of this performance is to enlighten and inspire the audience, the LGBTQ2 community, and the broader community at large, and to help those with closed minds and hearts to open up.

Join Pride Men’s Chorus London as they present a celebration of diversity and love, sharing songs and personal reflections about the brave souls who came before, whose activism was hard fought. “Brave” is a multimedia performance featuring fierce anthems, loud and proud protest songs, and rousing reinterpretations of popular numbers to inform, delight and inspire you to celebrate your own uniqueness. This includes selections from two Broadway musicals, “Dear Evan Hansen” and “The Falsettos,” as well as an award-winning song from the film soundtrack to “Brokeback Mountain.” In addition, PMCL will perform covers of artists such as Andra Day, Barry Manilow, Heather Small, Pet Shop Boys, and The Hollies, as well as a heart-warming mashup of Cindy Lauper’s “True Colours” with Sara Bareilles’s “Brave” (arranged by San Francisco’s Gay Men’s Chorus).  

Two key pieces — “Testimony” and “Michael’s Letter to Mama” — peer into the private struggles of finding self-acceptance and the courage to come out in an intolerant world. Composed by Stephen Schwartz (“Godspell,” “Pippin,” “Wicked” and others) for San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus in 2012, “Testimony” features lyrics taken from submissions to Dan Savage’s It Gets Better Project. “Michael’s Letter to Mama” is a special choral arrangement of a coming out letter penned by author, Armistead Maupin, in his influential “Tales of the City” books and mini-series. They remind us of the importance of chosen family in fostering positive self-esteem, self-worth, and self-love to create a life worth living. Bring your tissues, because things are going to get messy up in here!

Artistic Direction: Clark Bryan

Conductor: Andrew Rethazi

Assistant Conductor: Tom Corken

Trigger Warning (TW): Some content in this performance may contain triggering and/or sensitive material. Hate speech (i.e. language that may be interpreted as homophobic or sexist), self-harm, suicide, homophobia/transphobia are topics depicted within this event. If you feel triggered, please know there are resources to support you:

Reach Out: https://reachout247.ca/

Canadian Mental Health Association: https://cmhamiddlesex.ca/

Queer Support: https://www.queerevents.ca/resources/crisis-hotline-support/resources

Pride Men’s Chorus London was founded in 2016 and is a program of Aeolian Hall. PMCL was the 2018 recipient of the Jack Richardson London Music Award Best Classical Vocal (Choir/Group). Since its foundation, PMCL has sung to sold out audiences. PMCL creates experiences through choral music that promote community, inclusiveness and excellence.  With the goal of combatting stereotypes and perceptions, we challenge the heteronormative worldview by inspiring our audience, the LGBTQ2 community and our broader community through advocacy and music. We celebrate victories won, we mourn lives lost, we find unconditional acceptance, and we celebrate all life in harmony, through our songs.