GLOW is Brighton’s Non-Audition, Natural Voice Community Choir for LGBTQIA+ people and Allies. GLOW has a strong emphasis on including, welcoming and celebrating everybody under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella.
All voices are welcome at GLOW Choir, without judgement, auditions, or exceptions. People and their voices are greeted with a warm welcome and with celebratory, encouraging, patient teaching and facilitation that helps everyone feel welcome to sing with GLOW.
GLOW is about community, queer joy, helping people feel empowered and connected through song, and making space for LGBTQIA+ people to gather and connect in solidarity and through music.
GLOW has been bringing LGBTQIA+ people together in a cappella harmony, community and solidarity since 2015, and is still going strong despite the challenges of the pandemic years. GLOW aims to bring warmth, integrity, and queer community spirit to all GLOW offerings. Ever learning, growing and GLOWing!
For more information about any of the songs featured on this website, contact hannahrose@getbrightonsinging.com
On this page – GLOW Choir
Testimonials
Click this link to be transported to our GLOW Choir Testimonials page.
SPRING-SUMMER term 2024
Please see below for a list of our Spring-Summer dates 2024 at St Luke’s (Old Shoreham Road) and how to book!
Image above reads: Term dates 2024. 10th February, 24th February, 9th March, 23rd March, 13th April, 27th April, 11th May, 25th May, 8th June, 22nd June, 13th July, 27th July. 2.30-4.30 pm.
HOW TO BOOK
Simply follow this link to our GLOW Choir booking page.
Image above reads: Drop in’s welcome. Except our last session before the sharing. Please book online before attending.
Introducing our new midweek session at the ledward centre
Image above-left reads: Midweek singing at the Ledward Centre. All voices welcome. One weekday evening a month during GLOW choir term. Sing uplifting accappella songs with GLOW, Brighton’s friendly LGBTQIA+ community choir, in the lovely LedCen.
Image above-right reads: Midweek singing at the Ledward Centre. All voices welcome. Term dates 2024. 17th April 2024 Rescheduled, 15th May 2024, 29th May12th June 2024, 19th July 2024. 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Fellow GLOWER’s this is to be booked separately from your Saturday term sessions.
HOW TO BOOK
Simply follow this link to our GLOW at Ledward booking page.
cancellation policy
Follow this link for our Choir Cancellation Policy for Single-Session bookings
INFECTION SAFETY POLICY
To protect vulnerable people and prevent self employed leadership avoid losing work, please keep to our Infection Safety Policy when attending GLOW choir. Thank you!
WHOLE TERM BOOKINGS!!
Whole term bookings discount is now closed for the term, but you can still book individual sessions by using the link below
GLOW Choir booking page.
Whole term bookings are a great way to support your choir, and also get a discount on the whole term cost.
Whole term bookings are non refundable, regardless of how many sessions you attend.
The discount available may vary term-to term.
This term we are offering folks who purchase the whole term up front, a free GLOW badge as a thank you!
Whole term bookings will close soon after our second session this term, 24th Feb – so get your whole term discount while you can!
FIND US ON SOCIALS / MERCH
Find us on: Facebook
Find us on: Instagram
Find us on: Redbubble
Have a listen…
Thank you to Mike South Photography for this video.
For more information about any of the songs featured on this website, contact hannahrose@getbrightonsinging.com
Find more glow singing on
…GLOW facebook, GLOW instagram.
Or better still – come and be part of it! All voices welcome.
Follow this link to join:
MORE ABOUT GLOW
glow choir winter sharing 2023
Congratulations to all our GLOWERS for raising and donating £130 to The Clare Project.
glow – WHAT’s it all about?
Being together in LGBTQIA+ Community can be hugely important in many ways. Music can uplift, nourish and bond us beyond words in a wholesome and generous manner. This combination of being together in community and singing, can be a catalyst for wellness and joy, in big and small ways.
A short article on about GLOW choir from 2022: Article
GLOW choir creates a relaxed and friendly atmosphere for folks to be themselves, learn about music and enjoy singing with others. There are important tea breaks for refreshments and socialising too – we missed these through the pandemic and are glad to have them back again!
A welcoming and inclusive space. Hannah-Rose, who runs GLOW Choir, cares deeply about making GLOW a welcoming, inclusive and enjoyable space for everyone who attends, and especially about making a space for LGBTQIA+ folks to be unapologetically and joyfully ourselves, and to connect through song.
Hannah-Rose has co-written a resource for choir leaders to help make their choirs safer spaces for trans people, non-binary people and other gender non conforming folks. Head on over to the Gender Inclusion and Awareness in Choirs page to find out more.
“GLOW choir is a safe and welcoming space; a supportive queer community;
a place for everyone to find their voice and use it.” – Anonymous GLOW choir member
VOCAL SUPPORT
If you want vocal support outside of choir sessions, GLOW’s choirleader Hannah-Rose offers 1-2-1 singing lessons and voice coaching sessions, and has a wide range of training and many years of experience in this area.
She is said to be a warm, empathetic and encouraging teacher with plenty of knowledge and skills to pass along to help you meet your voice goals and enjoy your voice – but don’t take our word for it, have a look at the testimonials.
Hannah-Rose is building on what she can offer you in sessions by training to teach trans voice alteration with gender affirming voice teacher Renée Yoxon in 2024. She is thrilled to be able to support trans and non binary voices in this way – feel free to get in touch if you want to find out more about this, and keep an eye on the website for announcements.
ACCESSIBILITY AT St Luke’s
Accessibility at St Luke’s. St Luke’s is wheelchair accessible. There is a wide doorway with permanent ramp access in and out of the building and a wheelchair accessible toilet. Low lighting options are available, and sometimes/often used. There is a break about halfway through the session. Participants are welcome to take additional breaks if needed.
St Luke’s is a generally quiet and pleasant atmosphere, without noise disturbances apart from the road from time to time. There are sofas and mats at the side if you need to take a break, and a quiet room set apart from the main space where we sing. There are heaters individuals can sit underneath, but the Church itself remains chilly in the colder months so wrap up warm if you are vulnerable to the cold.
If you need to check anything else contact hannahrose@getbrightonsinging.com
ACCESSIBILITY AT THE LEDWARD CENTRE
The lights in the cafe are low and warm and the access is flat from the street.
The toilet is downstairs and accessed via the back staircase from the cafe and can also be reached via the lift in reception.
It is a single occupancy accessible toilet big enough to accommodate a wheelchair/mobility device (the same with the lift), though neither would accommodate a large mobility scooter.
Important – Accessibility Changes on specific dates
For the April session, lift access to the accessible toilet will not be available due to scheduled works.
Jubilee Street road closure – 13th to the 20th May the road will be closed because of ‘The Great Escape’ event, so this may impact on access pick up / drop off points available.
what does glow represent?
What does ‘GLOW’ stand for?
GLOW is an acronym that was made up by some Natural Voice Practitioners at Unicorn Natural Voice Camp, where GLOW Choirs began, and where Hannah-Rose had some affirmative experiences of singing with an LGBT+ choir. The GLOW acronym stands for Gay, Lesbian Or Whatever. Before you react to it –
The ‘Whatever’ of GLOW is intended to be an inclusive and celebratory ‘Whatever,’ embracing and acknowledging the wide diversity of human experience – it is not intended to be dismissive of all the other identities under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella, but instead to be inclusive and celebratory!
What does LGBTQIA+ & Allies mean?
[This is written to the best of the ability of GLOW Choir leadership, with the understanding that over time, understanding may need to be updated].
LGBTQIA+ is an acronym representing some of the many gender, romantic and sexual identities that exist. Each letter represents a word to do with gender, romantic and sexual identities, and the + acknowledges that there are many other identities not represented directly by this acronym, which are also equally important. It is an ever growing and evolving acronym, as humans learn more about one another and themselves and find words and ways to communicate about this.
Some but not all of the identities referred to in this acronym include Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Agender and more. The acronym with a ‘+’ is a shorthand for the diversity of gender, sexual and romantic identities and experiences that exist.
There are other versions of this acronym in existence such as LGBTQIAP2, which includes Pansexual and Two Spirit explicitly. There are many more identities and experiences in existence than these or any other short acronym can include, because the variety of human experience is vast, and humans continue to find new words and ways to express and define themselves.
Identity language such as the above can help people to make sense of their experiences, to fight against oppression, to feel at home in themselves and the world, and to unite with others who might have a similar experience. Identity language is therefore a powerful and important thing.
GLOW acknowledges that some people may not know how they identify, or may not wish to use any labels to describe themselves: this is totally valid.
Some people’s chosen identity language may change over time: also valid.
Two people might use the same identity word to mean a slightly different thing: this is totally fine.
Some people might use different words to refer to the same thing: also good.
This is all totally valid, and GLOW is intended to be a space that supports everyone in being themselves.
What About the ‘Allies’ bit? What does that mean?
‘Allies’ often refers to straight / heterosexual and/or cisgender Allies who actively support LGBTQIA+ people in being who they are.
At GLOW, we welcome straight and/or cisgender Allies who actively support LGBTQIA+ people in being who they are.
We also hope that everyone under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella would like to be a good Ally to everyone else under the umbrella, as we are none of us exactly the same as each other, and do our best to cultivate an atmosphere of mutual support, and respect.
We also acknowledge that some people may be unsure of their identity, and that having a space which they can attend and not have to be certain or be out, is important, and it is a GLOW hope that having a space that welcomes LGBTQIA+ folks and Allies too, allows folks on the supposed ‘margins’ of the LGBTQIA+ community to find a space they can also feel welcome and safe to be themselves and meet people, without having to be completely confident in their identity first.
Welcoming Allies also improves accessibility, as it means that LGBTQIA+ people whose partners, carers or close supporters are LGBTQIA+ allies but don’t identify as LGBTQIA+, can come with them to choir if wanted/needed; as long as those people are actively supportive of LGBTQIA+ people and willing to step respectfully into an LGBTQIA+ space.
Other faq’s
First, see above section, ‘what does GLOW represent?’
Then, for more FAQs visit our GLOW FAQ’S Page
SONGS
GLOW Choir sings a wide range of uplifting a cappella harmony songs, from around the world, in many moods and genres, to nourish and uplift the soul.
These include songs of pride, protest, peace, celebration, depth, joy and more.
Songs are all taught by ear, so you don’t need to be able to read music scores to sing with GLOW. Lyrics will be provided to aid memory/learning/access.
GLOW repertoire also includes original songs written especially for the group; songs learnt from renowned world music choirs Village Harmony & Northern Harmony; repertoire from the Natural Voice Network; arranged popular songs; simple chants; folk songs; rounds; Civil Rights songs; and a myriad of other musical delights and sources.
All songs are taught with relevant background information, research and respect to their sources.
Song requests are welcome and will be taken into consideration.
For more information about any of the songs featured on this website, contact hannahrose@getbrightonsinging.com
anti racism & cultural honouring
GLOW Choir has an Anti Racism and Cultural Honouring policy including a remunerations commitment as part of this.
Thank You!! to the Natural Voice Network’s ARCH team for inspiring GLOW leadership to do this work
Fundraising at GLOW:
Anti Racism & Cultural Honouring Remunerations Donations:
Black LGBTQIA+ Therapy Fund. Regular donations through 2022 and 2023. Total donated so far (last updated 11th Dec 2023): £141
Reproductive Rights Fund. One off donation June 2022
GLOW Choir has also done fundraising to support LGBTQIA+ Charities through our Summer/Winter Sharing Events including:
This song was traditionally sung to heal children with infectious illnesses – little did we know what was to come in 2020 with the pandemic a few months later!
Thank you to Kate Benjamin for the incredible artwork you can see on the GLOW logos, stripes and fliers.
You can find products with Kate’s beautiful artwork available at our
GLOW Choir Redbubble Shop!
http://glowchoir.redbubble.com/
For more about Kate Benjamin see https://katebenjamin.com/
We have fallen into the place where everything is music - Rumi 