Will has been singing in the choir since 2014, and his partner Bert joined in 2018. Both sing tenor.
What does singing mean to you?
Will: ‘I can’t imagine life without singing in a choir. I especially love the larger works, such as Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, Handel’s Messiah or Fauré’s Requiem. Immersing myself in that music, making it my own and creating music together is what I’m passionate about.’
Bert: ‘For me, singing is about connection. My voice is an integral part of who I am. And through the sound, the soft or louder contributions, for example, I share a little bit of that as an individual with my fellow tenors and other voices. At the same time, I receive a lot back from them, and a kind of chemistry and dynamic is created that makes up the whole choir sound, which I find inspiring.’
How important is it that Galakoor is a queer/LGBT choir?
Bert: ‘I think it’s important to have a classical choir that presents itself as queer, because as a member of a minority, I always want to cherish awareness of diversity. I think our freedom, culture, space and right to exist are important for everyone. It’s wonderful when the choir explicitly reflects this diversity. It immediately exposes all those places or communities where that space does not yet exist. Unfortunately, history, including recent history, still shows this to be the case.’
Will: “For me, it’s mainly the atmosphere and the humour, the fun we have together that makes it special. We know that where we are now as individuals is often not a matter of course; many of us have had to fight for it. We know that about each other, we take it into account and we look out for each other.”
What is it like to sing in the choir with your partner?
Will: “It’s great fun. After almost three decades together, our voices blend effortlessly. Unfortunately, I don’t get to stand next to him very often. We tend to mix with the other tenors, which is fine.”
Bert: “It’s wonderful, yes. Sometimes it can be a bit tricky, though, when we have different opinions about the music…”
What is your fondest memory of the Galakoor?
Will: ‘That would have to be Handel’s magical Messiah in the Lutheran church a few years ago. And our performance in the concert hall during Europride in 2016 was also unforgettable. And of course, the great fun we have in the pub after rehearsals, the stories we tell each other and the experiences we share together. That’s what I enjoy.’
Bert: ‘We took part in the big Various Voices event in Bologna in June 2023, and as a classical choir, we were not exactly in the majority, shall we say. What we dreaded most was the final concert, which we had to give in the open air on Bologna’s main square. You can imagine: no acoustics, lots of people talking, Saturday afternoon after shopping. On top of that, a very large male choir performed immediately before us, singing popular repertoire and dancing in a big show. How on earth could we possibly present our classical music convincingly after that? But things turned out differently…
‘Our conductor managed to bring us together beautifully and really empower us. Of course, the audience changed a bit, but then we sang our hearts out and ultimately had all the attention and concentration of ourselves and the audience. And so, quite unexpectedly, this became our best performance in Bologna.’