Sing United’s second season poised for kick off!
At last the 2018-19 Premier League kicked off this weekend and every football fan throughout the nation dared to dream. So full of hope for the season ahead. Would this be the season that their beloved team lift that elusive trophy? Could they finally win promotion or heaven forbid do the unthinkable and win the league?!?
Introducing … Power To The People!
So, at a time of the hope for something new, it seems fitting to kick off our second show ‘Power To The People’. On Sunday November 18th at 6pm, the 140 voices of Sing United will take to the stage at the People’s Theatre in Newcastle.
The theme of our show being songs written in support of change for the better. People willing to put their hearts, and at times lives, on the line for something they believe in. So strong their belief that they need to tell the world about it and do something, anything, to resolve injustice and change views of the world and the people in it. The image to the left is our show logo of the clenched fist symbol most associated with power to the people.
Throughout history many people have communicated this hope and belief in special causes by writing about them. Maybe most powerfully through the medium of music and song. By doing so, telling their stories with incredible emotion and strength to spread the word and move others to unite with them for a brighter future. These stories range from personal battles to huge movements of people, fighting for treatment as equals in this ever changing world we live in.
The show’s themes…
Two big themes within our “Power To The People’ show tackle the emotive and challenging subjects of racial and gender inequality. So, we’ll be learning and performing classic anthems in the Civil Rights movement to represent the fight for racial equality. These include Sam Cooke’s ‘A Change Is Gonna Come’, ‘People Get Ready’ by Curtis Mayfield, and Billie Holiday’s controversial and haunting ‘Strange Fruit’. To represent the fight for women’s rights we will perform music by strong female artists. ‘I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free’ by the iconic Nina Simone, and ‘We Shall Overcome’ by Joan Baez are just two of them. The Suffragette movement and their campaign to change British law to allow women to vote will also be covered. Not forgetting our home, the North East, with the inclusion of the 1850s protest song ‘The Toon Improvement Bill’ by Ned Corvan, amongst others.
Sing United Supports The People’s Kitchen
An integral part of our vision and mission centres around ‘Sing United Supports’. This time, fitting with our people theme and making change for the better, The People’s Kitchen, was the obvious choice.
We will combine the proceeds from all fundraising activities for this wonderful cause. This will come from our singers in rehearsals (which as you can see from this photo the crafting has started already) and public performances in either the venue-venue or non venue-venue (don’t ask!) Our support going to homeless and disadvantaged people on our doorstep.
Meet the Singers, Part Two!
We’ll also be carrying on our wonderful ‘Meet the Singers’ series we started in our first show, ‘River’s Pride’. We invite our Sing United family to share with us their special stories connected to the theme of our show. Do you or your family support a cause that has driven a passionate movement for change? Have you been involved in a protest march recently or in years gone by? Does your family history have any links to the fights for justice we’ll be singing about in our show? We’d love to hear from you! And we’ll be asking those of you willing to share your stories to send them to us for publishing!
This show is going to be a challenge musically and emotionally but we know you’re up to the difficult task! It will be so rewarding when it all starts to come together. Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing with you a more detailed insight into the work of The People’s Kitchen. Then we’ll go on to tell the powerful stories behind the songs we’re taking on this term. We don’t know about you all but we just can’t wait to start!
This is music with a message. THIS is ‘Power To The People’.
