The Sacred Wing happens because some members of Gay Abandon and some members of the congregation of All Hallows Church in Leeds like to sing sacred choral music and get a few friends to join in. We come together every autumn to prepare a community concert in December. The first part of the evening is an accessible choral piece, sometimes recognising World Aids Day at the beginning of the month by remembering those we have lost. After coffee and mince pies, the second part is our take on the traditional Festival of Lessons and Carols - the chorus leads everyone in singing popular Christmas carols, and the readings reflect our experiences throughout the year and at this season.
Our last concert was on Sunday 18th December 2011, at All Hallows. We continued with last year's successful move to using just women’s voices, and also tried singing three contrasting and shorter pieces instead of one longer one: Francis Poulenc’s Litanies à la Vierge Noire, Benjamin Britten’s Missa Brevis in D and the first part of John Rutter’s Magnificat. To find out what we're singing in 2012, and maybe join in, come back in September or like our facebook page.
The concerts are free, but we take a retiring collection which covers minimal expenses and leaves a profit to be donated to local charities. As the concerts are very popular, it's a good idea to arrive early if you want to be sure of a chair.
| 2011 : | Francis Poulenc, Litanies à la Vierge Noire Benjamin Britten, Missa Brevis in D John Rutter, Magnificat (first part) |
| 2010 : | Giovanni Pergolesi, Stabat Mater |
| 2009 : | Howard Goodall, Eternal Light |
| 2008 : | George Handel, highlights from Messiah |
| 2007 : | Antonio Vivaldi, Gloria |
| 2006 : | John Rutter, Requiem |
| 2005 : | Karl Jenkins, The Armed Man, a Mass for Peace |
| 2004 : | Gabriel Fauré, Requiem |
| 2003 : | Wolfgang Mozart, Requiem |
| 2002 : | Gareth Valentine, Requiem for all those who have died with AIDS |
| 2001 : | George Handel, Zadok the Priest and highlights from Messiah |
| 2000 : | Antonio Vivaldi, Gloria |
| 1999 : | Gabriel Fauré, Requiem |
Although membership of the chorus changes from year to year, a core team has provided continuity since we started. Musical direction has been provided by David Fligg and Andrew Archer and, currently, by Fiona Thompson with support from accompanist Jenny Wattis. We are lucky to be able to use All Hallows which aims to be an open, welcoming and inclusive church. (One evening the then vicar, Ray Gaston, introduced us as the sacred wing of Gay Abandon; it's not quite accurate, but we liked the name so much that it stuck.)
Like its audience, the Sacred Wing includes people of different faiths or none and a range of sexualities. The only membership criteria are an enjoyment of singing sacred music and an abhorrence of homophobia. If you'd like to sing with us, just drop us an e-mail.