Mother-daughter duo for gay choir

The Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir (SGLC) will join cabaret divas Lady Sings it Better for a concert of pop classics from across the decades on June 30. For two members of the respective musical groups, it’ll be a particularly special occasion.

Lady Sings It Better vocalist and artistic director Maeve Marsden will join her mother Louise, a six-year SGLC veteran, on stage for the first time for the Pops Out! concert.

“As far as I can remember we’ve never performed together on stage, but growing up, our house was always full of music, so I’ve been singing with Louise in the kitchen for years,” Maeve told the Star Observer.

“In this performance I am one of many SGLC members, so I am not thinking about being on stage with Maeve,” Louise said.

“Mostly I am thinking about being enormously proud of Maeve and [SGLC music director] Sarah Penicka-Smith for their commitment to music and to bringing it to as wide an audience as possible.”

Louise Marsden joined SGLC in December 2005, and has since sung with Jimmy Somerville at the State Theatre, appeared in Purcell’s opera The Fairy Queen and performed as part of the choir’s 20th anniversary concert last year.

For this event, she and her fellow choristers will perform hits from Nancy Sinatra, Robbie Williams, kd lang and many more.

Lady Sings It Better will perform a selection of songs from their regular set, before the two groups unite for a top-secret finale.

Pops Out! will also be one of the last opportunities to catch Maeve and her fellow Lady Sings It Better performers before they leave for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It’s been a successful year so far for the group, and Maeve acknowledged the strong support they’d received from Sydney’s LGBTI community.

“We crowd-funded $12,000 last year towards the tour — all through fan donations,” she said.

“I hope our fans, family and friends know how much we appreciate this support, and I hope they feel part of the adventure when we set down in Scotland.

“We received a grant from the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Business Association, so yes, the queer community has been particularly supportive.

“That said, we play to an extremely diverse audience, which we love. It’s great to have a show with queer themes that appeals to everyone.”

INFO: Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir Pops Out!, Saturday June 30, Tom Mann Theatre, Surry Hills. www.sglc.org