The community choir of Brixton’s Pegasus opera company, who opened the Windrush 70 celebration in Windrush Square, will be performing at Brixton Library on Monday (23 July).
The choir will sing a medley of songs selected by the members – expressing who they are as individuals as well as a choir performing in unison. Many will perform solo for the first time.
The event starts at 7.30 pm. Entrance is free, though donations to support the choir are encouraged.
Pegasus opera company has a strong outreach ethos and strives to reach under-served communities and diverse audiences, running musical activities to develop health, well-being and community cohesion.
The community choir, whose leader Chike Akwardandu is an experienced choirmaster and singer, is just one of Pegasus’ many education and outreach programmes.
Its members are not professionals, but local people. Many of them are prominent members of their community who use their voices for enjoyment, fun and entertainment as well as to heal, to integrate and include, and to build personal confidence and social communication skills
The choir is open to anyone aged 10 and over and is made up of a varied mix of abilities and of people from an array of cultures, backgrounds and experiences. From August it will recruiting new members to join to celebrate harmony in diversity and the Windrush generation.
New members
To celebrate Windrush 70, Pegasus is staging a tour of performances in Lambeth. It invites new members on Monday 30 July, from 6.30 to 8.30pm, in the basement of Brixton library.
Alison Buchanan, artistic director of Pegasus opera company, said it had pushed the boundaries and challenged perceptions for 25 years.
“As we move forward, we will continue to be on the cutting edge of arts in England and we will be an advocate for BAME artists. We will continue to empower and inspire our communities and our young with music and initiatives that are fresh, exciting and innovative.” She said.
A registered charity, Pegasus has a three-part mission:
- To provide opportunities for artists of diverse backgrounds;
- To promote opera among young people in underserved communities to expand their cultural
- To promote opera in culturally diverse communities for all ages.
