GAY ABANDON
Singing and performing in Yorkshire and beyond since 1997
Gay Abandon is West Yorkshire's LGBT+ choir and has been singing together since 1997. The choir is led by Ian Akroyd, appointed as Music Director in September 2023.
Our choir was founded by Jane Edwardson, and Jane led the choir from 1997 to the summer of 2023. Our first rehearsal was at Blayds Bar in the centre of Leeds. During the early stages of the choir, we were also supported by David Burnett. Since the beginning of the choir, we still have members who attended that first rehearsal.
We are a performing choir and have sung at national and international events, such as Various Voices, Europe's LGBTQ+ choir festival, Hand in Hand, the UK & Ireland’s LGBTQ+ biennial choral festival, as well as our annual concert in Leeds and other singing events across the region, such as World Aids Day and Pride. We have been delighted to have had an opportunity to perfom in many exciting places, such as Bologna, Munich, Dublin, London, Paris, Berlin, Dortmund, Brighton, Manchester, Cardiff (to name but a few!).
It is a real joy to sing with our friends with other choirs such as Sang&Klang:Los! (Dortmund, Germany), the Pink Singers (London), Manchester Proud Chorus, Out Aloud (Sheffield), Deep C Divas (Yorkshire), Doodles (Prague), and Gay Men's Chorus (Washington DC), and Friends of Dorothy (Helsinki). We have also performed with many celebrities, such as Will Young, Alison Moyet and Lulu.
We are still a Yorkshire choir at heart, and our favourite performances are actually those that we do locally, including an annual concert we organise ourselves. See our Events page for more details.
