Late one night in New York bar, Manchester, Ben and Sophie – both professional musicians – had the idea for Pride Classical. Soon afterwards, Carrot Productions agreed to make it a reality, and in June 2023, it came to fruition.

 

Drawing on their vast collective experience, Ben and Sophie produced the set list, planned the instrumentation and linking sections, and working closely with composer / arranger Daniel from Carrot Productions to arrange and produce parts for 40+ performers.

 

Ben’s husband Keith, a teacher and board member of Stockport Pride, coordinated the community involvement through the Pride Anthem and My Pride Song projects, and Sophie’s partner Bryony, who works in arts marketing, created our communications.

 

Music therapist and professional flautist, Amina, led the community work, first undertaking extensive training around meeting the mental health needs of LGBTQ+ people. Rachel, Managing Director of Carrot Productions, had the belief, passion, expertise and resources to bring the whole project to life.
 
We made it a priority to include artists and creatives who are members or close allies of the LGBTQ+ community. Well over half of the performers onstage in June identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, asexual, intersex, or otherwise allied with the progressive rainbow flag.

 

Many more have family members, close friends or partners who connect them to the community. And we’re delighted that through our work with LGBTQ+ groups in Greater Manchester, and our open call for people to tell us their Pride songs and why they matter, we’ll be showcasing even more queer voices in our future events, exhibitions and online spaces.