From 14 to 18 June 2023, Sing Out Brussels! took part in the European LGBTQI+ Choir Festival, Various Voices, in Bologna (Italy). Our choir will host the event in Brussels in 2026.
Bologna hosted 105 LGBTQI+ choirs and 3,500 singers from 14 to 18 June, with groups mainly from Europe, but also from the USA, New Zealand and South Africa. An initiative of Legato, the European Association of LGBTQI+ Choirs, Various Voices is organised every four years by a different European choir.
Bologna’s male-voice LGBTQIA+ choir Komos hosted this year’s Italian edition of the festival. Over five days, the festival brought the city to life. Each participating choir sang a 30-minute concert at one of the festival’s four theatre venues. There were also concerts at a museum, in various public places around the city, and at former industrial site Dumbo, now a socio-cultural centre that served as the festival’s nightlife and social hub.
Various Voices brings the LGBTQI+ community together through singing and music. The event is about meeting others, getting to know each other and expressing our pride. We returned from Bologna with our hearts full of emotion and with so many memories of the moments we spent together.
Sing Out Brussels! sang several times as part of the festival: Thursday evening among the infectious atmosphere of Dumbo’s partygoers, Friday afternoon at Arena del Sole’s welcoming, appreciative audience, Saturday morning on Piazza del Nettuno in the historic heart of Bologna, and finally at the Closing Ceremony on Saturday evening.
Because Brussels is next up! Sing Out Brussels! has been entrusted with organising the festival in 2026. It’s a huge responsibility, but it’s going to be a very exciting experience too!
Want to know more about Various Voices Brussels 2026? Fancy getting involved in the organisation, or just want to keep up to date? Subscribe to the newsletter at www.various-voices.be!
Check out @variousvoiceschoirfestival on socials for more photos and videos from the festival.