SUGGESTED DONATION: £2 TO ATTEND - £5 TO SUGGEST A SONG

We are pleased to invite you all to “Sing Like a Girl”
– a virtual live music event hosted by our very own Gemma Irving on Friday
12 March at 6pm!

Gemma will be performing a collection of songs by incredible
female singer song-writers to celebrate International Women’s Day and to help
raise funds for our office charity, Henshaws.

Ever wonder why historically there are so few female classical
composers, poets and great novelists?  Is it because women did not create such things, or are incapable of doing so?  No.  It is because, “For most of history, anonymous was a woman” (Virginia Woolf).  For thousands of years it was considered “unladylike” for women to express their opinions or feelings on anything.  Those that succeeded in the arts did so by assuming male names, such as the Bronte Sisters (who were known as Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell) and Marian Evans (otherwise known as George Elliot).  Even recently, Joanne Rowling adopts gender neutral (e.g. JK Rowling) or male pseudonyms (e.g. Robert Galbraith), in fear that her work will otherwise be branded as “chick lit”.  There has also been a similar lack of opportunity for female musicians and songwriters.  In 2018 BBC research showed that in
UK festivals that year women accounted for 13 % of the performers whereas 10% were mixed and 77% were men. 

We really hope that you will find time to come along for a get
together with the office and to listen to Gemma’s amazing talents. We are asking that attendees make a minimum donation of £2 (which we think is a bargain for a live gig!); but you can also make a minimum donation of £5 to be able to pick a song for Gemma to play from her playlist below:

-     Carole King – Medley: You’ve Got a Friend and Will You Still Love me Tomorrow

-          Gabrielle – Out of Reach

-          Shania Twain – You’re Still the One

-          Alicia Keyes – Girl on Fire

-          Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac) – Landslide

-          Dolly Parton – Jolene

-          Taylor Swift – Blank Space

-           KT Tunstall – Other Side of the World