Music for Change: LGBTQ+ stars to honour lives lost to suicide and addiction

On Friday, 10 October, some of London’s most celebrated queer performers will take to the stage at St Giles, Barbican, for a one-night-only event marking World Mental Health Day. The concert, titled Music for Change, aims to raise awareness of the "alarming rates of suicide and drug-related deaths within the LGBTQ+ community".

Hosted by Andy Gardiner, dancer, actor and current Mr Gay Great Britain, the evening will feature a powerful blend of live music and personal testimony. Gardiner, who also serves as a mental health ambassador, will introduce performances from the London Gay Men’s Chorus, the London Gay Symphony Orchestra, and the dance collective Homoparody, alongside a host of solo artists from across the capital’s vibrant queer music scene.

The event is a collaboration between Big Gay Out, Song in the City, and the grassroots organisation You Are Loved. Founded in 2024 by social psychologist Marc Svensson, You Are Loved is dedicated to preventing suicide and drug-related deaths in the LGBTQ+ community. Through bereavement support groups, community discussion events, and a newly launched national LGBTQ+ support directory, the organisation tackles loneliness, stigma and shame at their roots.

Recent research has revealed that rates of suicide and self-harm among people who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or another sexual orientation are more than twice as high as those of their heterosexual peers. Funds raised through Music for Change will support You Are Loved’s life-saving work across the UK.

The evening will also include appearances by mental health campaigner Jonny Benjamin MBE, countertenors Andrew Watts and Eliran Kadussi, mezzo sopranos Isobel Hughes and Natasha Elliott, baritones Owain Gwynfryn, Thomas Litchev, and Kang Yang, tenor Daniel Gray Bell, soprano Jasper Kindleysides, vocalist Jairus McClanahan, and pianist Gavin Roberts, who founded Song in the City in 2012 to connect new audiences with classical music.

Big Gay Out, launched in 2023 by chiropractor, opera singer and life coach Owain Gwynfryn, creates inclusive spaces for gay, bisexual, trans and queer men. Together with Song in the City and You Are Loved, the organisers hope the event will not only raise vital funds but also foster solidarity and healing within the LGBTQ+ community.

Tickets are now available, with early bird prices starting at £25. They can be purchased via Ticket Tailor.