by Jessica Carreras
By day, Linda Brincat is an advertising sales representative for Pride Source Media Group. But her passions are much more diverse. The 54-year-old Royal Oak resident is both a soprano in the LGBT choir Sing Out Detroit, and the co-founder of Get Out Bike, which goes on biking trips around the area. Brincat welcomes new members to each group, and encourages those who are interested to contact her to get involved.
1) Sing Out Detroit is planning some events for the spring. What do you have coming up and what can the audience expect in terms of songs?
We'll be performing at 11 a.m. May 31 at the First Unitarian-Universalist Church of Detroit's Church Service, at June 7 at Motor City Pride in Ferndale and at 7 p.m. June 13 at Majishi Martial Arts in Ferndale. Music will include "I've Got the Music in Me," James Taylor Unplugged, "Power of One," "Blue Skies" and "I am but a Small Voice." The music this season is fun, fast and full of energy. New members who have recently joined have told us they love the excitement and energy of this new choir. We have 24 members at this time and several new members who will start next season in the fall.
2) How did you get involved with singing, and what do you love about it?
I had a sixth grade teacher who loved choral music and taught us to sing in rounds and in harmony and that is probably where my love of chorus started. I sang in both my high school and college choirs and then for many years gave it up because there was no where to sing. Then about 11 years ago at Motor City Pride, I found One Voice Chorus and sang with them until last year when about 12 former members decided to start a new chorus. We found a new place to practice and made some ground rules about what we wanted to become and how we were going to get there and we are having a fantastic first year. We have also attracted a lot of new members who not only can sing but have a lot of experience in building LGBT choirs, so I look forward to working with them next season to build a chorus large enough to proudly represent metro Detroit.
3) You're also part of Get Out Bike. How did you get involved with that?
I was a member of Spokes & Pedals for several years until the leaders moved out of state. I was very disappointed as I had just purchased a new bike, so I asked a couple friends to start meeting me to ride on Sundays, doing some of the same routes that we had done before. People found out about us through friends and finally we were riding one day and started brainstorming about a name and Forrest shouted out "Get Out Bike" and it took. I then decided to create a very simple Web site where I could post the rides. We have become a sponsored group at Affirmations and the most riders we have had on a ride is 27 last year. We started in 2004 and I have over 100 emails on my list now.
4) What does Get Out Bike provide in terms of camaraderie for the LGBT community?
One of the things I like about Get Out Bike is that we really represent the entire LGBT community. We are getting more and more men to join, what I didn't want is for the group to be a lesbian-only group. Everyone is welcome – LGBT and friends and we've even had people bring their kids. We don't just ride but often picnic or go to lunch as part of the ride.
5) What's more important: The physical exercise of going on 20 mile rides or the sense of commitment to a group?
That is a tough question because both are important but I guess the social aspect is the most important. We will ride as slow as the slowest rider and we try not to lose anyone but at the same time we like to ride at a minimum pace of maybe 10 miles per hour. Many of our rides, like at the state parks, allow us to ride at our own speeds and we just meet at the end to picnic. Many of our regular riders are great at helping me go back and check on riders who are behind to make sure they are OK.
To get out or sing out, visit http://www.getoutbike.com or http://www.singoutdetroit.com
