About us
An event that brings LGBTQI+ choirs together since 1985
Every 4 years in a different city... and now in Brussels!
Legato, the European Federation of LGBTQI+ Choirs, supports and oversees the organisation of the festival Various Voices. Every four years, it transforms a European city into a vibrant, musical playground. The first edition took place in Cologne in 1985 with four choirs from four countries taking part, while the most recent edition brought 110 choirs and 3500 singers to Bologna from 19 different countries.
Various Voices is until now much more than a concert programme: it’s a musical home, a platform for connection and inspiration, a place where new friendships are made and queer culture is celebrated. Hundreds of queer choirs from across Europe – and beyond – come together to sing, celebrate, and raise their voices to sing for equality.
Sing out brussels!
Sing Out Brussels! (The Fabulous Queer Choir) will be hosting the Brussels edition of Various Voices.
Founded in 2018, Sing Out Brussels! is a community choir that respects each and every member’s identity. Their core values of kindness, freedom, transparency and solidarity are the foundation for all they do. Their membership accurately reflects Brussels’ international identity, with members coming from more than 20 countries and speaking 15 different languages. The candidate cities for Various Voices 2026, Brussels and Barcelona, submitted bid packs and application videos, and following a vote in 2021, Legato’s Board and member choirs selected Sing Out Brussels! as host.
A project driven by volunteers with strong values and supported by solid partners
Our values at the heart of the project
Our project is defined by strong values : advocacy, creativity, inclusion, sustainability, joy, openness, interaction, solidarity and diversity. Read more about our values!
Various Voices Brussels 2026 ASBL
Various Voices is a not-for-profit socio-cultural event. The non-profit association (ASBL) organising the event was formed in 2022 to set the festival apart from other Sing Out Brussels! projects. The festival is organised by an all-volunteer team, also members of the choir Sing Out Brussels!.
Marina Belotti
I was one of the fools who, amid the pandemic, devoted time and energy to write the bid for the 2026 Festival. Today, I am proud of the team’s achievements and of my professionalism as Treasurer. It is a round-the-clock job, but it is worth it: every time I add a brick to the festival structure, I turn the margins of the norm into vibrant gardens for our communities. I hope that the Brussels Festival will be a garden for you to feel safe to be yourself. Born from our common efforts, hopes, and dreams, this Festival is for me a garden of immense value.
Christophe Cordier
I can still remember how moved I was at the opening ceremony of my first Various Voices festival in Dublin in 2014: that feeling of having found my place among the people in my community who share my passion for choral singing. Organising this festival in my city is a dream that is coming true thanks to you. I am devoting a great deal of time and energy to it, putting my skills in event organisation, project management and communication at the service of the community. I hope you will enjoy participating in the festival as much as I enjoy preparing it!
Elli Tessier
I took part in Various Voices for the first time in Bologna and it made me want to get involved in the Brussels project, where I am responsible for coordinating the Festival Village. Inclusivity, accessibility and sustainability are the words that guide my actions, both in my personal life and within the team. Music has always been a big part of my life, and I’m delighted that there are spaces like our choirs where we can combine our passion with our aspirations for a better world. As a trans person, I want to build a festival where every letter of the LGBTQI+ acronym has its place. I look forward to seeing you there!
Walid Aissaoui
My interest in the festival ties in with my passion for showcasing my city. I’m a tourist guide and I like to show visitors the surprising and little-known corners of Brussels, the city where I was born and grew up. I also bring this quirky point of view to the team, where I’m particularly interested in the partnerships we’re developing with the City of Brussels to enable you to sing in unusual places. I also have the distinction of having experienced Various Voices as part of three different choirs: London Gay Men’s Chorus in Dublin in 2014, Tapalanote in 2018 and Sing Out Brussels! in 2023.
Damien Wauters
I am passionate about music, I am a pianist and I love nothing more than attending concerts or feeling emotions through music. Choral singing came later in my life, 15 years ago, which has already given me the opportunity to experience three editions of Various Voices. I have been following the evolution of the Brussels project closely since the idea was born in 2018. As a young retiree, I devote some of my free time to preparatory meetings, during which I offer the voice of wisdom when difficult decisions have to be made, with a careful eye on our budget. I look forward to meeting you and sharing some wonderful musical moments together!
Stefano Abruzzini
I’m a volunteer who manages the festival registration platform INtegra. As a recently retired statistician, I now devote my time and expertise to answering your queries, sending reminders, resolving bugs, and preparing data reports and charts for the Festival Board. I’m passionate about using statistics to highlight diversity rather than hiding it behind averages. I also enjoy cooking and I’m thankful to the VV26 Board to test my recipes from all around the world during their working dinners.
Professionals from the world of culture to help us
Simon Paco
Actor, performer and costum designer, Simon Paco is the artistic director of the festival. They have previously directed several productions: Antigone(s), Sunset Boulevard, The Initiator, My Fair Lady, Elisabeth, A German Life. Simon Paco was artistic director of Sing Out Brussels! (Shows “School’s out” and “Queeroes”). They will soon be directing the choral rock project Arkane (Sing For the Moment). As a queer person, they were looking for an opportunity to be actively involved in an LGBTQIA+ project and responded enthusiastically to our proposal to collaborate!
Emily Allison
Jazz singer, composer and arranger Emily Allison is the music director of the festival. She has been based in Brussels since 2009. She holds a Master’s in Jazz Singing from the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussels and was awarded at the Brussels Jazz Marathon ‘Jeunes Talents’ competition. Emily co-created the bands LIFT (2014 album), Songs of Old (2020 album), Treehouse Days (2025 album), and also sang in Parisian vocal group EXEKO. She has directed Sing Out Brussels! since its creation.
Antoine Denis
Technical Director of the festival, Antoine Denis is the manager of Audeo Events Technology. He works with prestigious venues, including some that will host our festival (Bozar, C12) and festivals such as LaSeMo. His family-run, people-oriented company seemed like the best choice for our project. Antoine establishes the technical requirements and plans the teams for each of our venues, working within our budgetary constraints. His professionalism and kindness are invaluable assets for the success of the festival.
Vincent De Bast
As a sound engineer, Vincent De Bast has already provided sound for concerts and mixed albums for a large number of artists on the French-speaking music scene and on the Belgian and international jazz scene. He has also lent his talents as a choir sound engineer to Sing Out Brussels! by providing the sound for our concerts, mixing our live recordings and recording our songs in the studio. His technical expertise will be invaluable in ensuring that both the participating choirs and the audience have the best possible experience in the various festival venues.
Competent partners to build the project alongside us
Flanders
Thanks to the festival, Flemish choirs benefit from a visible platform at a major European event, and Flanders’ position as a region that promotes inclusive, innovative and high-quality choral culture is strengthened. The festival contributes to the international visibility of the Flemish amateur arts sector and highlights its openness to the LGBTQI+ community.
visit.brussels
Brussels’ tourist office has been developing a bespoke LGBTQI+ tourism strategy and has lent its support to Various Voices Brussels 2026. Our bid was drawn up in collaboration with its Convention Bureau. visit.brussels is supporting us in organising the Festival Village, events planned in public spaces, communication and the search for sponsors.
Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles
The Wallonia-Brussels Federation (French-speaking government of Belgium) provides financial support for the festival as part of its international outreach policy and its equal opportunities policy. This support recognises the essential role played by the festival in promoting the image of this institution and its role in cultural LGBTQI+ rights.
Loterie Nationale
The National Lottery provides financial support to the festival as part of its social responsibility initiatives. It is thus associated with a project that promotes universal values: diversity, inclusion, solidarity and culture. The National Lottery is proud to be associated with a major international event with high visibility and social impact, which promotes artistic creativity, openness and living together.
Rainbow Visibilities
This support programme is an initiative of Rainbowhouse Brussels, carried out with the support of Cocof (French-speaking community of Brussels) to contribute to the development of community initiatives promoting the LGBTQ+ community. The production of the music video Let Your Heart Be Heard was supported within this framework.