A ST Albans businessman who has “devoted himself unstintingly” to promoting singing within the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List.
Fifty-nine-year-old Martin Brophy has received the honour for services to music and the community, including for international work with lesbian and gay choirs.
Martin, a former Nicholas Breakspear pupil, said he was “very humbled and surprised” to receive an MBE.
He said that he loved making “things happen” and working with inspirational and talented people with “a common mission to make the world a better place through our voices”.
Martin was born in St Albans and although he now lives in Muswell Hill, he has been a local business owner, running Brophies the Caterers, for over 30 years.
He is currently the executive chairman of charity Fruitvox, which promotes singing among the LGBT community across the world. Martin is also a longstanding member of the London Gay Men’s Chorus.
He has volunteered, organised or run a wide range of projects to encourage diversity and equality through song including the Big Gay Sing in Trafalgar Square as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.
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