Gala Concert

The University of Music and Dance hosted the Gala Concert, the Sound of the Gay Games, which included a dizzying array of combinations of groups, vocal and instrumental, along with a performance by Cheer SF and local personalities.

Here is Games Cologne's report:

The great Gala Concert of the VIII Gay Games Cologne 2010 attracted on Thursday evening (5 August) more than 800 people into the university of music and dance in Cologne.

Together with hundreds of instrumentalists and singers, the enthusiastic audience turned into its own impressive scenery at this cultural highlight of the Cologne Gay Games.

A delegation of the “Rosa Funken”, who were already known to the international guests from the Village at the Neumarkt, opened the concert as flight attendants by introducing the audience to the “security procedures”. The atmosphere was thrilled by the professional performance from “Cheers San Francisco”, the gold-medal winners of the Gay Games Cheerleading Competition.

Under direction from Sten Kuth, Malte Fuhrer and humorous Helena Marion Scholz presented a wonderful program, that could be described best as “Cologne meets The World”.

“Stimmfusion Köln”, a joint venture from the nine gay- lesbian choirs in Cologne with more than 100 voices, started with “Colonia Chorale”, a newly texted “Candide” from Leonhard Bernstein, arranged by Steve Nobles.

Nobles did arranged as well to an extended part the coordination of the international musicians. Followed by the Beach Boys “Good Vibrations”, as well as by “Junimond” from Rio-Reiser; and a German text about the Gay Games 2010 was set to the music of “Rum and Coca Cola”.

The specifically for the Gay Games Cologne set orchestra with musicians from the Rainbow Symphony orchestra Paris and Cologne started their presentation with “moon river” from Henry Mancini. The Festival Choir, initiated for the Gay Games as well, sang the “prisoners choir” from Verdis “Nabucco”. His way right through ear and heart made “Heimweh noh Kölle”, a cologne classic from Ostermann; and the title “something inside so strong”.

Festival choir and “Stimmfusion” presented afterwards, arranged from Steve Nobles, “Somewhere”-Medley’s songs “Somewhere Out There” and “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”. As soloists enchanted mezzo-soprano Elena Knapp, who is known already from the opening ceremony, as well as Dennis LeGree. Both are well renowned within the opera- and musical scene. Closure of the first part of the concert was the captivating “the Voice Inside” from Graham Bushnell (lyrics) and John Dawkins (music).

After the break had “Team Band” their great entry. This international symphonic band, performed at the first Gay Games in 1982 and has performed at every Gay Games since then. Conductor Nolan Dresden described the contribution of his “symphonic band” with “unbounded rhythms, world Music of Life, Love and Dance”. The swaying beginning was made by the overture of “Die Fledermaus” from Johann Strauss. With the “Dance of the New World” from Dana Wilson, numerous percussionists were kept busy on equally numerous percussion instruments.

Pieces like “Second Suite in F for Military Band” from Gustav Holst also amazed the international audience.

After a humorous intermezzo in-between of the resurrected Cologne Profile Trude Herr alias Sophie Russel, “Team Band” played a Medley of Hits from the Cologne-based band “Black Fööß”. The audience from the Rhineland followed along and sang to some of the tunes.

The great finale, including all singers, presented another original high cathedral hymn of Cologne “Do bess die Stadt” (also called "Highland Cathedral"). The hundreds of performers received standing ovations from the Gay Games cultural audience. Among those was Professor Georg Quander, cultural attaché of the city of Cologne.

Having performed for almost four hours, every singer of the evening’s performance thanked the audience with a joined “Thank You For The Music” from ABBA. The gesture was returned by all spectators.