"Changing the world around us through music"

Val, a participant at GALA 2012, shares her experience:

As a member of Windy City Performing Arts all-inclusive women’s choir, Aria, I was able to attend the GALA Festival this month in Denver, CO — an event held every four years by the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses to support LGBT choruses around the world. As their mission statement proclaims, as member choruses, we believe “in the power of music to change lives. That there is unity in diversity, that the diversity of our associates strengthens us all, and that all people are welcome to the stage. That we can sing together with respect and understanding, and in so doing, we offer community, hope, inspiration and healing….” While I was beyond stoked for my own choir’s performance in the most breathtaking concert hall I had every performed in, I had no idea how deeply I was going to experience each of the points of that mission statement by week’s end.

Keep reading HERE.

Thanks to Walgreens!

Durng the GALA Choruses 2012 Festival in Denver, Windy City Performing Arts (Aria Women's Chorus and Windy City Gay Chorus) performed "Thankful" in front of Walgreens drugstore in downtown Denver's 16th Street outdoor mall.

Wallgreens is based in Chicago, and was a brave sponsor of Gay Games VII.

GALA Choruses: Have a great festival!

GALA Choruses 2012 Festival opens today in Denver.

The FGG wishes everyone there a great festival, full of music and friendship!

San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus "Unplugged" videos coming online

On June 15 & 16 San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus performed "Unplugged": from "Glee" to "American Idol" and "The Voice," contemporary choral music is sweeping the nation. You'll hear SFGMC as never before, completely unplugged-- without any instruments or backup. www.sfgmc.org

Videos from the performance are coming online on YouTube HERE.

19 June 2012 / Update on Team DC and Night OUT at the Nationals

From Team DC:

Night OUT at the Nationals - Tuesday, June 19 vs. Tampa Bay....now over 3,000 tickets sold!

Over Pride weekend we surpassed the magical 3,000 ticket mark to the 8th Annual Night OUT at the Nationals! Tickets are available for $18 (normally $22 at the box office) and here is how you can get yours:

Go to Nellie's Sports Bar where tickets are on sale at the downstairs main bar.
Or visit www.nationals.com/nightout and get your tickets NOW. Online sales start at $18.

We are pleased to announce that Congressman Jared Polis (D-CO) will join us at the Night OUT on June 19 to throw out the First Pitch. Congressman Polis is a true fighter for our community and as one of only 4 openly gay Members of Congress, he is a great example of what can be accomplished when you are OUT....just like we all will be that night!

We are also pleased to have The Gay Men's Chorus of Washington there to sing the National Anthem that night. Be sure to be inside the ballpark by 6:30 so you can hear them and CHEER LOUDLY FOR THEM!

The Gay Men's Chorus of Washington will also be recognized that evening as the recipient of the Team Spirit Award from the Washington Nationals in recognition of their tremendous contributions to the Night OUT and our community. Way to go Chorus!!!!

We are happy to announce that Sgt. Brett Parson will open the game with "PLAY BALL". Brett is a sergeant with the Metropolitan Police Department and is the former head of the Gay and Lesbian Liaison Unit (GLLU). Brett has been a stalwart in our community for many years and we are excited to have him recognized that night.

The DC Different Drummers will be playing on the main plaza when you arrive, so be sure to stop by and give them a Thumbs Up!

We are also proud to have representatives of the AIDS Vaccine Trials Unit of NIH who will be at the Community Kiosk inside the ballpark that night. The work they do has a profound impact on our community. Thank You and let's hope they find some Nats fans who are interested in research trials!

And (saving the best for last?) beers are only $5 up in our Scoreboard section up until the start of the game. Meet your friends and get there early and cheer loudly as representatives of our community are showcased throughout the ballpark that evening.

Be a part of the LARGEST LGBT Community Night in professional sports in the United States and see your first place Nats take on the first place Tampa Bay Rays.

22 May 2012 / San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus to perform at the State Capitol for Harvey Milk Day

The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus heads to Sacramento May 22nd to commemorate Harvey Milk Day. The Chorus will premiere GIVE ‘EM HOPE, an anthem written to honor Harvey Milk, on the west steps of the State Capitol at 4:00 p.m. on May 22. In the evening, they will perform in a benefit concert for the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center.

The song GIVE ‘EM HOPE was written by Pamela Stewart and Joseph Martin and is based on one of Harvey Milk’s famous quote: “You gotta give ‘em hope.” Harvey Milk was the state’s first openly gay elected official. He was a brave pioneer and inspired leader who’s life was cut short when he was assassinated in 1979 in San Francisco at City Hall. The violent hate crime that lead to his death further ignited the gay civil rights movement.

In support of the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive and Respectful Education Act (FAIR) passed into law on July 14 last year, the Chorus is making copies of “Give ‘em Hope” available to music teachers across the State of California and the first scores will be presented to High School Teachers on the Steps of the State Capitol following the premiere. State Senator Mark Leno and Assemblymember Tom Ammiano will take part in the presentation and speak at the event.

“I am pleased that the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus has chosen to honor the legacy of Harvey Milk in this unique way,” said Senator Mark Leno, who authored California’s legislation creating Harvey Milk Day. “Music teachers could easily incorporate this new choral work into the classroom to help ensure that our young people learn about this national hero and his work on behalf of all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.”

The Chorus will also perform a concert benefitting the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center at 8:00pm on May 22nd at the Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, 2626 Capitol Avenue in Sacramento. The program will feature music from Godspell, Wicked, Hairspray and more. The Sacramento Gay Men’s Chorus will also make an appearance in the concert. Tickets can be purchased online at http://saccenter.org/sfmenschorus or in person at the Cathedral’s bookstore.

“What better way to celebrate the life and work of Harvey Milk than to host the Gay Men’s Chorus from Milk’s city and help them debut their tribute to him. “Give ‘em Hope” is a testament to the long struggle of the LGBT community and their sure to come acceptance and equal rights
deserved by every American,” said Shara Perkins-Murphy, Executive Director of the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian Center.

Boston LGBT chorus wins national award

Congratulations to Boston's Coro Allegro, a member of FGG member organization GALA Choruses and the 2012 winner of Chorus America's Alice Parker Award.

The Chorus America/ASCAP Alice Parker Award honors Alice Parker's career that has spanned almost six decades and has been devoted to the creation of works for the human voice. This award will annually recognize a member chorus for programming significant recently composed music that expands the mission of the chorus and challenges the chorus's audience in a new way.

Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus "Coffee Concert" teaser

Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus will be presenting a Coffee Concert at the 2012 GALA Choruses festival in Denver.

All info HERE.

17 May 2012 / Sing with OutPostChoir for the International Day Against Homophobia

An update from the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Choir, a member of FGG member organization GALA Choruses following their song competition:

OutPostChoir is an opportunity for us to join together, be proud, and sing out. Post your voice online and be a part of the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir (SGLC), no matter which outpost you live in.

OutPostChoir will build a worldwide singing community of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer (LGBTQI) people and our straight allies by giving everyone the opportunity to be part of a supportive choir from their own homes. Whether you live in a large or small city, or in an isolated rural area - we invite you to add your voice.

“You Make Me Proud!” was selected as the official OutPostChoir song following a recent international song competition. The winning composer from Brighton, England was Howard Alexander who said, “The song is all about recognising and celebrating the wonderful people in the community around us who help to give us the strength to be who we really are and to be the best that we can be. The song really serves as a reminder that we are all there for each other and that no-one should feel afraid or alone in the challenges they face.”

Sing with us and spread the message around the world.

Learn more HERE.
What are you and your organization doing for IDAHO 2012? Write us at blog@gaygames.org!

San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus performs "It Gets Better" song

Via Towleroad:

Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz and Dan Savage recently joined forces to turn segments of the Savage-created "It Gets Better" project into a sweeping emotional song encapsulating all the emotions that go with coming out and staying out in an at-times confrontational world.

In writing TESTIMONY, Stephen Schwartz collaborated with Dan Savage, creator of the groundbreaking "It Gets Better Project." Schwartz has set the heartfelt words from the "It Gets Better" videos to music, weaving them into a breathtaking, emotional new masterpiece that speaks to anyone who has ever felt out of place.

TESTIMONY was recorded and engineered by Leslie Ann Jones, the legendary multi Grammy award-winning Director of Music Recording at Skywalker Sound. Performed by the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus under the direction of Dr. Timothy Seelig.

The song is performed by the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, a member of FGG member organization Gala Choruses.

View it below, and visit our "It Gets Better" page HERE.

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Mass chorus concert with Colorado Symphony on the agenda for GALA 2012 Festival in Denver

The 2012 GALA Choruses festival in Denver will feature a Classical Masterworks Sing-Along, a chance to sing famous classical masterworks and opera choruses with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra.

All info HERE.

Sue Coffee's Coffee Concert at GALA Choruses 2012 festival in Denver

Who better than Sue Coffee to present a Coffee Concert at the 2012 GALA Choruses festival in Denver?

All info HERE.

Gala Choruses 2012 Denver concert will feature works commissioned for LGBT choruses

A message from FGG member organization Gala Choruses about a great concert scheduled for their Denver 2012 festival: "Our Legacy, Our Song".

Artistic director of St Louis's Gateway Men's Chorus fired from church-affiliated positions

From stltoday.com, news on Al Fischer, now fired from a second position after church officials learned of his intent to marry his male partner. 

Of course, it is not particularly shocking to be a victim of homophobia when one works for an employer affiliated with an officially homophobic institution, it still sucks. 

And this action may impact the Gay Games community directly, because Fischer is also the director of the Gateway Men's Chorus in St Louis, a member of FGG member organization GALA Choruses.


The Catholic school music teacher who was recently fired after church officials learned that he planned to marry his male partner of 20 years has been fired from a second position in the Archdiocese of St. Louis: as a music director at a north St. Louis County Catholic church. Al Fischer, 46, learned Wednesday night from a pastor at St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Catholic Church in Florissant that he could no longer work as one of the parish's part-time music directors, a paid position he's held for several years, according to Fischer's partner, Charlie Robin. The reason given by the priest, according to Robin, was that Fischer's firing and pending marriage had become "too public of an issue." A story about Fischer's firing was published on the front page of Wednesday's Post-Dispatch.

Neither the pastor nor Fischer could be reached for comment Thursday. But a spokeswoman for the archdiocese said in an email Thursday that Fischer "was relieved of his duties (at St. Rose) when he publicly demonstrated a life inconsistent with Catholic teaching. This is outlined in the Christian Witness Statement that is on the first page of the Parish Employee Handbook." The email said the witness statement applies to all employees of the archdiocese and its parishes and schools.

Fischer was fired Feb. 17 from his job as music teacher at St. Ann Catholic School in Normandy, where he'd taught for four years. Several sources have said Fischer's sexual orientation was well-known at the school. According to Robin, officials first took action against Fischer after a representative of the archdiocese overheard Fischer talking to co-workers about the couple's plan to marry in New York City on March 9.

Robin said Fischer signed a Christian Witness Statement at St. Ann, but that he was never asked to sign such a document at St. Rose. The witness statement says all who serve in Catholic education should, among other requirements, "not take a public position contrary to the Catholic Church" and "demonstrate a public life consistent with the teachings of the Catholic Church."


Keep reading HERE.

16 March 2012 / Sing with the New York City Gay Men's Chorus!

A message about a fun event from NYCGMC, a member of FGG member GALA Choruses:

New York City Gay Men’s Chorus presents the opportunity of a lifetime! We are offering you the chance to sing with the chorus and full band in our up-coming ‘Big Gay Sing 4′ concert, which will take place on either Friday March 16th or Saturday March 17th at 8pm at NYU’s Skirball Center for the Performing Arts in New York City.

Entering is easy! Just read the rules and then follow the simple instructions carefully. [ALL LINKS HERE]

The Rules – Please Read These Carefully Before Entering

How to enter: Entries to the competition will initially be by a Video or MP3 audio file of you singing only the first 32 measures of Adele’s ‘Someone Like You’, exactly as printed in one of the two pdf files below. If female, it is important that you sing the one in female key, and if male, the male key. The chosen winners will perform the entire song at the concert, but we only need 32 measures for the audition. Please note that to enter, you MUST sing the appropriate audition piece in the key given A Capella (without accompaniment). Videos and MP3′s with photo submitted will appear on our website.

The Selection process: Once all the entries are in, we will then select up to 2 finalists – One for the 16th and one for the 17th. Each will sing on one of the two nights.

Your availability: To enter you must be available at both of the following times:
Tuesday March 13th from 7-9pm, at a rehearsal studio in Manhattan, for a 20 minute meeting and rehearsal with the Artistic Director and Director of the show.
Friday March 16th and/or Saturday March 17th for your performance. Please keep both nights free. The call time will be 7pm. Please note, we may also need you on the afternoon of your performance day for a 5-10 minute sound check at some point between 2 and 5pm.

Exclusions: Entries are open to any member of the public over 18 who can make themselves available at both times required. We welcome the family and friends of chorus members, as well as members of other GALA choruses and choirs in New York City. However, current or past members of NYCGMC may not apply.

Deadline: All entries must be uploaded to our server by midnight March 11, 2012. If shortlisted, we will call and email you on the 12th, and we will need to speak to you by phone that day, to confirm your rehearsal time on the 13th, which will be between 7 and 9pm.

Keep reading HERE.

Registration for housing opens for GALA 2012

Registration is now open for housing for the 2012 GALA Choruses 's a video in a series that looks ahead to events at the upcoming 2012 GALA Choruses Festival in Denver.



GALA has reserved rooms at 14 downtown Denver hotels all within 6 blocks of the Denver Performing Arts Center. Registration for rooms at those hotels will be handled by the Housing Bureau of the Denver Convention & Visitor’s Bureau through an online housing registration system. The housing registration system will open on January 30 at 11:00 AM EST. Please do not contact the individual hotels as they are not able to take room reservations under the group rates. There are a number of tools available to assist you with planning your Festival housing.

Info HERE.

Mayoral inauguration in San Francisco has a definite gay angle

On 8 January in San Francisco's Beaux-Arts City Hall rotunda, Ed Lee, the city's first elected Asian-American mayor was inaugurated.

The ceremony was purposely a low-key affair for the 43rd mayor in San Francisco's history, in keeping with the city's financial woes. After the swearing-in ceremony, Lee and his family spent more than an hour shaking hands and posing for pictures with well-wishers in his office.

Marking a true bit of local history, five former mayors were in attendance (see accompanying photo): Gavin Newsom, Willie Brown, Art Agnos, Frank Jordan, and Dianne Feinstein.
A number of local organizations were invited to perform during the inauguration ceremony, including two of the City's most venerable LGBT musical organizations. The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus filled the rotunda with their voices. Following them, the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band played three selections: "What I Like About You," "If My Friends Could See Me Now," and "California Dreaming."

Read more HERE.

Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir launches song competition for global choral performance for IDAHO 2012

A great initiative from a member of FGG member organization GALA Choruses:

Harnessing the power of song and the internet, Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir has launched an exciting project to celebrate diversity and speak out against discrimination and violence towards gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (GLBTQI) people.

OutPostChoir will allow people to sing out with the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir no matter where they are in Australia or around the world.

In April 2012, as the world takes action for the annual International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO), the OutPostChoir website will launch a specially written choral song. People from all corners of the globe and all walks of life will be able learn the song on line, record their part on their personal webcam and then submit their video to the OutPostChoir website. Each video submitted will be mixed into the virtual choir performance which will become an ever expanding mosaic of voices and faces as more and more people participate over the life of the project.

The first stage in the project launched this week is an international competition to choose the song which best captures the essence of the project. Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir’s Music Director, Dr Sarah Penicka-Smith said, “We are calling on composers from around the world to submit original songs which convey a positive message about celebrating diversity and speaking out against discrimination towards GLBTQI people. They must be approximately 3 minutes in length and in four-part harmony for soprano, tenor, alto and bass. It must be a song that will inspire the whole GLBTQI community and its allies to sing together from the comfort of their own homes, whether they live in the suburbs of Sydney, a remote town in regional Australia, New York City, Tanzania, or Iran.

This is an opportunity to be out, sing out, post your voice online and be a part of the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir no matter what outpost you live in.

The winning composer will have the honour of having their song performed by the world’s largest queer choir, creating a united message for the whole world to hear.

Entries for the OutPostChoir song competition close on Sunday 22 January 2012. The winning song will be announced on Monday 27 February and will be launched on the website in early April.

Sarah Penicka-Smith said, “As we approach IDAHO day on Thursday 17 May 2012, we will also be taking the winning song and the OutPostChoir project to the streets to get the message out there and to encourage as many people as possible to add their voice to the project.”

Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir is a non-auditioned choir which welcomes members regardless of their age, sexual identity or musical experience. Since forming 20 years ago, the choir has performed Carl Vine's Mythologia with Sydney Dance Company at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Arts Festival, hosted the first Australasian Gay and Lesbian Choral Festival, performed at the Sydney Gay Games Choral Festival, and toured Europe, Auckland and North America. Its 2009 production of Henry Purcell's The Fairy Queen was the first opera in the world to be staged by a queer choir. In June this year, Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir performed a major concert at Sydney Town Hall, performing the choir’s favourite pieces from its repertoire of the past twenty years. It recently performed the world premiere of a major new choral work Dreams & Visions, commissioned from Sydney composer John Peterson.

The OutPostChoir project supports the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Choir’s objectives of promoting inclusion and access, providing a positive role model for the GLBTQI community, and fostering new Australian music.

Further details on the Song Competition entry conditions and the OutPostChoir project can be found at www.outpostchoir.com.

GALA Choruses 2012 sneak preview: Portland and Kansas City

Here's a video in a series that looks ahead to events at the upcoming 2012 GALA Choruses annual event in Denver.

Here's what the choruses from Kansas City and Portland are planning.

Info HERE.

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GALA 2012 Denver sneak preview video:

Here's a video in a series that looks ahead to events at the upcoming 2012 GALA Choruses annual event in Denver.

Here's what Men Alive, Orange County's men's chorus, is planning.

Info HERE.

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