Dear friends,This month's column includes details of our trip to Miami participating in the GALA Choruses festival, including:
- SFGMC's Miami performance summary
- Festival highlight: youth choruses
- Reviews
- Future travel plans
Last week, almost 120 members of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus were in Miami, Florida, participating with 5000 singers from North America and Europe in the Gay And Lesbian Association of Choruses' quadrennial Festival! The event was a huge success, and SFGMC's performances were well-attended and highly praised. If you're a regular SFGMC concert attendee, you have already heard some of what was presented in Miami. The good news is that our ensembles, whose programs are new, will present a special concert in October so that you'll get to hear what they did in Miami! You're in for a real treat, but more about that in the coming months.
SFGMC tenors sing "Safeer el-Layl" by Ilyas Iliya
WHY PARTICIPATE IN THE FESTIVAL?
The rewards of participating - as an organization and for the individuals who sing - are enormous. SFGMC re-established itself as a leader in the GLBT choral world, and the thrill of spending a week with 5000+ queer singers is almost indescribable. All of the choruses there sing for each other, so it's a great way to find new music and to network. We in San Francisco are accustomed to being around a lot of gay folks most of the time, but there are many coming from small, isolated areas for whom this is a rarity. As such, being there for those folks is very important in our role as ambassadors of San Francisco's LGBT community. It also helps us to feel connected to a wider GLBT community, both nationally and internationally, and to deepen our understanding of our part in it. Most importantly, though - it's fun! The friends made and stories to tell will stay with us for a lifetime.
YOUTH CHORUSES
One of the most moving experiences for me at the Festival was the concert block featuring GLBTA youth choruses. Four years ago, in Montreal, only one youth chorus participated. This time there were six choruses, including 75 singers. GALA Choruses went to great lengths to ensure youth participation, providing airfare and accommodation for many, and special youth-focused activities. The performances by the youth choruses were entertaining and extremely varied, and most of them were obviously youth-driven. San Francisco's own GLAM Youth Choir is in flux at the moment as they seek a new conductor, but they still had representation there with members participating in the first youth Festival chorus. GLASS Youth Choir from Vacouver - the world's first GLBTA youth chorus - was spectacular and as the longest-establish youth chorus truly set the bar.
SFGMC tenors sing "Safeer el-Layl" by Ilyas IliyaZiff Ballet Opera House, July 13, 2008
Photo: Rick Simon
Photo: Rick Simon
WHY PARTICIPATE IN THE FESTIVAL?
The rewards of participating - as an organization and for the individuals who sing - are enormous. SFGMC re-established itself as a leader in the GLBT choral world, and the thrill of spending a week with 5000+ queer singers is almost indescribable. All of the choruses there sing for each other, so it's a great way to find new music and to network. We in San Francisco are accustomed to being around a lot of gay folks most of the time, but there are many coming from small, isolated areas for whom this is a rarity. As such, being there for those folks is very important in our role as ambassadors of San Francisco's LGBT community. It also helps us to feel connected to a wider GLBT community, both nationally and internationally, and to deepen our understanding of our part in it. Most importantly, though - it's fun! The friends made and stories to tell will stay with us for a lifetime.
YOUTH CHORUSES
One of the most moving experiences for me at the Festival was the concert block featuring GLBTA youth choruses. Four years ago, in Montreal, only one youth chorus participated. This time there were six choruses, including 75 singers. GALA Choruses went to great lengths to ensure youth participation, providing airfare and accommodation for many, and special youth-focused activities. The performances by the youth choruses were entertaining and extremely varied, and most of them were obviously youth-driven. San Francisco's own GLAM Youth Choir is in flux at the moment as they seek a new conductor, but they still had representation there with members participating in the first youth Festival chorus. GLASS Youth Choir from Vacouver - the world's first GLBTA youth chorus - was spectacular and as the longest-establish youth chorus truly set the bar.
VENUES
The main concerts took place at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts for Miami-Dade County. This new Center includes two massive, adjacent performance halls: the Ziff Ballet Opera House and the Knight Concert Hall, each seating at least 2500. Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and a mid-week event celebrating GALA Choruses's 25th anniversary, were held at the James L. Knight Center, which seats more than 4500.
SFGMC'S PERFORMANCES
In all, SFGMC presented six performances in Miami:
1) SFGMC's main set, Ziff Ballet Opera House, Sunday, July 13. This program included selections from our concert at Davies Symphony Hall. 35 members of the Community Women's Orchestra also came to Miami and accompanied the chorus.
2) Special performance of U.S.S. Metaphor at the Hilton Hotel's Symphony Ballroom, Monday, July 14. A standing-room-only crowd of approximately 1000 enjoyed the show, which was preceded by a 30-minute concert presented by the Community Women's Orchestra.
U.S.S. Metaphor rehearsal
Hilton Hotel Ballroom, Miami
Photo: Skip Leasure
U.S.S. Metaphor rehearsalHilton Hotel Ballroom, Miami
Photo: Skip Leasure
3) No Talent Show, Jungle Island, Wednesday, July 16. Acts for the show were auditioned in advance via video, and SFGMC was selected! The "no talent" act was SFGMC's fabulous trio - Cecil Johnson, Sanford Smith and Michael Tate - performing "Lounging At The Waldorf." I also participated in the show, playing bass guitar.
4) SFGMC's newest ensemble, del Castro, performed at the Ziff Ballet Opera House on Saturday, July 19. Directed by Grace Renaud, del Castro performed music from several continents.
5) SFGMC ensemble Vocal Minority performed at the Ziff Ballet Opera House on Saturday, July 19. Grace directed the music and chorus member Zack Wilde did the stage direction. VM's set celebrated SFGMC's national tour of 1981.
6) SFGMC ensemble The Lollipop Guild performed at the Knight Concert Hall on Saturday, July 19. The largest of the SFGMC sub-groups, the lads looked resplendent in their red shirts and ties.
SFGMC had a strong presence in other areas throughout the week, including:
- SFGMC booth at the Expo (the new U.S.S. Metaphor DVD was a big seller)
- SFGMC member Sanford Smith led three cardio workout sessions at the Hilton Hotel
- SFGMC's closing party at the Hyatt - reputedly the best Festival party ever! The party featured men and women go-go dancers from SFGMC and from other choruses. I'm still getting messages from other choruses saying how much fun they had and thanking us for including other choruses in this manner. And in case you're wondering, no, I didn't do any go-go dancing myself!
GETTING THERE - IT AIN'T CHEAP!
SFGMC's participation in the GALA Choruses festivals is funded almost entirely through the generosity of the individual members who pay their own way. Costs included event registration, accommodation, airfare, ground transportation, meals, and so on. Our members also take as many as seven vacation days in order to participate. Chorus members also participate in special fund raising efforts to assist those members who could not otherwise afford to participate. All of our staff and several of our contractors also attend, which is a significant expense for the organization.
The chorus is planning travel in the next few years. While not yet finalized, we hope to participate in the events listed below. If you are interested in helping to fund a trip, please let us know, ph: 415-865-3650, info@sfgmc.org
May 1 - 4, 2009 - Various Voices GLBT choral festival, London, UK
The Lollipop Guild hopes to sing in celebration of its 30th anniversary. Other members of SFGMC may also participate as members of a North American Festival Chorus, directed by Dr. Tim Seelig.
July 31 - August 7, 2010 - Gay Games Cultural Festival, Cologne, Germany
Should this trip come to pass, SFGMC will make its European debut! Coinciding with my 10th season with SFGMC, I have also been approached to lead a North American Festival Chorus in Cologne for this event. I am currently serving on behalf of GALA Choruses on the international General Assembly of the Federation of Gay Games, and I am a member of the Cultural Festival Committee.
July 2012 - GALA Choruses Festival 9, location TBA
Who knows - San Francisco?!
Received from a fan - and member of the Turtle Creek Chorale - during the festival:
Dear Kathleen McGuire,
I had the pleasure of briefly greeting you Monday after the TCC’s [Turtle Creek Chorale's] rehearsal. It was a pleasure to be able to say in person what I have earlier said via email: Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!!!
I had a wonderful experience 8 weeks ago attending your “Making Our Dreams Come True” concert at Davies. It was both a treat and a privilege to be present for that. I was extremely impressed with that performance as my email about the concert – which I also passed along to Jonathan Palant and to Tim Seelig – surely made quite clear.
I am writing today to add further accolades upon what you and the chorus have accomplished this week at GALA.
Most notably, I must say that I was profoundly moved – no exaggeration to say so – by your performance of “USS Metaphor!”
I am confident that you will have heard hundreds of effusive compliments by now – all richly deserved – but I cannot withhold adding my own to the litany. Simply put, I think that “USS Metaphor” is a masterpiece! I have been a lifelong Gilbert and Sullivan fan, and have made something of a study of their works. (Though Berkeley offered no class on G&S when I was in school, nevertheless I and one of my music professors engaged in long and serious discussions of the merits of Sullivan’s music and Gilbert’s texts on several occasions, and these talks were always stimulating.) I have more recordings, DVDs, and books about G&S than I can readily catalogue. I love both strict interpretations (whatever that really might be) and revised productions. I am no “Savoy Purist,” and I do feel that Gilbert and Sullivan are well served by judicious modern updates to the texts and references.
How utterly delighted I was with “Metaphor,” then! I am convinced that it is *exactly* in the spirit of Gilbert’s works (though, given his Victorian life, he might well have recoiled from such a subject ;-) because Gilbert loved nothing so much as to burst the bubbles of the smug and self-satisfied. And “Metaphor” does exactly that and so much more!
It is refreshing – a tonic, really – to take in a gay-themed “cause” work which does not make me reach for my Kleenex in grief! Mind you, I was often dewy-eyed as I watched “Metaphor” Monday, but it was simply the result of an overpowering emotion of delight which kept recurring. When one is so stirred, even with joy, it’s hard to keep the eyes dry.
“Metaphor” is simply brilliant: an utterly contemporary and apt update of the original silly tale with lyrics that are at once up-to-date and timely, yet which serve the spirit and style of Gilbert’s own originals. (Gilbert once even penned a tongue-in-cheek parody of “He Is An Englishman” with the very phrase “He Is American,” but his was far more patronizing and condescending to us Yankees :-) As I listened and watched on Monday, I could hardly believe that what I was hearing was not actually Gilbert, though I knew for certain it could not be. Yet so completely was his style and spirit carried into the updated lyrics and text that it took an effort to recall that this was not Gilbert’s own.
The orchestra and the chorus and the soloists did the production proud! I was fully impressed with everyone’s contribution. From the first strains of the overture, I was captivated. It took no effort at all to stand through the whole performance (timing being what it was :-) because I was transported wholly into the show. The orchestra was excellent, and they did an amazing job for a relatively small ensemble. The chorus did outstanding work with both the singing and the choreography. I must extend my praise to everyone who was involved. And I must extend my thanks.
Naturally, I bought the DVD immediately after the show. It is already my favorite G&S DVD, and I do not blush to say that I have watched it twice since I returned home Tuesday evening. It bears the repetition.
Again, my sincere congratulations, compliments, and thanks for the performance. I will also be sending you a contribution check in recognition of how very grateful I am for the production.
Jamie Rawson, PSO Education Services, VMware, Inc.
For an overview of the entire week from one audience member's perspective (including mention of SFGMC's performance), go to: http://minnesotamist.blogspot.com
May 1 - 4, 2009 - Various Voices GLBT choral festival, London, UK
The Lollipop Guild hopes to sing in celebration of its 30th anniversary. Other members of SFGMC may also participate as members of a North American Festival Chorus, directed by Dr. Tim Seelig.
July 31 - August 7, 2010 - Gay Games Cultural Festival, Cologne, Germany
Should this trip come to pass, SFGMC will make its European debut! Coinciding with my 10th season with SFGMC, I have also been approached to lead a North American Festival Chorus in Cologne for this event. I am currently serving on behalf of GALA Choruses on the international General Assembly of the Federation of Gay Games, and I am a member of the Cultural Festival Committee.
July 2012 - GALA Choruses Festival 9, location TBA
Who knows - San Francisco?!
MIAMI PERFORMANCE REVIEWS:
Received from a fan - and member of the Turtle Creek Chorale - during the festival:
Dear Kathleen McGuire,
I had the pleasure of briefly greeting you Monday after the TCC’s [Turtle Creek Chorale's] rehearsal. It was a pleasure to be able to say in person what I have earlier said via email: Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!!!
I had a wonderful experience 8 weeks ago attending your “Making Our Dreams Come True” concert at Davies. It was both a treat and a privilege to be present for that. I was extremely impressed with that performance as my email about the concert – which I also passed along to Jonathan Palant and to Tim Seelig – surely made quite clear.
I am writing today to add further accolades upon what you and the chorus have accomplished this week at GALA.
Most notably, I must say that I was profoundly moved – no exaggeration to say so – by your performance of “USS Metaphor!”
I am confident that you will have heard hundreds of effusive compliments by now – all richly deserved – but I cannot withhold adding my own to the litany. Simply put, I think that “USS Metaphor” is a masterpiece! I have been a lifelong Gilbert and Sullivan fan, and have made something of a study of their works. (Though Berkeley offered no class on G&S when I was in school, nevertheless I and one of my music professors engaged in long and serious discussions of the merits of Sullivan’s music and Gilbert’s texts on several occasions, and these talks were always stimulating.) I have more recordings, DVDs, and books about G&S than I can readily catalogue. I love both strict interpretations (whatever that really might be) and revised productions. I am no “Savoy Purist,” and I do feel that Gilbert and Sullivan are well served by judicious modern updates to the texts and references.
How utterly delighted I was with “Metaphor,” then! I am convinced that it is *exactly* in the spirit of Gilbert’s works (though, given his Victorian life, he might well have recoiled from such a subject ;-) because Gilbert loved nothing so much as to burst the bubbles of the smug and self-satisfied. And “Metaphor” does exactly that and so much more!
It is refreshing – a tonic, really – to take in a gay-themed “cause” work which does not make me reach for my Kleenex in grief! Mind you, I was often dewy-eyed as I watched “Metaphor” Monday, but it was simply the result of an overpowering emotion of delight which kept recurring. When one is so stirred, even with joy, it’s hard to keep the eyes dry.
“Metaphor” is simply brilliant: an utterly contemporary and apt update of the original silly tale with lyrics that are at once up-to-date and timely, yet which serve the spirit and style of Gilbert’s own originals. (Gilbert once even penned a tongue-in-cheek parody of “He Is An Englishman” with the very phrase “He Is American,” but his was far more patronizing and condescending to us Yankees :-) As I listened and watched on Monday, I could hardly believe that what I was hearing was not actually Gilbert, though I knew for certain it could not be. Yet so completely was his style and spirit carried into the updated lyrics and text that it took an effort to recall that this was not Gilbert’s own.
The orchestra and the chorus and the soloists did the production proud! I was fully impressed with everyone’s contribution. From the first strains of the overture, I was captivated. It took no effort at all to stand through the whole performance (timing being what it was :-) because I was transported wholly into the show. The orchestra was excellent, and they did an amazing job for a relatively small ensemble. The chorus did outstanding work with both the singing and the choreography. I must extend my praise to everyone who was involved. And I must extend my thanks.
Naturally, I bought the DVD immediately after the show. It is already my favorite G&S DVD, and I do not blush to say that I have watched it twice since I returned home Tuesday evening. It bears the repetition.
Again, my sincere congratulations, compliments, and thanks for the performance. I will also be sending you a contribution check in recognition of how very grateful I am for the production.
Jamie Rawson, PSO Education Services, VMware, Inc.
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