July 2010

DEAR FRIENDS,

Welcome to the July issue of From The Podium. I hope you enjoyed the 40th Annual San Francisco Pride in June. Can you believe it has been forty years?! We have achieved a lot in four decades, but there is still plenty for us to do. And SFGMC will be there every step of the way, ready for the next chapters in the quest for LGBT justice and equality.

Although it's summer, SFGMC has had a busier time than usual. Read on to learn what we've been up to!

• San Francisco Pride activities
• Vallejo in review - final leg of the CA Freedom Tour
• CD of the Month: Oh, Happy Day!

SAN FRANCISCO PRIDE ACTIVITIES

As per usual, SFGMC was very busy during San Francisco's annual Pride celebrations at the end of June. On June 24 and 25, thirty members represented the chorus as its Ambassadors at the 32nd Annual Pride Concert held at Mission High School, presented by the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco (celebrating its 30th anniversary) and the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band.  Also on the program were Golden Gate Men's Chorus, Voices Lesbian Choral Ensemble, and Cheer San Francisco (also celebrating its 30th anniversary). The concert was also the swansong for conductor Stephanie Lynne Smith. This was her final concert with LGCSF as she is leaving them after eight years for other professional pursuits.

Stephanie Lynne Smith leads LGCSF in a comic tribute to Carmen Miranda

32nd Annual Pride Concert, June 25, 2010

Traditionally, SFGMC's newest members (aka "newbies") put together the Pride float each year. The 2010 newbies, led by Jeffrey Huang, really set a new standard this year. They raised additional funds that led to the design of a professional float and resulted in another Absolutely Fabulous contingent award for SFGMC from the Parade judges.

SFGMC also provided a huge number of volunteers for a margarita booth at the Pride Celebration, and we hosted our own merchandise booth. I participated in the 40th anniversary of SF Pride as a returning Grand Marshal, along with the likes of Sharon McNight and Marion Abdullah.

SFGMC members at the SF Pride margarita booth

Sunday, June 27, 2010 

VALLEJO IN REVIEW - FINAL LEG OF CA FREEDOM TOUR
The chorus is often on "hiatus" during the summer after San Francisco's Pride celebrations, but this July we extended our activities to include a final leg of the California Freedom Tour.

SFGMC members & staff in front of the Empress Theatre marquee

Vallejo, Saturday, July 10, 2010

On Saturday, July 10, eighty members of SFGMC performed at the Empress Theatre in Vallejo, marking the third and final leg of the 2010 Tour. In addition to Vallejo, the chorus performed in Redding and Chico in January, and Fresno and Bakersfield in May. Vallejo's was the only county in California that supported Prop 8. An SFGMC supporter asked me why we would go to a city that is so close to San Francisco, and since there is a sizable gay community in Vallejo. The facts speak for themselves with the Prop 8 vote and also the mayor's open disdain for the LGBT community. One of our primary goals for the Tour was to build community and to instill courage in those who live in the cities and towns we visited. In Redding, for instance, an audience member remarked that he had no idea there were so many gay people in his town! I was told: "We never get this many people at our Pride events. I had no idea. Now we can get organized and make things happen!"

An audience of several hundred attended, and proceeds benefited the Vallejo Community Arts Fund's Children's Project. With drastic government cuts to arts education funding, the work of VCAF in the area is of great importance.

Joining SFGMC on stage was the Oakland East Bay Gay Men's Chorus directed by Michael Patch. OEBGMC brought about 20 members, so when both groups combined for the grand finale, a whopping 100 voices filled the intimate theatre. In this acoustically luscious space, it was a powerful experience for all.

One of the big hits of the concert is the penultimate piece on the program, "Oh, Happy Day!", with Sanford Smith taking the vocal lead and inciting the audience onto their feet and into the aisles. The performance in Vallejo was no exception. 

CD OF THE MONTH: OH, HAPPY DAY!

SFGMC's Summer Madness CD Sale continues throughout the summer, but don't wait too long to buy those stocking stuffers. At only $5.00 a pop, that's even cheaper than buying our albums on iTunes!

Some of our physical CDs are already sold out, however, including July's CD of the Month: Oh, Happy Day! But you can still purchase each individual track on iTunes. Follow this link to listen to excerpts or purchase tracks: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/oh-happy-day/id256446074

Oh, Happy Day! was recording live in concert at Mission High School in April, 2004, with special guests Transcendence Gospel Choir and Kim Kuzma. Gospel, Motown and spirituals all came together in a joyful celebration of African American musical heritage and the reclamation of everyone’s right to sing praise. The chorus went on to sing selections from Oh, Happy Day! at the GALA Choruses Festival VII in Montreal a few months later.

Track List

1. Plenty Good Room
2. Bless the Lord
3. Operator
4. Every Time I Feel the Spirit
5. We're Not Lost, We're Here
6. Never Alone
7. Respect
8. Stir Up the Gift
9. Total Praise
10. The Battle, It's the Lord's
11. Maybe God's Trying to Tell You Something
12. The Presence of the Lord is Here
13. Bless Me (The Prayer of Jabez)
14. Anthem of Praise
15. Stepping Out On Your Word
16. Oh, Happy Day

 The performance in Montreal was immortalized in SFGMC member Bud Dillon's award-winning DVD, Why We Sing. You can purchase the DVD at SFGMC's website. Here is an excerpt: