The Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses ("GALA Choruses") is an international association of LGBT choruses founded in 1982. In its inaugural performance 14 choruses performed together in September 1982 in San Francisco as part of the first Gay Games. It aims to foster artistic and organizational development within its member choruses. The association includes almost 10,000 vocalists in over 100 associated choruses singing as male, female and mixed ensembles in a wide variety of styles. GALA Choruses produces a large festival every four years, in addition to a number of smaller annual workshops and conferences.

Festivals

Artistic and business directors of the choruses then in existence envisioned both the San Francisco and New York City events at the first planning meeting in Chicago, Illinois (15–17 May 1981) that set the course for the official founding of GALA Choruses. *1982 - San Francisco, California *1983 -

New York, New York New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Uni ...

*1986 -

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

*1989 - Seattle, Washington - about 2,500 delegates *1992 - Denver, Colorado - over 3,400 delegates *1996 - Tampa, Florida - over 4,700 delegates *2000 - San Jose, California - over 4,700 delegates *2004 - Place des Arts, Montreal, Quebec - over 5,700 delegates *2008 - Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami, Florida *2012 - Denver Performing Arts Complex, Denver, Colorado - over 6,000 delegates *2016 - Denver Performing Arts Complex, Denver, Colorado *2024 - (scheduled)

Notes

#The San Francisco event was called the West Coast Choral Festival. Members of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus organized and ran this event as a forerunner to the larger event planned the following year in New York City. #The New York event was called COAST, which stood for Come Out and Sing Together. It was organized and run by members of the

New York City Gay Men's Chorus The New York City Gay Men's Chorus is a choral organization in New York City that has been presenting an annual concert season for more than four decades. History The New York City Gay Men's Chorus (NYCGMC) was founded in August 1980 by Ed Weav ...

. #First GALA festival in which a women's chorus, Denver Women's Chorus, performed #Out of forty-four choruses, eight were women's choruses; eleven were mixed choruses #The 2020 Festival was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Notable member choruses

Anna Crusis Women's Choir The Anna Crusis Feminist Choir is the longest-running feminist choir in the United States, founded in 1975 by Dr. Catherine Roma, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ANNA Crusis is known for its dedication to social justice, focusing on a wide range ...

* Atlanta Gay Men's Chorus *

Beijing Queer Chorus Founded in 2008 at Beijing, the Beijing Queer Chorus (北京酷儿合唱团) is now, with around 60 regular performing members, the first public performing LGBT chorus in mainland China. BQC is a member of the GALA Choruses. The Chorus was known ...

* Chicago Gay Men's Chorus *

Columbus Gay Men's Chorus The Columbus Gay Men's Chorus (CGMC) was formed in 1990 by five people. The non-auditioned chorus maintains the vision of its founding members to foster increased recognition, understanding and acceptance of gay men, lesbians, bisexuals and trans ...

Connecticut Gay Men's Chorus The Connecticut Gay Men's Chorus (CGMC) is Connecticut's first and, until 2012, its only performing arts organization composed of openly gay men — though their rules have been changed, and now any person who self-identifies as male may join, regar ...

Coro Allegro Coro Allegro is a classical music choral group based in Boston, Massachusetts, drawing its members from the LGBT community. It was founded in 1990. Profile and performances Coro Allegro was founded specifically to be a chorus of both gay men and l ...

* Diverse Harmony Youth Chorus * Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles *

Gay Men's Chorus of San Diego The Gay Men's Chorus of San Diego (GMCSD), was a choral organization of gay male singers who performed from 1992 to 2009. The mission of The Gay Men's Chorus of San Diego was to express dedication to musical excellence by producing high quality cho ...

* Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C. * Golden Gate Men's Chorus - San Francisco, CA *

Heartland Men's Chorus Heartland Men’s Chorus (HMC) is a gay men’s chorus located in Kansas City. Founded in 1986, and currently featuring more than 150 singing members, HMC performs an annual concert series to live audiences in excess of 6,700 at its performance ...

- Kansas City, MO *

Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco The Queer Chorus of San Francisco (QCSF) was founded in 1980 by Jon Reed Sims (1947–1984).Sims also founded the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band and San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus. Initially known as the San Francisco Lesbian and Gay Men ...

* Oakland Gay Men's Chorus * One Voice Mixed Chorus - Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN *

Philadelphia Gay Men's Chorus The Philadelphia Gay Men's Chorus (PGMC) is a choral organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1981, it is one of the oldest gay men's choruses in the United States, and is a cultural fixture in Philadelphia. The Chorus is affiliat ...

Portland Gay Men's Chorus The Portland Gay Men's Chorus (PGMC) is a gay-identified, non-profit choral group based in Portland, Oregon. The group was founded in the spring of 1980 when three founding members, inspired by a performance of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, ...

San Diego Men's Chorus San Diego Men's Chorus (SDMC) provided entertainment for San Diego, California, during the period of 1985 to 2009. A former member of the Gay & Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA Choruses), SDMC performed some of the finest choral literature ...

* San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus * Seattle Men's Chorus *

Turtle Creek Chorale The Turtle Creek Chorale (TCC) is an American men's chorus located in Dallas, Texas. With 38 recordings and two commercially produced, feature-length motion picture documentaries in public distribution, it is among the most recorded men's chor ...

- Dallas, TX *

Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus The Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus (TCGMC) is a choral group in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. The all-male chorus sings a variety of songs arranged for TTBB, ranging from Broadway show tunes to Latin motets to original compositions specially com ...

- Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN *

Vancouver Men's Chorus The Vancouver Men's Chorus is a non-profit choir. Composed of gay men and their friends, the chorus aims to promote community spirit and a positive image of the gay community. The Chorus is a member of the Vancouver Cultural Alliance, the Britis ...

References

External links

GALA Choruses official siteQueer Quires: listing LGBTI choirs worldwide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gala Choruses LGBT choruses Music organizations based in the United States Choral societies Musical groups established in 1982 1982 establishments in California