The New York City Gay Men's Chorus is a choral organization in

New York City 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 Un ...

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 Weaver who having moved to NYC had been a member of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus. Their first season culminated in a sold-out concert with the

Riverside Symphony Riverside Symphony is a New York-based professional orchestra founded in 1981 by conductor George Rothman and composer Anthony Korf. The orchestra performs an annual three-concert series at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center and is recognized for p ...

Alice Tully Hall Alice Tully Hall is a concert hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in the Upper West Side neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The hall is named for Alice Tully, a New York performer and philanthropist whose donations assist ...

in June 1981 which featured new pieces or newly arranged works by Leonard Bernstein, Jack Gottlieb,

Calvin Hampton (George) Calvin Hampton (December 31, 1938 – August 5, 1984) was a leading American organist and sacred music composer. Hampton was born in Kittanning, Pennsylvania and raised in Ravenna, Ohio. He graduated from Oberlin Conservatory in 19 ...

, John Mueter, Stephen Sondheim, and Glen Vecchione. Music critic Allen Hughes in his review in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' wrote:

"The chorus is less than a year old, having been organized last August, but there was nothing about it that suggested immaturity. Musicianship and diction were exemplary, the dark tuxedos worn by all singers made for neat appearance, and the entrances and exits had been planned to achieve optimum efficiency, dignity and style."

In 1982 the chorus became one of the founding members of the

GALA Choruses 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 ...

along with The Stonewall Chorale, the

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 ...

, the

San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus (SFGMC) is the world's first openly gay chorus, one of the world's largest male choruses and the group most often credited with creating the LGBT choral movement. The chorus was founded by gay music pioneer Jo ...

and a handful of other choruses and the following year the chorus was host to the "first national gay choral festival" presented by GALA at Alice Tully Hall. In addition to the NYCGMC, the festival featured performances by gay choruses from Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Seattle, Washington, Madison, Wis., Anaheim, Calif., and New Orleans. The final performance included performances by New York's Stonewall Chorale and NYCGMC. Included on the NYCGMC performance was a commissioned work by composer John David Earnest, with the world premiere of "Only in the Dream." The festival concluded with the combined choruses and featured two world premieres:

Libby Larsen Elizabeth Brown Larsen (born December 24, 1950) is a contemporary American classical composer. Along with composer Stephen Paulus, she is a co-founder of the Minnesota Composers Forum, now the American Composers Forum. A former holder of the Pa ...

's ''Everyone Sang'' and

Ned Rorem Ned Rorem (October 23, 1923 – November 18, 2022) was an American composer of contemporary classical music and writer. Best known for his art songs, which number over 500, Rorem was the leading American of his time writing in the genre. Althoug ...

's ''Whitman Cantata''. In 1984 the chorus performed at the Eastern Division Conference of the

American Choral Directors Association The American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a non-profit organization with the stated purpose of promoting excellence in the field of choral music. Its membership comprises approximately 22,000 c ...

(ACDA). It was the first time that the ACDA had featured a gay chorus at one of its conventions. In 1985 the NYCGMC participated in a high-profile AIDS Benefit, ''The Best of the Best: A Show of Concern,'' at the Metropolitan Opera House; appearing alongside such legends as Burt Bacharach, Mikhail Baryshnikov,

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, Colleen Dewhurst,

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, Bette Midler,

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, Brooke Shields,

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, and

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. The chorus has continued to perform regularly in benefits for a variety of organizations and causes, including arts education funding for New York schools. Throughout its history the NYCGMC has been committed to supporting contemporary composers. In 1985 the chorus established an annual choral competition, the first winner of which was John Burge's ''Songs of War''. In a July 1985 review music critic

Bernard Holland Bernard Holland (born 1933) is an American music critic. He served on the staff of '' The New York Times'' from 1981 until 2008 and held the post of chief music critic from 1995, contributing 4,575 articles to the newspaper. He then became the Nat ...

wrote: "The creation of homosexual singing ensembles in recent years provides more than just a sense of cultural community. Good music for concerted male voices has occupied major composers only marginally in the past, and enthusiastic performers such as the New York City Gay Men's Chorus are providing an outlet and an inspiration for new music." As of 2011 the NYCGMC has commissioned more than 100 choral works, including

Conrad Susa Conrad Stephen Susa (April 26, 1935 – November 21, 2013) was an American composer. Born in Springdale, Pennsylvania, Susa studied at the Carnegie Institute of Technology and the Juilliard School, where his teachers included William Bergsma, Vi ...

's ''The Chanticleer's Carol'' (1981), Stuart Raleigh's ''Words for the Future'' (1985),

David Conte David Conte (born 1955) is an American composer who has written over 150 works published by E.C. Schirmer (a division of ECS Publishing), including six operas, a musical, works for chorus, solo voice, orchestra, chamber music, organ, piano, guita ...

's ''Invocation and Dance'' (1987), and

Frank Ferko Frank Ferko (born June 18, 1950) is an American composer. Born in Barberton, Ohio, Ferko played piano from childhood, and worked as an organist and conductor in his teens. His first compositions were primarily liturgical in nature, with Lutheran ...

's ''Humoresques'' (1987).

European concert tours

In 1988 the NYCGMC became the first American gay chorus to tour Europe with performances in London, Amsterdam, Cologne, Germany and Paris. The performances were all used as benefits for the local communities to raise funds to combat the AIDS crisis in those cities. In London, the concert was hosted by Ian McKellen and featured the iconic Eartha Kitt. The Chorus would return to Europe in 1991 to promote its third recording - Love Lives On. This tour featured performances in London, Amsterdam, Cologne, Berlin, Munich and Paris. Again the performances raised funds for local AIDS charities. In London the host for the concert was

Simon Callow Simon Phillip Hugh Callow (born 15 June 1949) is an English film, television and voice actor, director, narrator and writer. He was twice nominated for BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his roles in ''A Room with a View'' (19 ...

. In Amsterdam the Chorus performed in a concert benefit for the Dutch National AIDS Fund. The concert, Friends For Life, featured soprano Roberta Alexandra and the Dutch National Police Band. The concert was recorded as well as televised on national television. The Chorus toured Europe a third time in 1998, sharing the stage with the

Seattle Men's Chorus Seattle Men's Chorus (SMC) is an LGBTQ community chorus based in Seattle, Washington. The group was founded in 1979, and today is, along with Seattle Women's Chorus, the largest community choral organization in North America. SMC is a member of ...

. This tour covered Barcelona, Spain, Paris, Amsterdam and London. In addition to their own performance in Amsterdam, the choruses also took part in the cultural part of the Gay Games V. In June 2014, the Chorus returned to London once more to perform with the

London Gay Men's Chorus London Gay Men's Chorus is a gay choir that was founded in 1991 by a group of nine gay men. The group now has around 150 singing members at any one time and almost 300 members in total. Introduction With a widely varying repertoire from class ...

. The performance was at the Southbank Centre, Queen Elizabeth Hall. While in London, the Chorus also performed at the US Embassy at a reception hosted by US Ambassador Matthew W. Barzun. After its performance in London, the Chorus traveled to Dublin, Ireland, to take part in the European LGBT Choral Festival, Various Voices. The Chorus took part on the Festival stage and also performed at the US Embassy in Dublin. The

Bord Gáis Energy Theatre The Bord Gáis Energy Theatre (originally the Grand Canal Theatre) is a performing arts venue, located in the Docklands of Dublin, Ireland. It is Ireland's largest fixed-seat theatre. It was designed by Daniel Libeskind for the DDDA, built by ...

was the site for a special performance of Big Gay Sing: Club Night Out as a benefit performance to raise funds for the Marriage Equality drive in Ireland. A check for €30,000 was presented to Marriage Equality in Ireland.

Music directors/Artistic directors

There have been five music directors of the Chorus in its history. * Gary Miller, 1980-1998 *Barry Oliver, 1998-2001 *Jeffrey Maynard, 2001-2005 * Gary Miller, Casey J. Hayes, co-directors, 2005-2007 *Dr. Charles Beale, 2007–2019 *Gavin Thrasher, 2019-2021

Recordings

The Chorus has produced eight recordings. The first two recordings were the first ever given to a gay chorus by a major label. They were on the Pro Arte label. The third and fourth recordings were on the Virgin Classics label. The fifth, seventh and eighth were independently produced by the Chorus. The sixth recording was on the DRG label. *Festival of Song, 1984 *New York, New York, 1984 *Christmas Comes Anew, 1991 *Love Lives On, 1991 *Look to the Rainbow, 1998 *Gay Century Songbook, 2000 *Holiday Homecoming, 2002, recorded Live at Carnegie Hall *Classically NYCGMC, 2007, recorded at Merkin Hall

Notable guest artists

Many notable entertainers and ensembles have performed with the NYCGMC as guest artists or hosted NYCGMC concerts, including the following: * Nick Adams * Roberta Alexander *

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* Jim Bailey *

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* Christina Bianco * Harolyn Blackwell *

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* Stephen Bogardus *

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* Betty Buckley *

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* Dean Butler *

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* David Carroll *

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* Stockard Channing *

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* Judy Collins *

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* Alan Cumming *

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* Colleen Dewhurst *

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* Jesse Tyler Ferguson *

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* The Flirtations *

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*Stephen Hanan *

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* Debbie Harry *

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* George S. Irving * Jimmy James *

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* Eartha Kitt * Nancy LaMott *

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Our Lady J Our Lady J is an Emmy-nominated screenwriter, producer and director, best-known for her work on '' Pose'', ''Transparent'', and ''American Horror Story''.She holds the honor of being the first out trans woman to perform at Carnegie Hall, as well ...

Panti Bliss Rory O'Neill (born 16 November 1968), also known by his stage names Panti, Panti Bliss and Pandora Panti Bliss, is a drag queen and gay rights activist from Ballinrobe, County Mayo, Ireland. Early life O'Neill, the son of a veterinary sur ...

* Anders Paulsson * Rosie Perez *

Roberta Peters Roberta Peters (May 4, 1930 – January 18, 2017) was an American coloratura soprano. One of the most prominent American singers to achieve lasting fame and success in opera, Peters is noted for her 35-year association with the Metropolitan Oper ...

* Billy Porter *

Faith Prince Faith Prince (born August 6, 1957) is an American actress and singer, best known for her work on Broadway in musical theatre. She won the Tony Award as Best Actress in ''Guys and Dolls'' in 1992, and received three other Tony nominations. Life ...

* Sondra Radvanovsky * Ron Raines *

Lee Roy Reams Lee Roy Reams (born August 23, 1942) is an American musical theatre actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, and director. Early life and career Born in Covington, Kentucky, Reams earned a Master of Arts degree and was awarded an honorary doctorate ...

Rex Reed Rex Taylor Reed (born October 2, 1938) is an American film critic, occasional actor, and television host. He writes the column "On the Town with Rex Reed" for '' The New York Observer''. Early life Reed was born on October 2, 1938, in Fort Wo ...

* Ann Reinking *

Caroline Rhea Caroline Gilchrist Rhea (; born April 13, 1964) is a Canadian actress and stand-up comedian, who is best known for her role as Hilda Spellman on the ABC series ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch''. She has performed numerous comedy specials, including t ...

Alice Ripley Alice Ripley (born December 14, 1963) is an American actress, singer, songwriter and mixed media artist. She is known, in particular, for her various roles on Broadway in musicals, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning ''Next to Normal'' (2009 To ...

Chita Rivera Chita Rivera (born Dolores Conchita Figueroa del Rivero Anderson; January 23, 1933), is an American actress, singer and dancer best known for originating roles in Broadway musicals including Anita in ''West Side Story'', Velma Kelly in ''Chic ...

* Bobby Rivers *

Joan Rivers Joan Alexandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedian, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona—heavi ...

* Rt. Rev. V. Gene Robinson *

Jai Rodriguez Jai Rodriguez is an American actor and musician best known as the culture guide on the Bravo network's Emmy-winning American reality television program ''Queer Eye for the Straight Guy''. He has also co-authored a book with the other ''Queer ...

* George Rose * Justin Ross *

Michael Rupert Michael John Rupert (born October 23, 1951, Denver, Colorado) is an American actor, singer, director and composer. In 1968 he made his Broadway debut in '' The Happy Time'' as Bibi Bonnard for which he received a Tony Award nomination and the ...

Vito Russo Vito Russo (July 11, 1946 – November 7, 1990) was an American LGBT activist, film historian, and author. He is best remembered as the author of the book '' The Celluloid Closet'' (1981, revised edition 1987), described in ''The New York Tim ...

Roz Ryan Roz Ryan (born Rosalyn Bowen; July 7, 1951) is an American actress, singer, and comedian who has worked for productions in film, television, and Broadway theatre for over 40 years. Ryan's first role on Broadway was in '' Ain't Misbehavin, a Fa ...

Camille Saviola Camille Saviola (July 16, 1950 – October 28, 2021) was an American actress and singer. She appeared in numerous films, television series, plays and musicals. Early life Saviola was born in The Bronx, New York City, New York (state), New Yor ...

Sia Sia Kate Isobelle Furler ( ; born 18 December 1975) is an Australian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Adelaide, she started her career as a singer in the acid jazz band Crisp in the mid-1990s. In 1997, when Crisp disbanded, she rel ...

* Christopher Sieber *

Randy Skinner Randy Skinner is an American dancer, director and choreographer, primarily for the stage. He has been nominated four times for Tony Awards, three times for Drama Desk Awards, and four times for Outer Critics Circle Awards for choreography. Ear ...

Marilyn Sokol Marilyn Roberta Sokol (born February 22, 1944) is an American actress, musician, comedian, and producer, perhaps best known for her roles as Lulu Brecht in ''Can't Stop the Music'' (1980) and as Ma Otter in '' Emmet Otter's Jug-Band Christmas'' ...

* Stephen Sondheim *

David Staller David Staller (born November 16, 1955) is an American theatre director and actor. He is the founding artistic director of the Off-Broadway theatre company, Gingold Theatrical Group. Early life Staller was born in Glencoe, Illinois. He attende ...

Elly Stone Elly Stone (May 30, 1927 – June 11, 2020) was an American singer and actress best known for her interpretations of the music of Jacques Brel. Biography Stone was born in Brooklyn, New York, and attended the High School of Music & Art in Ma ...

Elaine Stritch Elaine Stritch (February 2, 1925 – July 17, 2014) was an American actress, best known for her work on Broadway and later, television. She made her professional stage debut in 1944 and appeared in numerous stage plays, musicals, feature films a ...

Jo Sullivan Elizabeth Josephine Sullivan Loesser (née Sullivan; August 28, 1927 – April 28, 2019) was an American actress and high lyric soprano singer. She became a musical theatre star with her performance in the original production of '' The Most Happ ...

KT Sullivan KT Sullivan is an American singer and actress known for her performances in cabaret and musical theatre. Early years Born Kathleen Sullivan in Boggy Depot, Oklahoma to Elizabeth, a poet and composer, and James A. Sullivan, a director of the Agric ...

Terry Sweeney Terry Sweeney is an American artist, actor, and writer. He was a writer and cast member of ''Saturday Night Live'' in the 1980s, co-wrote the 1989 film '' Shag'', and has written for the television ''series MADtv'', '' Hype'', and ''Tripping the ...

* Sylvia Syms *

John Tartaglia John Nicholas Tartaglia (; born February 16, 1978) is an American actor, singer, and puppeteer. Early life Tartaglia was born in Maple Shade Township, New Jersey, and graduated from Upper Dublin High School in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, in 19 ...

* Benita Valente *

Danitra Vance Danitra Vance (July 13, 1954 – August 21, 1994) was an American comedian and actress, who was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (SNL) during its eleventh season in 1985. Raised in Chicago's South Side ...

* Robert Verdi *

Bruce Vilanch Bruce Gerald Vilanch (born November 23, 1948) is an American comedy writer, songwriter and actor. He is a two-time Emmy Award-winner. Vilanch is best known to the public for his four-year stint on ''Hollywood Squares'', as a celebrity participan ...

Deborah Voigt Deborah Voigt (born August 4, 1960) is an American dramatic soprano who has sung roles in operas by Wagner and Richard Strauss. Biography and career Early life and education Debbie Joy Voigt was born into a religious Southern Baptist family ...

Frederica von Stade Frederica von Stade OAL (born June 1, 1945) is a semi-retired American opera singer. Since her Metropolitan Opera debut in 1970, she has performed in operas, musicals, concerts and recitals in venues throughout the world, including La Scala, th ...

Martha Wash Martha Elaine Wash (born December 28, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and producer. Known for her distinctive and powerful voice, Wash first achieved fame as half of the Two Tons O' Fun, who sang backing vocals for the disco si ...

Elisabeth Welch Elisabeth Margaret Welch (February 27, 1904July 15, 2003) was an American singer, actress, and entertainer, whose career spanned seven decades. Her best-known songs were " Stormy Weather", " Love for Sale" and "Far Away in Shanty Town". She was ...

Lillias White Lillias White (born July 21, 1951) is an American actress and singer. She is particularly known for her performances in Broadway musicals. In 1989 she won an Obie Award for her performance in the Off-Broadway musical ''Romance in Hard Times''. In ...

Terri White Terri White is an American actress and singer. Career The daughter of traveling musicians Bill White and Gertrude Hughes, White has appeared in '' Nunsense 2: The Sequel'' (1994), '' Ain't Misbehavin (1978), ''Barnum'' (1980), '' Welcome to ...

* Margaret Whiting *

Julie Wilson Julie May Wilson (October 21, 1924 – April 5, 2015) was an American singer and actress widely regarded as "the queen of cabaret". She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 1989 for her performance in '' Le ...

BD Wong Bradley Darryl Wong (born October 24, 1960) is an American actor. Wong won a Tony Award for his performance as Song Liling in ''M. Butterfly'', becoming the only actor in Broadway history to receive the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, Outer Critic ...

Rachel York Rachel York (born August 7, 1971) is an American actress and singer. She is known for stage roles in '' City of Angels'', ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'', ''Les Misérables'', ''Victor/Victoria'', ''Kiss Me, Kate'', ''Sly Fox'', '' Dirty Rotten Scound ...

Karen Ziemba Karen Ziemba (born November 12, 1957) is an American actress, singer and dancer, best known for her work in musical theatre. In 2000, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in ''Contact''. Biography Ziem ...

References

{{Reflist, 30em

External links

Official Website of the New York City Gay Men's Chorus25th Anniversary Journal
Choirs in New York City Gay culture in New York (state) Gay men's choruses Musical groups established in 1980 1980 establishments in New York City Musical groups from New York City LGBT organizations based in New York City 1980 in LGBT history