Oakland Gay Men's Chorus (OGMC) is a choral ensemble of some 60 voices, headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area's East Bay. Membership is open to singers with voices in the tenor, baritone, and bass ranges. The chorus sings an annual season of three programs with concerts held in various East Bay communities. In addition, the group performs several outreach programs throughout the community each year. Its mission: The Oakland Gay Men's Chorus gives voice through song to a community where everyone matters.
OGMC was founded as the Oakland-East Bay Gay Men's Chorus in 1999 by Dick Kramer (1927–2007), who had previously been the first choral director of 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 the
Golden Gate Men's Chorus
Golden Gate Men's Chorus (GGMC) is a gay men's chorus founded in 1982 and located in San Francisco. The GGMC is a group of 50 ethnically and socially diverse gay and gay-supportive men. The GGMC presents spring, summer, and winter programs annual ...
. Initially constituted under the
, the Oakland-East Bay Gay Men's Chorus became an independent non-profit 501(c)(3) organization in 2006.
The Oakland Gay Men's Chorus is its performing arm and brands itself "Pride of the East Bay".
Oakland Gay Men's Chorus is a member of
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 ...
(Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses).
Leaders
Artistic Directors & Conductors
* Dick Kramer (1999–2003)
* Michael Carlson (2003–2006)
* Brandon Adams, interim (2007)
* Kathleen Hollingsworth, interim (2007)
* Michael Robert Patch (2008-2011)
* Stephanie Lynne Smith (2011-2012, Feb-Sep 2014
nterim
* Jeremiah Selvey (2013-Jan 2014)
* Carl Pantle (Oct 2014-2015)
* William Sauerland (2015-2019)
* Ben Riggs (2019-Current)
Board Presidents
* Joe Oshinski (2000)
* Kim Boyd (2001)
* John Rogers (2002)
* Eric Borgerson (2002)
* Scott Stewart (2003)
* Peter Dempsey (2004–2005)
* John Niec (2005–2006)
* Richard Fairly (2006–2007)
* Brad Niess (2008)
* Peter Dempsey (2009)
* Brad Niess (2010, 2012-2013)
* Mel Terry (2011)
* Lawrence Turner (2014-2016)
* Jeff McEwen (2017-2018)
* Dustin Bankston (2019-2021)
* Joe Rosenmayer (2022-current)
Accompanists
* Scott Stewart
* Thaddeus Pinkston
* Wendell Frey
* Ben Kiem
* John Lehrack
* Grace Renaud
* Lynden Bair
References
{{authority control
1999 establishments in California
Gay culture in California
Gay men's choruses
LGBT culture in the San Francisco Bay Area
Musical groups established in 1999
Musical groups from Oakland, California