Golden Gate Men's Chorus (GGMC) is a

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

men's chorus founded in 1982 and located in

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. The GGMC is a group of 50 ethnically and socially diverse gay and gay-supportive men. The GGMC presents spring, summer, and winter programs annually, in addition to numerous guest and community benefit performances throughout the year.

History

Early years

In August, 1982, GGMC founder Dick Kramer put out word (and posters) that he was forming a new group, to be called the Dick Kramer Gay Men's Chorale. He envisioned a small men's ensemble of around 40, reminiscent of university men's choruses of 19th century Europe. The new chorale rehearsed at Dick's home for its first couple years, before finding a home, first at St. Francis Lutheran Church in San Francisco, and in 1996 at St. Matthew's Lutheran Church, where it now rehearses and performs. The chorale performed three sets annually, with each set consisting of 3-4 performances in San Francisco, San Mateo, Marin, Alameda and/or Contra Costa counties. The chorale also did regular joint performances with the Temescal GMC (Oakland), Liedermann Chorus (now Silicon Valley GMC), Contra Costa Chorale, VOICES Lesbian Chorus, Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco, and

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 ...

, as well as participating in the annual Pride Concert. The DKGMC was also a founding member of the new organization,

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), in 1983 (and has been represented in every GALA festival to date). From its first performances in 1982, the DKGMC was well received by the local press and San Francisco audiences, and received favorable reviews for its programming and performances. In addition, the DKGMC was featured regularly at the Cable Car Awards, both as performer and award recipient, and sang for the opening of

Harvey Milk Plaza Harvey Milk Plaza is a transit plaza at the Castro Muni Metro subway station commemorating Harvey Milk, in San Francisco's Castro District, in the U.S. state of California. History Harvey Milk, the site's namesake, was a gay man who moved to ...

in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood.

Early performances

Major performances of the period include: full-scale production of

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten of Aldeburgh (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, o ...

's "

The Burning Fiery Furnace ''The Burning Fiery Furnace'' is an English music drama with music composed by Benjamin Britten, his Opus 77, to a libretto by William Plomer. One of Britten's three ''Parables for Church Performances'', this work received its premiere at the St ...

" (1984),

Giuseppe Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi ( ; ; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for List of compositions by Giuseppe Verdi, his operas. He was born near Busseto, a small town in the province of Parma ...

Requiem (Verdi) The ''Messa da Requiem'' is a musical setting of the Catholic funeral mass (Requiem) for four soloists, double choir and orchestra by Giuseppe Verdi. It was composed in memory of Alessandro Manzoni, whom Verdi admired, and therefore also referre ...

" (1985, with the Contra Costa Chorale),

Carl Orff Carl Heinrich Maria Orff (; 10 July 1895 – 29 March 1982) was a German composer and music educator, who composed the cantata ''Carmina Burana (Orff), Carmina Burana'' (1937). The concepts of his Orff Schulwerk, Schulwerk were influential for ...

Carmina Burana (Orff) ' is a cantata composed in 1935 and 1936 by Carl Orff, based on 24 poems from the medieval collection '' Carmina Burana''. Its full Latin title is ' ("Songs of Beuern: Secular songs for singers and choruses to be sung together with instruments ...

" (1986, with Contra Costa Chorale). The Britten performance was rebroadcast nationally, as well as in Europe and Australia. The DKGMC was among 17 choruses at the second

festival in Minneapolis in 1986, and shared the stage with the Denver Women's Chorus in a special joint performance of Schubert's "Mass in G," the first large mixed choral performance at a GALA festival. After almost six years as music director, in April 1988, Dick Kramer conducted his farewell concert of

Kurt Weill Kurt Julian Weill (; ; March 2, 1900April 3, 1950) was a German-born American composer active from the 1920s in his native country, and in his later years in the United States. He was a leading composer for the stage who was best known for hi ...

's "Berliner Requiem."

The Golden Gate Men's Chorus

The DKGMC was reorganized as the Golden Gate Men's Chorus, in 1988. After several interim directors, William Garcia Ganz was appointed in 1991. During his four-year tenure, the GGMC produced three full concerts of all-American composers, as well as two concerts in conjunction with the Society of Gay and Lesbian Composers of new works by local lesbian and gay composers. The GGMC also performed joint reciprocal holiday concerts with the Sacramento Gay Men's Chorus in San Francisco and Sacramento (1990,1991) and with Slavyanka Russian Chorus in San Francisco and Santa Clara (1994, 1995). In 1996, Joseph Jennings (then Artistic Director of

Chanticleer (ensemble) Chanticleer () is an American male classical vocal ensemble based in San Francisco, California, founded in 1978. It is known for its interpretations of Renaissance music, for which they were founded, but also a wide repertoire of jazz, gospel an ...

was appointed as music director. During his 13-year tenure, the GGMC achieved a high level of artistic quality, attracted a steady flow of musicians as new members, and expanded its audience and donor base.

Recordings and Performances

The GGMC has released five recorded albums, ''Loving Again'' (2000), recorded at

Skywalker Ranch Skywalker Ranch is a movie ranch and the workplace of film director, writer and producer George Lucas located in a secluded area near Nicasio, California, in Marin County. The ranch is located on Lucas Valley Road, named after an early-20th-c ...

in Marin; ''MASS'' (2003), ''Tidings of Comfort and Joy'' (2006), ''30'' (2012), and ''Out of the Deep'' (2016) all recorded at Saint Ignatius Church (San Francisco). Since 1999, the GGMC has been supported by annual grants from the San Francisco Grants for the Arts. Included among its regular season performances, the GGMC has produced two major staged productions of cabaret music "Love Changes Everything" (1997,1998), a three-month tour of San Francisco historic sites "Now We Sing the City" (including SF City Hall) (1999), a joint performance to a full house at

Grace Cathedral, San Francisco Grace Cathedral is an American cathedral of the Episcopal Church in San Francisco, California. On top of Nob Hill, Grace is the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of California, led by Bishop Austin Keith Rios since 2024, while the ca ...

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 200 singing members at any one time and over 300 members in total. Introduction With a widely varying repertoire from classi ...

and Le Choeur Int'l Gai de Paris (2000), eight major orchestral sacred concerts, and hosted the

Harvard Glee Club The Harvard Glee Club (Glee Club or HGC) is a 60-voice, Tenor-Bass choral ensemble at Harvard University. Founded in 1858 in the tradition of English and American glee clubs, it is the oldest collegiate chorus in the United States. The Glee Club ...

in its first joint performance with a gay men's chorus (2004).

Collaborations and Commissions

In May 2010, the Golden Gate Men's Chorus announced the appointment of Joseph Piazza as music director. Under his leadership, the GGMC celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2012 with the recording "30"; has presented collaborative performances with the

San Francisco Symphony The San Francisco Symphony, founded in 1911, is an American orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980 the orchestra has been resident at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall in the city's Hayes Valley, San Francisco, Hayes Valley ne ...

, the

Peninsula Women's Chorus The Peninsula Women's Chorus is a women's choir based at Palo Alto, California. History In 1966, after a decade of involvement with local musical ensembles, Marjorie Rawlins of Palo Alto founded the American Association of University Women Midpe ...

, Singers Marin, the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco, the San Francisco Choral Society, the Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir, the

San Francisco Girls Chorus The San Francisco Girls Chorus, established in 1978 by Elizabeth Appling, is a regional center for music education and performance for girls and young women, ages 4–18, based in San Francisco. Each year, more than 300 singers from 45 Bay Area ci ...

, the

San Francisco Boys Chorus The San Francisco Boys Chorus (SFBC) is a choir for boys consisting of 230 members based in San Francisco with additional campuses in Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of Calif ...

, and Na Lei Hulu I Ka Wekiu; and has premiered commissions by

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 ...

Steven Sametz Steven Sametz (born 1954) is an American conductor and composer. He has been hailed as "one of the most respected choral composers in America". Since 1979, he has been on the faculty of Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where he ho ...

, David Del Tredici,

Eric Whitacre Eric Edward Whitacre (born January2, 1970) is an American composer, conductor, and speaker best known for his choral music. Early life Whitacre was born in Reno, Nevada, to Ross and Roxanne Whitacre. He studied piano intermittently as a child a ...

, William Hawley, Josu Elberdin,

Vytautas Miškinis Vytautas Miškinis (born 5 June 1954) is a Lithuanian composer, choral conductor and academic teacher. He is the artistic director of Ąžuoliukas, a boys' and youth choir and music school, and of other ensembles, performing internationally. He ...

, Leonard Enns, Ivo Antognini, Kirby Shaw,

Anders Paulsson Anders Paulsson (born 14 October 1961) is a Swedish soprano saxophonist. Since his Carnegie Hall debut in 1992, Anders Paulsson is widely recognized as one of the finest soprano saxophonists in the world. His pioneering musicianship has inspired ...

, Philip Lawson,

Ēriks Ešenvalds Ēriks Ešenvalds (born 26 January 1977) is a Latvians, Latvian composer, mainly of choral music. From 2011 to 2013 he was Fellow Commoner in Creative Arts at Trinity College, Cambridge, Trinity College, University of Cambridge. Biography Ērik ...

, Stephen Main, and

Fredrik Sixten Sven Fredrik Johannes Sixten (born 21 October 1962) is a Swedish composer, cathedral organist and conductor. Sixten was born in Skövde, Sweden. He earned his Bachelor of Arts (1986) at the Royal College of Music, Stockholm. He studied compositio ...

. The GGMC's small ensemble, Counterpoint, was invited to perform at 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 the field of choral music A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Lat ...

(ACDA) Western Division conference in Santa Barbara in February 2014.

International Awards

In July 2014, the Golden Gate Men's Chorus participated in the 8th

World Choir Games The World Choir Games (formerly named the Choir Olympics) is the largest global choral festival and competition. Organised by the Interkultur Foundation for choirs from all over the world, regardless of their country of origin, race, genre of mu ...

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

, Latvia, where the chorus was awarded gold medals in the "Musica Sacra with accompaniment" and "Male Choirs" Champions Competitions, and a silver medal in the "Spiritual" Champions Competition. In November 2016, the Golden Gate Men's Chorus participated in the Golden State Choral Trophy in Monterey, CA, where the chorus was named category winner for male choruses and awarded a gold medal diploma. In July 2018, the Golden Gate Men's Chorus toured the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, performing in the

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

Royal Pavilion The Royal Pavilion (also known as the Brighton Pavilion) and surrounding gardens is a Grade I listed former royal residence located in Brighton, England. Beginning in 1787, it was built in three stages as a seaside retreat for George, Prince o ...

Music Room,

Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford Christ Church Cathedral is a cathedral of the Church of England in Oxford, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Oxford and the principal church of the diocese of Oxford. It is also the chapel of Christ Church, Oxford, Christ Church, a colle ...

, and the

Bath Abbey The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is a parish church of the Church of England and former Benedictines, Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, Bath, Somerset, England. Founded in the 7th century, i ...

; before competing at the

Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is a music festival which takes place every year during the second week of July in Llangollen, North Wales. It is one of several large annual Eisteddfodau in Wales. Singers and dancers from aroun ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, where the chorus took 1st place in the Adult Folk Song Choir competition and small ensemble, Counterpoint, took 3rd place in the International Acapella Group competition. GGMC at Lisbon hi-res

In November 2023, the Golden Gate Men’s Chorus participated in Lisbon Sings in Lisbon, Portugal, where the chorus was awarded gold medal diplomas in the "Choirs of equal voices" and the "Folklore" categories, and small ensemble, Counterpoint, was awarded a silver medal diploma in the "Sacred Choral Music" category.

Discography

* ''Loving Again'' (2000) * ''Mass'' (2003) * ''Tidings of Comfort and Joy'' (2006) * ''30'' (2012) * ''Out of the Deep'' (2016)

Music Directors

* Dick Kramer, Founder (Aug 1982 - Apr 1988) * J. Stephan Repasky (interim) (May 1988 - Dec 1988) * Walter Thomas (Jan 1989 - Dec 1989) * Charles Symes (interim) (Jan 1990 - May 1990, Sep 1990 - Dec 1990) * Anthony Pasqua (May 1990 - Aug 1990) * William Garcia Ganz (Jan 1991 - Dec 1994, Jul 1995 - Sep 1995) * Martha Stoddard (Jan 1995 - Jun 1995, Oct 1995 - Dec 1995) * William Garcia Ganz and Martha Stoddard (Jan 1996 - Jul 1996) * Joseph Jennings (Aug 1996 - Sep 2009) * Anthony Pasqua (interim) (Oct 2009 - Dec 2009) * Joseph Piazza (Jan 2010 - current)

Affiliations

* Chorus America *

(Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses)

References

{{authority control Choirs in California Gay men's choruses 1982 establishments in California Musical groups established in 1982 Gay culture in California LGBTQ choruses in California