Seattle Men's Chorus | |
---|---|
Also known as | SMC |
Origin | Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
Genres | Broadway, choral, classical, jazz, popular |
Instrument | 275 voices |
Years active | 1979-present |
Members | Artistic Director Paul Caldwell Executive Director Craig Coogan |
Website | Official website |
Seattle Men's Chorus (SMC) is an LGBTQ community chorus based in Seattle, Washington. The group was founded in 1979, [1] [2] and today is, along with Seattle Women's Chorus, the largest community choral organization in North America. [3] [4] [5] SMC is a member of GALA Choruses [6] and Chorus America. [7]
SMC has been led by conductor and artistic director, Paul Caldwell, since 2016. [8] [9]
The first rehearsal was held in September 1979. [10] In the spring of 1980, the first official SMC concert was held at the Museum of History and Industry. [10]
Dennis Coleman became SMC’s conductor in May 1981. [10] [11]
SMC became a founding member of the GALA Choruses when it was incorporated in July 1983. [10]
On the 25th anniversary of Stonewall, the SMC marched in the New York City Pride Parade and sang with the New York City Chorus at Carnegie Hall. [12]
SMC performs several regularly scheduled concerts each year, regularly hosting celebrity guests such as Kristin Chenoweth, Tituss Burgess, Leslie Jordan, Kelli O'Hara, Betty Buckley and Debbie Reynolds, to name but a few. [13] [14] [15] [16]
For director Coleman's last program, the SMC performed "Legacy". Legacy contained two original compositions that honored gay figures: I Am Harvey Milk, written by Andrew Lippa about San Francisco politician and activist Harvey Milk, and the Tyler Suite about Rutgers student Tyler Clementi. [12]
In June 2023, Disney partnered with SMC for Disney PRIDE in Concert at the historic Paramount Theatre. [17]
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