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 British Columbia Choral Federation and of GALA Choruses, an association of over one hundred men's, women's, and mixed choruses from the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia, dedicated to providing leadership and inspiration to the gay and lesbian movement through excellence in the choral arts.[citation needed]
In 1981, the first gay choir, the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, toured the United States and several men from Vancouver drove the three hours south to Seattle to hear them. On their return, they decided to start a chorus of their own performing their first concert in December of that same year. They officially became the first gay chorus in Canada, a founding member of GALA and the first international gay chorus in that organization.
Under the continuing direction of conductor Willi Zwozdesky, the chorus has achieved national prominence through performances across Canada including visits to Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, Victoria, and Montreal, and through radio broadcasts on CBC.
Concert performances in the United States have included San Francisco, Minneapolis, Seattle, Portland, Washington, D.C., Denver, San Diego, and San Jose.
In addition, broadcasts of its 1995 recording Making Spirits Bright, the 1992 recording Signature and the 2006 release of Encore have increased national exposure.
In 1991, The Canada Council recognized the chorus for its artistry, and in 1994, the chorus was selected as one of five national finalists in the CBC Amateur Choir Competition. In addition to its mainstage concerts that year, the chorus recorded J. Douglas Dodd's Symphony of Sound and Light with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Elektra Women's Choir, and the Vancouver Children's Choir for broadcast on Parliament Hill during the summer months.
At the core of the Chorus’ achievements stands its contribution to the creation of new repertoire for men's and mixed voices. Custom-made arrangements, notably by Willi Zwozdesky, Stephen Smith, and other Canadian arrangers are a hallmark of VMC programming. As a result of this and the Chorus' wide-ranging concertizing, VMC arrangements are now heard in concert halls around the world.[citation needed] Original commissions have included Vancouver composers Michael Conway Baker, Ramona Luengen, Anita Perry, Rupert Lang, Stephen Smith, and Willi Zwozdesky, and Toronto composer Eleanor Daley. In 2000, the Chorus was also among the original commissioning choruses of Alan Shorter's setting of the children's story Oliver Button is a Sissy.
The Chorus is a member of the British Columbia Choral Federation and of GALA Choruses (an association of over one hundred men's, women's, and mixed choruses from the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia, dedicated to providing leadership and inspiration to the gay and lesbian movement through excellence in the choral arts).[citation needed]
Sub Group
Synergy
Synergy was formed in October 1998 as a small ensemble of the Vancouver Men's Chorus, under the direction of the VMC's resident accompanist, Stephen Smith. Over the last decade, the select 12-voice a cappella group has been singing in a variety of styles ranging from renaissance to jazz, and from motets to Motown. In addition to their regular appearances in VMC mainstage concerts, Synergy has performed at festivals in Vancouver, Chicago, San Jose, Toronto, Montreal, and London, England; in self-produced concerts and as guests of other ensembles; in benefits for gay and lesbian organizations in Vancouver, Victoria, and Kamloops; and at scores of parties, weddings, and community events. In 2008 they released their first CD, entitled Synergy: Songs of Nature, Love, and Celebration.
In addition to their regular appearances in VMC mainstage concerts, Synergy has performed at festivals in Chicago (1999), San Jose (2001), Toronto (2002), and Montreal (2004); in self-produced concerts with guests Synchronicity (2000) and Bryant Olender (2005); as guests of Pandora's Vox (2001) and the Rainbow Concert Band (2003); in benefits for local gay and lesbian organizations in Victoria (2004) and Kamloops (2001, 2002, 2005, 2007); at the first annual VoxFest (2003); and at scores of parties, weddings, community events, and fundraisers.
Synergy's final performance was on July 28, 2013 at the wedding of two of its members.
The VMC performs local community outreach concerts regularly at various benefits, conferences, and other occasions that fall within its mandate. The chorus also performs outreach concerts to audiences and communities farther from Vancouver, but still relatively close by.
Recent community outreach concerts included the following:
The Gay and Lesbian Association of 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.
The Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA) is a choral group composed of gay men from the Los Angeles area. Established in 1979, GMCLA has grown in size, gained professional artistic and administrative staff, toured nationally and internationally, and released 16 CDs. GMCLA has appeared with numerous stage, film, and television celebrities including Billy Porter, Lily Tomlin, Angela Lansbury, Bea Arthur, Malcolm Gets, Doris Roberts, Jerry Herman, Melissa Manchester, Mary McDonnell, Levi Kreis, Joanna Gleason, Alex Newell, Amber Riley, Charles Pierce, Miss Coco Peru, Valarie Pettiford, Jane Lanier, Randi Driscoll, Margaret Cho, Michael Jeter, Stephen Schwartz, Liz Callaway, Lance Bass, Jennifer Holliday, Tierney Sutton, and LeAnn Rimes. The Chorus has appeared on several television broadcasts including the 85th Academy Awards, Access Hollywood, Will & Grace, $#*! My Dad Says, The Ren & Stimpy Show, Mad TV, and a six-episode arc on Six Feet Under.
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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 choral performances, as well as to actively support and promote the gay community as goodwill ambassadors through music. GMCSD was a member of the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA) and the San Diego Performing Arts League.
The Canadian Chamber Choir 's mission is to build community through choral singing. The CCC is a national ensemble that provides a professional choral environment for Canadian singers, conductors and composers, and travels across Canada promoting Canadian choral music. Under the artistic direction of Julia Davids, the CCC convenes in different regions of Canada twice a year, offering concerts and mentoring choral practitioners of all ages and stages.
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, SDMC performed some of the finest choral literature from a variety of genres. The Chorus offered numerous 'outreach performances' each season, and supported local LGBT organizations and HIV/AIDS organizations in the San Diego area.
The Chicago Gay Men's Chorus (CGMC) is a choral organization in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in 1983 with 55 singers, the chorus currently consists of approximately 150 singing members and over 200 members in total.
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.
Melbourne Gay and Lesbian Chorus (MGLC) was founded in Australia in 1990 by a gay performer and activist, Lawrence Emanuel (1966). The chorus was first named 'AL sounds', due to its part affiliation with the Foundation. In April 1994, the name was changed to Melbourne Gay and Lesbian Chorus, reflecting the chorus's organizational independence and a desire to further challenge stereotypes.
The Queer Chorus of San Francisco (QCSF) was founded in 1980 by Jon Reed Sims (1947–1984). Initially known as the San Francisco Lesbian and Gay Men’s Community Chorus, it was the world's first choral organization to use both "lesbian" and "gay" in its name, Within a few years, the chorus changed its name to Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco (LGCSF). In March 2022, by a vote of its membership, the group changed its name to "The Queer Chorus of San Francisco".
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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 home, the Folly Theater. In addition to its subscription concert series, HMC regularly performs community outreach, reaching an estimated 8,000 additional audience members. The Chorus is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization and, as a performing force, is the largest men’s chorus in the region. In terms of infrastructure and budget, HMC is the largest community chorus in the region. HMC is also the oldest cultural institution serving the LGBT community in the region.
Coro Allegro is a classical music choral group based in Boston, Massachusetts, drawing its members from the LGBT community. It was founded in 1990.
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