GALA CHORUSES AND THE WORLD QUEER CHORAL MOVEMENT
New York City Gay Men's Chorus, GALA Festival main performance July 2016
For many years, I have been leading and developing relationships within the queer choral movement. In 2016, I joined the Board of GALA Choruses (The Association of Gay and Lesbian Choruses), the organization that oversees all LGBTIQ+ choral activity in North America, and became Board Vice President in 2019. I am also Chair of GALA’s External Relations Committee, and a member of the Education and Networking Committee.
One focus has been building new global alliances and collaborative projects between choral organizations and their member ensembles, including Various Voices (Europe), Proud Voices Asia and Out&Loud Australia and Oceania). See my Global Alliance page for more on this. Another focus has been to connect the queer choral movement with schools, colleges, churches and other community arts organizations, and to develop the synergies to support all those organizations so they can work to their full potential with queer singers of all kinds.
Normally GALA Choruses supports the work of its roughly 190 member choruses in a number of ways, including annual Symposiums, regular retreats and workshops, 411 advisors and an annual Festival every 4 years. Our main focus right now is to support the hundreds of choruses across the country who are gradually emerging from the intense pain of lockdown.
Since 2002, my workshops and presentations for GALA Choruses have included:
a clinic on directing swing and jazz at GALA’s retreat in Montreal (January 2004)
a vocal workshop to over 100 GALA chorus members at GALA’s Montreal festival (July 2004).
directing a combined UK/US chorus of 300 consisting of LGMC members and members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington and Heartlands Men’s Chorus (July 2004).
being Artistic Director of the London Euro-pride Festival Concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in June 2006.
a first NYCGMC program at GALA festival, that included Strayhorn and Ellington’s ‘Take the A train’, Handel’s Zadok the Priest, and a set by singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright (July 2008)
Co-Artistic Director of the largest ever 3000 singer Various Voices Festival at the South Bank Center (May 2009)
A simulation/workshop for Artistic Directors entitled 'Programming concerts in Challenging times' (September 2010)
An all-GALA 'Big Gay Sing' to an audience of 5000 singers, involving choruses from across America (July 2012)
An interactive workshop for Artistic Directors entitled: 'Mission-based Programming' (October 2013)
With fellow Artistic Directors Joe Nadeau (LA) and Joe Buches (Philadelphia) at GALA Symposium 2014