Philadelphia Gay Men's Chorus
Encyclopedia
The Philadelphia Gay Men's Chorus (PGMC) is a choral
organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
. Founded in 1981, it is one of the oldest gay men's choruses in the United States
, and is a cultural fixture in Philadelphia. The Chorus is affiliated with the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA). The Chorus has performed with the Rainbow Chorale of Delaware and the Anna Crusis Women's Choir, and has participated in several GALA festivals. The chorus is currently under the artistic direction of Joseph J. Buches.
PGMC grew modestly but steadily throughout the 1980s. In 1987, it performed outside Philadelphia for the first time in a joint concert with the Baltimore Gay Men's Chorus. Three years later, PGMC performed for the first time at the historic Academy of Music
along with "HeartStrings," a national AIDS benefit concert tour that featured Sandy Duncan
and Jason Bateman
.
The Chorus incorporated as a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization on July 25, 1990. Throughout the 1990s, membership ranged from 20 to 60 voices as the organization continued to raise its profile in the local performing-arts and gay communities. Among the decade's highlights: the 1992 AIDS benefit concert, "Song for Life," featuring local television celebrity Sally Starr
and Juanita Holiday; a performance at the inaugural PrideFest celebration, now Equality Forum, in 1993; and the first joint performance with other gay choruses in the Greater Philadelphia region, featuring singer Marilyn Horne
, in 1995.
In December 1997, the chorus became the first LGBT musical group to perform in the Philadelphia City Council chambers in City Hall
, and PGMC's small ensemble, Brotherly Love, sang at the dedication of the William Way Community Center
, in which the chorus was one of the first tenants.
The new millennium saw continued growth in PGMC's size and prominence. In 2000, the Chorus was asked to perform at an awards ceremony honoring Tony Award-winning British actor Sir Ian McKellen
. In 2001, PGMC performed for the first time with Philadelphia's oldest and largest amateur chorus, the Mendelssohn Club
of Philadelphia, in a joint performance of Arnold Schoenberg
's "A Survivor from Warsaw." PGMC's performance at the dedication of the National Constitution Center
on July 4, 2004 aired nationally on C-SPAN. The Philadelphia Phillies
invited the chorus to sing the national anthem for Gay Day at Citizens Bank Park in 2005. In June 2006, PGMC performed for the first time at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
to launch its 25th anniversary year. The concert featured the world premiere of "Open Road," PGMC's first exclusively commissioned work, written by composer
Dr. Robert Maggio. In the spring of 2007, PGMC traveled to Washington, D.C., for a joint concert with the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C.
, and the chorus returned to the Kimmel Center for its June concert that same year. The 2007-08 concert season concluded with "The Circle of Our Lives: Music That Unites," a concert that brought together seven gay, lesbian, and bisexual choruses from throughout the tri-state Pennsylvania/New Jersey/Delaware region.
PGMC's first broadcast performance occurred in December 2008, when Brotherly Love performed a song from PGMC's 2008 holiday concert on "The 10! Show" on NBC10 (WCAU Philadelphia).
The chorus has participated in every quadrennial GALA Choruses Festival since GALA Festival III in Seattle in 1988. At GALA Festival 2008 in Miami, PGMC performed "Open Road" for the first time outside Philadelphia.
Dr. Robert Maggio. December 2007 saw the release of Holiday Delights, PGMC's first collection of songs celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
organization in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. Founded in 1981, it is one of the oldest gay men's choruses in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and is a cultural fixture in Philadelphia. The Chorus is affiliated with the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA). The Chorus has performed with the Rainbow Chorale of Delaware and the Anna Crusis Women's Choir, and has participated in several GALA festivals. The chorus is currently under the artistic direction of Joseph J. Buches.
History
The Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus traces its history to 1981, when founder Gerald Davis and three other members toured Philly’s gay bars at Christmastime, singing carols. The chorus gave its first official concert performance on April 25, 1982, at the DCA club (now Voyeur) in Philadelphia.PGMC grew modestly but steadily throughout the 1980s. In 1987, it performed outside Philadelphia for the first time in a joint concert with the Baltimore Gay Men's Chorus. Three years later, PGMC performed for the first time at the historic Academy of Music
Academy of Music (Philadelphia)
The Academy of Music, also known as American Academy of Music, is a concert hall and opera house located at Broad and Locust Streets in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was built in 1857 and is the oldest opera house in the United States that is still used for its original purpose...
along with "HeartStrings," a national AIDS benefit concert tour that featured Sandy Duncan
Sandy Duncan
Sandra Kay "Sandy" Duncan is an American singer, dancer and actress of stage and television, recognized through a blonde, pixie cut hairstyle and perky demeanor...
and Jason Bateman
Jason Bateman
Jason Kent Bateman is an American television and film actor. After appearing in several 1980s and 1990s sitcoms including It's Your Move, and The Hogan Family, Bateman came to prominence in the early 2000s for playing Michael Bluth on Arrested Development, for which he won a TV Land, a Golden...
.
The Chorus incorporated as a non-profit 501(c)(3) charitable organization on July 25, 1990. Throughout the 1990s, membership ranged from 20 to 60 voices as the organization continued to raise its profile in the local performing-arts and gay communities. Among the decade's highlights: the 1992 AIDS benefit concert, "Song for Life," featuring local television celebrity Sally Starr
Sally Starr
Sally Starr was a movie actress from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.She was a Broadway actress before making her debut in motion pictures. She performed on stage from the age of fourteen. Starr debuted in Frolics featuring Ted Lewis as a teenager. She later appeared in George White's Scandals.When Starr...
and Juanita Holiday; a performance at the inaugural PrideFest celebration, now Equality Forum, in 1993; and the first joint performance with other gay choruses in the Greater Philadelphia region, featuring singer Marilyn Horne
Marilyn Horne
Marilyn Horne is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. She specialized in roles requiring a large sound, beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages....
, in 1995.
In December 1997, the chorus became the first LGBT musical group to perform in the Philadelphia City Council chambers in City Hall
Philadelphia City Hall
Philadelphia City Hall is the house of government for the city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At , including the statue, it is the world's second-tallest masonry building, only shorter than Mole Antonelliana in Turin...
, and PGMC's small ensemble, Brotherly Love, sang at the dedication of the William Way Community Center
William Way Community Center
The William Way LGBT Center is a nonprofit organization serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender population of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and nearby communities, located at 1315 Spruce Street in Philadelphia....
, in which the chorus was one of the first tenants.
The new millennium saw continued growth in PGMC's size and prominence. In 2000, the Chorus was asked to perform at an awards ceremony honoring Tony Award-winning British actor Sir Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE is an English actor. He has received a Tony Award, two Academy Award nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction...
. In 2001, PGMC performed for the first time with Philadelphia's oldest and largest amateur chorus, the Mendelssohn Club
Mendelssohn Club
The Mendelssohn Club is a music institution in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 1874 by William Wallace Gilchrist, a major figure in the 19th century music of Philadelphia. The chorus is under the direction of Alan Harler, professor of choral conducting at Temple University...
of Philadelphia, in a joint performance of Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg
Arnold Schoenberg was an Austrian composer, associated with the expressionist movement in German poetry and art, and leader of the Second Viennese School...
's "A Survivor from Warsaw." PGMC's performance at the dedication of the National Constitution Center
National Constitution Center
The National Constitution Center is an organization that seeks to expand awareness and understanding of the United States Constitution and operates a museum to advance those purposes....
on July 4, 2004 aired nationally on C-SPAN. The Philadelphia Phillies
Philadelphia Phillies
The Philadelphia Phillies are a Major League Baseball team. They are the oldest continuous, one-name, one-city franchise in all of professional American sports, dating to 1883. The Phillies are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League...
invited the chorus to sing the national anthem for Gay Day at Citizens Bank Park in 2005. In June 2006, PGMC performed for the first time at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts is a large performing arts venue located on Broad Street, along the stretch known as the "Avenue of the Arts", in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is owned and operated by Kimmel Center, Inc., an organization which also manages the Academy of Music in...
to launch its 25th anniversary year. The concert featured the world premiere of "Open Road," PGMC's first exclusively commissioned work, written by composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Dr. Robert Maggio. In the spring of 2007, PGMC traveled to Washington, D.C., for a joint concert with the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C.
Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, D.C.
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C. , is one of the oldest LGBT choral organizations in the United States. With more than 225 singing members, it is also one of the largest...
, and the chorus returned to the Kimmel Center for its June concert that same year. The 2007-08 concert season concluded with "The Circle of Our Lives: Music That Unites," a concert that brought together seven gay, lesbian, and bisexual choruses from throughout the tri-state Pennsylvania/New Jersey/Delaware region.
PGMC's first broadcast performance occurred in December 2008, when Brotherly Love performed a song from PGMC's 2008 holiday concert on "The 10! Show" on NBC10 (WCAU Philadelphia).
The chorus has participated in every quadrennial GALA Choruses Festival since GALA Festival III in Seattle in 1988. At GALA Festival 2008 in Miami, PGMC performed "Open Road" for the first time outside Philadelphia.
Recordings
In 1997, the Chorus produced its first commercial recording, The Spirit Says Sing. In April 2006, the Chorus produced a second recording, entitled Open Road, featuring the commissioned piece of the same title by composerComposer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Dr. Robert Maggio. December 2007 saw the release of Holiday Delights, PGMC's first collection of songs celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa.