Singing at HRC's Out for Equality event: AMAZING!!

Hey there,

So I had mentioned in a previous post that the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington was performing at the Human Right Campaign's Out for Equality Inaugural Celebration.

It was amazing. We started off the evening with a flashmob-esque performance of the National Anthem. Then after one of our small ensembles performed, we wrapped up our set "Make Them Hear You" from Ragtime: The Musical.

Check out this clip of one of our small ensembles performing it in Denver this past summer, at Gala Choruses quadrennial festival. It's a clip of their entire set, but the song kicks it off

After we finished, the host for the evening, Ross Matthews kicked off the celebration. He brought up to stage our first round of political guests, Sen. Al Franken, Gov. Maggie Hassan, and Mayor Cory Booker, all phenomenal presences.

Tammy Baldwin also graced us with her presence. She was amazing.

After an interlude of music and dancing, another round of speakers came up, Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney, Rep. Jared Polis, & Rep. Mark Takano.

It was particularly great seeing Rep. Mark Takano speak, being the first LGBT person of color in Congress, which the Advocate had a great piece on in November, as an LGBT person of color myself.

Ross Matthews then introduced the next musical guest for the evening, Frenchie Davis. After a couple of songs, she asked a selection of guys from GMCW to join her on stage for one final number, "Seasons of Love" from RENT.

There's my big chorus brother, Marcus, singing with her up front. And she was phenomenal!!

Anyway, appearances and singing aside, it was a pleasure and a privilege to be a part of HRC's event celebrating President Barack Obama's second inauguration, with GMCW,

- JR

Performing with GMCW at HRC's Inaugural Ball

Hey there,

So it's still sinking in. I'm performing with the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, at the Human Rights Campaign's Inaugural celebration, Out for Equality.

We'll be singing the National Anthem and several other songs. We join a line-up that includes, Cyndi Lauper, Audra MacDonald, Will Swenson, and Frenchie Davis!!

And the set-up...well I took some photos and video, but don't want to spoil the surprise. So for now, you'll just have to settle for a photo of us gettings some pre-sound check notes.

I guess it's one of those things where you get so used to the rhythm of the rehearsals, and it just becomes what you do, that opportunities like this really put things back into perspective, not just the work we do as an organization, but how far we've come as an LGBT community.

Speaking of which, how's this for a timely flashback, GMCW's appearance at the We Are One Inaugural opening ceremony from 2009, with Josh Groban and Heather Headley.

Yes, there's still much work to do, but celebrations like these, being a part of history as we celebrate the second inauguration of President Barack Obama...I'm getting emotional just sitting here, taking a breath, and thinking about it.

So in about 24 hours from now...I'm looking forward to doing work I could not have imagined I'd be doing, still sharing chorale music, like I was when I was a boy soprano at the Washington National Cathedral, about a couple of decades ago.

For anyone who's there, I hope you take photos and videos, and let me know if you do. Would like to see and share 'em.

Just glad to be a part of this moment, and appreciative and humbled now, more than ever, of being a member of the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington,

Yours in song,

JR

Behind the scenes photos for GMCW's Winter Nights

Hey there,

Just a quickie.  Wanted to share some photos I took from dress & tech rehearsals for the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington's Winter Nights concert at Lisner Auditorium this weekend. We had a great show last night, and two more today.

The last one is one of the two costumes I have in act 2, a Bollywood number and a Rockette one. Guess which one this is. :-)

Winter Nights also has pieces and more photos in:

• Baltimore Gay Life
• DC Metro Theater Arts
• The Huffington Post
• Metro Weekly
• The Washington Blade

Friends in the area, if you don't have any plans today, hope to see you there.

Otherwise, definitely keep an eye out for info about our March musical, Xanadu. I got cast as the muse, Urania!! :-)

Until next time,

JR

1st GMCW rehearsal for GALA 2012

Hey there,

So I just got home from the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington's first rehearsal for this year's GALA Choruses Festival.  As you might know, I've sung on and off with GMCW for the past several years or so. I missed the last GALA Festival, two years ago in Miami, and I'm very stoked to be able to attend this one.

This year, GMCW is participating in a new feature of this festival, this year: Coffee Concerts. As if the days weren't already jam packed with LGBT gatherings and music making, this will be an early morning offering, and we'll be performing in the first one, a piece called Alexander's House:

Alexander's House is an innovative, one-act musical that tells a heartfelt, funny and powerful story about family: the one we are born into, the one we choose, and the ties that bind them. Alexander, a gay man suddenly passes away leaving behind his two unreconciled worlds: his partner and friends, and his estranged son who finally meet at his summer home. The story explores finding truth in one's life and the empowerment that comes with self-knowledge.

It's weird, I haven't performed with the guys since February, but jumping into rehearsals today, it felt like no time had passed. The picture to the left, by the way, is from the most recent holiday show, Red & Greene (we performed with Ellen Greene); I'm in front, downstage almost center, with the white pants on.

But, anyway, being back with the guys...well it's like a family, a brotherhood. And I've started to get really excited about meeting all the other groups coming together from around the country and around the world, in some cases, in Denver.

And, yes, I'll be tweeting and blogging from there and probably well after, about the experience, the memories, and the connections made.

- JR Follow @AWayofLife0

Singing in GMCW's "The Kids Are All Right"

Hey there,

First, just wanted to start with my own personal background on singing. I actually started singing when I was a soprano, in the Men & Boys choir at the Washington National Cathedral.  I went on to do high school musicals, before High School Musical was one, and eventually pursued a professional career in the arts, which I continue to do today.

Which leads me to singing with the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, one of the most professional ensembles I've had the pleasure and privilege of being a part of, in skill, in artistry, and with the bonus of family. And at this point, I just have to share the latest iteration of a meme that's been floating around on Facebook, which if you're on, you can find it here.

This Saturday, GMCW will be presenting "The Kids Are All Right". In this concert, we'll be presenting a musical adaptation of Oliver Button is a Sissy, with guest narrator Candace Gingrich-Jones. We'll also be joined on stage by Dreams of Hope, "Pittsburgh's only arts-focused, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and allied (LGBTA) youth (13-21) organization".

At this point, I can't really provide any information that isn't already up elsewhere. In fact, there's a great piece in today's Washington Blade, Message in the Music. And, again, if you're on Facebook, you can RSVP at the event page, as well as follow GMCW on twitter.

I will say that even rehearsing for this concert has brought me close to tears. While I was fortunate to have had a supportive environment in high school at St. Albans, so much so that I felt comfortable enough to bring my boyfriend at the time to my senior prom, my bf did not. Almost daily, I would hear about incidents at school where other students would use slurs, and he would get in trouble with the teachers for speaking back. He would be physically harmed with his own backpack in the restroom, and hit so hard that sometimes he would actually get knocked out and come around because of the sound of the bell ringing.

Unfortunately, I know that was just the tip of the iceberg, not just back then (I was the class of '99), but especially now.  Rolling Stone recently had a thoughtful and heart-wrenching article, One Town's War on Gay Teens. Lately it doesn't even seem like a week goes by without hearing about another youth lost because of ignorance and intolerance. And we have prepared for and will perform this concert acknowledging, remembering and honoring those who are gone too soon.

Yet, more and more, communities seem to be coming together to raise awareness and address these issues, to foster safe spaces and attitudes. Not even two weeks ago, Montgomery County held a symposium on bullying, and the panel include representatives of the Gay-Straight Alliance of Walt Whitman High School (the link is a .docx file of their mission statement). GMCW even has an outreach program dedicated to youth outreach, GenOUT, which was mentioned in the Washington Blade article, in a quote from Jeff Buhrman, our Artistic Director:

"“(Saturday’s concert) is designed especially to serve the mission of our GenOUT program,” Buhrman says. “We are specifically reaching out to youth for ‘The Kids Are All Right."

I'm actually hoping to volunteer with the program, and am stoked to have the opportunity to further give back to an organization that gives more and more, to me and the rest of the community. So, if you know of any youth, families, and allies who would like to join us, I (and I'm sure the rest of my fellow chorines) would love to see you all there. Because everyone in the chorus, a long time ago and far, far away, used to be kids, too.

- JR