Making music. |  | Making history. |
ON NOVEMBER 27, 1978 HARVEY MILK AND MAYOR GEORGE MOSCONE WERE KILLED.
HARVEY— WHO WAS THE CITY'S FIRST OPENLY GAY ELECTED OFFICIAL— FELL VICTIM TO HATE.
THAT EVENING, WE GATHERED AT THE STEPS OF CITY HALL TO REMEMBER HARVEY. IT WAS THERE
THAT THE WORLD'S FIRST OPENLY GAY MEN'S CHORUS SANG IN PUBLIC FOR THE FIRST TIME.
The newly formed San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus was scheduled to rehearse that night, but headed to the steps of City Hall instead. There, during an impromptu memorial service, the Chorus sang in public for the first time.
The following month, on December 20, 1978, the chorus made its official debut, and the response to the holiday shows was overwhelmingly enthusiastic. The impact was profound as the first audiences witnessed the impossible - 150 openly gay men singing on stage, breaking the silence of hate, and changing the world forever. To this day, members who sang in those first few concerts recall the tears of joy and pride from the audience.
In 1981, the chorus left San Francisco to begin a historic, national tour with stops in Seattle, Dallas and New York. The concerts inspired hundreds to come out, share their stories and, even start their own gay choruses. SFGMC had sparked a musical revolution that resulted in the formation of the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses - or GALA Choruses - a global organization which today includes more than 200 groups and over 10,000 members.
The early years of triumph were followed by many more years of tragedy as AIDS tightened its relentless grip on the gay community. Caring for and burying so many of brothers took its toll and funerals were held weekly, but the chorus continued to perform,reaching out with music, spreading a message of hope and perseverance, and raising money for the vital organizations that helped feed, shelter, and care for the sick.
Today, the chorus still does all of these things, and more. On a glorious day in 2004, San Francisco started to allow same sex marriage, and once again, the chorus took to the steps of City Hall and sang. SFGMC contributed to the struggle to fight Proposition 8 and repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell by combining both issues into a hilarious adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “HMS Pinafore” in order to point out the absurdity of those legislative policies. And after marriage equality was taken away, the chorus embarked on the California Freedom Tour, performing in the same conservative communities that supported Proposition 8.
No one can tell what comes next, but for SFGMC, “the singing will never be done!”
OUR MISSION
The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus creates extraordinary musical experiences that inspire community, activism, and compassion.
In November of 1979, from the steps of San Francisco City Hall, the world's first openly gay men's chorus sang in public for the very first time. It was at a candlelight vigil for Harvey Milk, the day he was murdered. The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus toured the country, inspired thousands, and helped to ignite the worldwide gay and lesbian choral movement. The complete history of the Chorus can be found on Wikipedia.
- Jon Reed Sims (Oct. - Dec. 1978)
- Dick Kramer (Dec. 1978 - Jan. 1982)
- Robin Kay (Guest Conductor, Feb. - Mar. 1982)
- Robert Erickson, Dale Richard, Claude Zetty (Interim Conductors, 1982)
- Ernie Veniegas (1982–1985)
- Charles Baker, Dennis Coleman, Vance George (Guest Conductors, 1985)
- Greg Tallman (Aug. 1985 - June 1989)
- Dr. Stan Hill (July 1989 - July 2000)
- Joseph Jennings (Guest Conductor, Sept. - Dec. 1998)
- Dr. Kathleen McGuire (Aug. 2000 - Dec. 2010). Conductor Laureate Jan. 3, 2011.
- Paul Saccone (Guest Conductor, Nov. 2008 - Dec. 2009)
- Dr. Timothy Seelig (Jan. 2011 – Present. Guest Conductor, Feb. - June 2009)
Artistic Directors & Conductors
- Tours America '81 (Golden Gate Records LP 1981, CD 1992)
- How Fair This Place (1991)
- Brahms, Bernstein, & the Boys! (1993)
- Our Gay Apparel (September 1995, December 2003)
- NakedMan (July 1996)
- ExtrABBAganza! (April 1997)
- Q (1998)
- Our Boys Will Shine (1998)
- Misbehavin' with Nell Carter (May 1999)
- Sing Me to Heaven (July 2000)
- Exile (June 2000)
- Best of SFGMC (June 2001)
- I Dream of a Time (November 2001)
- SFGMC Does Queen (June 2002)
- Closer Than Ever, 25th Anniversary Concert (May 2004)
- Oh, Happy Day! (July 2004)
- Home for the Holidays - Live at the Castro Theatre (June 2005)
- Divas' Revenge: Opera & Broadway Our Way (November 2005)
- Cowboys, Boas and Bears! Oh, My! (June 2006)
- Why We Sing (DVD June 2007)
- USS Metaphor (DVD, May 2008)
- Creating Harmony: 30th Season Highlights and New World Waking (double CD, Dec. 2008)
- A Few Licks (February 2009)
- Tune In, Turn Up, Sing Out (June 2009)
- California Freedom Tour 2010 (May 2010)
- Words (April 2011)
- Testimony (March 2012)
- Enchantingly Wicked (June 2012)
Discography
Artistic & Administrative Staff
Dr. Timothy SeeligArtistic Director & Conductor
Tim Seelig is a conductor, singer, teacher, and motivational speaker. In addition to being Artistic Director and Conductor of San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, he continues an extremely busy guest-conducting schedule throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe.
He is Conductor Emeritus of the Turtle Creek Chorale, based in Dallas, Texas, which he conducted for 20 years. Tim was the first Artistic Director in Residence for the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA).
Known for his enthusiasm and sense of humor, the New York Times calls Seelig an “expressive performer,” and the Fort Worth Star Telegram quips, “Seelig slices a thick cut of ham.”
He is the proud father of two wonderful children and celebrated the recent arrival of his first grandchild.
George ThompsonExecutive Director
George A. Thompson is an arts management executive with over 25 years of senior level management experience. Most recently, he was the Director of the Office of the Arts at Georgia Institute of Technology.
From 2005 to 2009 he served as the Conservatory General Manger at the American Conservatory Theatre here in San Francisco, and was responsible for the overall operation of the conservatory and line producing 14 shows annually.
George was raised in Greenwich, Connecticut and began his arts career as a professional dancer with Joffrey II, Kazuko Hirabayashi Dance Theatre, and American Ballet Theatre. He has a BFA in dance from SUNY Purchase College and attended graduate school at Fordham University and American University in Washington DC, studying arts administration.
Artistic Staff
 Carl PantlePrincipal Accompanist |
 Lynden BairAssociate Accompanist |
 Paul SacconeMusic Director |
 Mike HollandArtistic Operations Director |
Administrative Staff
 TJ BusseBookkeeper |
 Tony McIntoshBox Office & Merchandise |
 Rachel PokornyAdministrative Manager |
 Ethan PopeASL Interpreter |
Board of Directors
The role of the Golden Gate Performing Arts Board of Directors is to support the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus in its mission to create extraordinary musical experiences that inspire community, activism, and compassion. The Board maintains oversight of the mission, financial and fiduciary management, maintaining public trust in the institution, hiring and evaluation of Executive staff, and support for Executive staff. Through appreciation and respect for the organization’s history, the Board leads the organization as visionaries for the future.
 Daniel PowellSecretary |
 Jason RussellTreasurer |
 Cynthia CooperVice Chair |
 Mike BankertChair |
Community Members
- Dennis Stradford
- Virginia Palmer
- Trudi Loscotoff
- Peter Drake
Singing Members
- Justin Taylor
- Paul Stoner
- Sean Livingston
- Jeffrey Huang
- Bob Hermann
- Mike Bernard
Leadership Team
- Steve Gallagher
Chorus President
Executive Members
- Dr. Timothy Seelig
- George Thompson
The Lollipop Guild
The Lollipop Guild was founded in 1979 and is recognized as the world’s first openly gay small ensemble. Known for its light-hearted and upbeat style of a cappella singing, The Lollipop Guild has grown from a Barbershop Quartet into an ensemble that features over 20 of SFGMC’s finest singers.
In addition to touring and concerts, the Lollipop Guild has a long history of outreach performances in our community. They’ve sung at countless hospice events, helped raise money for local HIV/AIDS support organizations, and have performed with Donna Sachet in her holiday show. In 1996 they performed the National Anthem at the San Francisco Giants “Until There’s A Cure” game, making the Lollipop Guild the first gay chorus to ever sing at a Major League Baseball event.
Vocal Minority
Vocal Minority was founded in 2003 during the Chorus’ landmark 25th anniversary season in honor of the small ensemble Vocal Minority that began in 1980. A select group of performers, Vocal Minority members guarantee to sing, dance, and–most importantly—smile their way into everyone’s hearts. With a repertoire ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous, their unique brand of fun, quality entertainment is second to none.
With nearly 300 active members, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus is a wealth of talent, but this group of men is also a family of love and support, celebrating our gay pride through musical excellence.
SFGMC is a great place to meet people while doing something enjoyable and worthwhile. In addition to our regular concert series, we have appeared with celebrities, on television, for benefits, parades and fund-raisers, and we have toured to other states and countries. There is always a lot going on, and you are encouraged to become as involved in as many additional activities and performances as you are able.
Our family is always growing and welcoming new members, so feel free to audition if you would like to join the fun.
Listen to the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus perform “Angels in Seven” from Joyous, Jolly, Jingles. Add this free track to your iTunes music library now!
Recorded live on December 8, 2011 at Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco.
Free download is compatible with iPod/iTunes.
Listen to the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus perform “Angels in Seven” from Joyous, Jolly, Jingles. Add this free track to your iTunes music library now!
Recorded live on December 8, 2011 at Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco.
Free download is compatible with iPod/iTunes.