San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus

Show added due to overwhelming demand!

paul_saccone — Thu, 09 May 2013 16:59:24 +0000

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DUE TO OVERWHELMING DEMAND
THE SAN FRANCISCO GAY MEN’S CHORUS
ANNOUNCES ADDED PERFORMANCE OF THE
35th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION CONCERT “HARVEY MILK 2013″

Concert to feature world premiere of “I AM HARVEY MILK”
with music and words by Andrew Lippa

June 26, 27, & 28, 2013

San Francisco, CA (MAY 7, 2013)— Due to overwhelming demand, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC) announced today an added performance of their 35th anniversary celebration concert Harvey Milk 2013. Harvey Milk 2013 will feature the world premiere of I Am Harvey Milk, a new choral work, with music and words by Tony® and Grammy Award nominee Andrew Lippa, at The Nourse Theatre (201-299 Hayes Street, San Francisco). The added performance will be on Wednesday, June 26 at 8 p.m.. The production, which coincides with the 35th anniversary of Harvey Milk’s assassination, was originally scheduled to run for two nights only – Thursday, June 27 and Friday, June 28. The opening night gala will take place on Thursday, June 27. Tickets for all performances of Harvey Milk 2013 are available now, online at SFGMC.org or through City Box Office at (415) 392-4400. Tickets range in price from $25 – $60.

Starring Mr. Lippa as Harvey Milk and Tony® Award-winner Laura Benanti (Gypsy, NBC’s “Go On”) as the Soprano soloist and Noah Marlowe (Mary Poppins, Fun Home) as young Harvey, I Am Harvey Milk is directed by Noah Himmelstein, conducted by Dr. Timothy Seelig, orchestrated by August Eriksmoen, video and projection design by Andrew Lazarow and will feature the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus accompanied by the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony. I Am Harvey Milk is produced by Bruce Cohen, in association with Robb Nanus and Jessica Leventhal. Harvey Milk 2013 will also feature the debut of I am the Legacy, featuring a variety of performance pieces celebrating the legacy of Harvey Milk submitted by artists from around the San Francisco Bay Area.

I Am Harvey Milk weaves the story of Harvey Milk’s life – from boyhood to his rise as the first openly gay man to hold public office in California to his assassination. Part choral work, part theater piece, I Am Harvey Milk is an emotional celebration of an American icon.

I Am Harvey Milk was commissioned by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, along with Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus, Dayton Gay Men’s Chorus, Denver Gay Men’s Chorus, Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus, and Heartland Men’s Chorus. Following this World Premiere Event, the piece will be made available for choruses to perform from coast to coast.

Tickets for Harvey Milk 2013 range in price from $25-$60 and are available online at SFGMC.org or through City Box Office at (415) 392-4400.

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ABOUT SAN FRANCISCO GAY MEN’S CHORUS
For 35 years, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus has courageously served as the international standard bearer for a powerful and accomplished mix of high-caliber performance, human rights, community activism, empowerment and inclusiveness, establishing it as an icon among LGBT organizations. Founded in 1978, it was the first organization of its kind and is credited with starting the LGBT choral movement, galvanizing and changing the course of LGBT history. It continues to rally and inspire other arts-based community organizations around the world. Under the leadership of Artistic Director and Conductor Dr. Timothy Seelig, SFGMC has in recent seasons established a heightened level of performance standards receiving audience and choral acclaim, increased its touring and recording profile and broadened its impact and reputation in the community while maintaining its signature blend of humor, personality and high-voltage performances. For more information about the performances and SFGMC, visit sfgmc.org. Follow SFGMC on facebook.com/sfgmc and twitter.com/sfgmc.

Andrew Lippa Contacts:
Rick Miramontez rick@oandmco.com
Andy Snyderandy@oandmco.com

SFGMC Contact:
Julie Richter, Charles Zukow Associates
415.296.0677 or julier@charleszukow.com

SFGMC Appoints George A. Thompson as New Executive Director

paul_saccone — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 12:43:53 +0000

The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC) announced today that they have appointed George Thompson as Executive Director. Mr. Thompson joins SFGMC during their current 35th anniversary season and- with Artistic Director Dr. Timothy Seelig– will lead the institution to new levels of organizational growth and artistic excellence. Download the press release now (PDF).

With over 25 years of senior level management experience, Thompson has worked previously as both a presenter and producer at nationally recognized institutions. Most recently he was the Director of the Office of the Arts at Georgia Institute of Technology in which he initiated cross college collaborations and artist residency programs integrating the arts and technology and secured first time funding from both Chamber Music America and the Doris Duke Foundation.

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 also line producing 14 shows annually. He was the Senior Vice President of Programming and Operations for Omaha Performing Arts and the Executive Director of The Washington Ballet.

He served for seven years as the Executive Vice President, General Manager and CFO of the Straz Performing Arts Center in Tampa Bay. While there, he grew Straz into the fifth largest performing arts center in the U.S. It was during this time in Tampa that he first saw the SFGMC as part of the Gala Choruses Festival.

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, touring internationally and working with George Balanchine, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Antony Tudor, Paul Taylor, Merce Cunningham, Jerome Robbins, and Agnes DeMille.

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. As an arts administrator, he also worked for PepsiCo Summerfare, and international festival of the arts and at the Purchase College Performing Arts Center.

World Premiere of “I Am Harvey Milk” Announced

paul_saccone — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:25:44 +0000

World premiere of “I AM HARVEY MILK” with music and words by Andrew Lippa will headline SFGMC’s 35th Anniversary Celebration Concert on June 27 and June 28.

I Am Harvey Milk, the new oratorio with music and words by Tony® and Grammy Award nominee Andrew Lippa, will have its world premiere at The Nourse Auditorium (201-299 Hayes Street, San Francisco) as part of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus 35th Anniversary Celebration concert, “Harvey Milk 2013.” The special two-night engagement will take place at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 27 and Friday, June 28.

Starring Mr. Lippa as Harvey Milk and Tony® Award-winner Laura Benanti as the Soprano soloist, I Am Harvey Milk is directed by Noah Himmelstein, conducted by Dr. Timothy Seelig, orchestrated by August Eriksmoen, Video and Projection Design by Andrew Lazarow, and will feature the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus accompanied by the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony. I Am Harvey Milk is produced by Bruce Cohen, in association with Robb Nanus and Jessica Leventhal.

I Am Harvey Milk was commissioned by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, along with Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus, Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus, Vancouver Men’s Chorus, and Heartland Men’s Chorus. Following this World Premiere Event, the piece will be made available for choruses to perform from coast to coast.

Harvey Milk 2013 will also feature the debut of I am the Legacy, featuring a variety of performance pieces celebrating the legacy of Harvey Milk submitted by artists from around the San Francisco Bay Area.

Tickets for Harvey Milk 2013 range in price from $25-$65 and are available now online or through City Box Office at (415) 392-4400.

Buy Tickets Now

Download Press Release

VISIT IAMHARVEYMILK.COM

Snow White & Her Merry Men

paul_saccone — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 02:29:24 +0000

Two iconic San Francisco institutions– the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and Steve Silver’s Beach Blanket Babylon– come together for the first time in “Snow White & Her Merry Men.”

Snow White continues her search for “Prince Charming” with the help of SFGMC, whose dynamic sound and signature “choralography” create a once-in-a-lifetime concert experience.

In this never-before-seen collaboration, the 300 men of the Chorus are joined by the cast of Beach Blanket Babylon singing classic favorites and a few custom songs created especially for this show. The show-stopping numbers will be infused with spectacular costumes, dazzling hats and appearances by some of Beach Blanket Babylon’s beloved characters including King Louis, Glinda the Good, Pineapple Princess, Banana Carmen, Elvis Presley, Tina Turner, James Brown and Barbra Streisand.

“The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus is honored to bring the talent of these two iconic San Francisco institutions together on the Davies stage for the first time,” said Dr. Timothy Seelig, SFGMC Artistic Director. “It is sure to be an ‘Only in San Francisco’ evening!”

“Beach Blanket Babylon is very excited to be collaborating with the renowned San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus,” said Jo Schuman Silver, producer of Beach Blanket Babylon. “We are thrilled to come together with this Bay Area institution to create an evening of pure San Francisco entertainment.”

Monday March 25 and Tuesday, March 26 at Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. Tickets are available now!

DOWNLOAD RELEASE

FREE Download – “Angels in Seven” by SFGMC

paul_saccone — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 14:36:42 +0000

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.

Download Song

SantaConcert Video!

paul_saccone — Sat, 01 Dec 2012 17:16:34 +0000

Ever wonder what 250 Santa’s look like dancing and singing? Well, here’s your chance to get a sneak peak of SantaConcert and see Santa, like you’ve never seen him before!

TICKETS STILL AVAILABLE – Castro Theatre at 5, 7 & 9PM Christmas Eve.

This year, we salute Santa, the quintessential icon of the holidays. We’ll be wearing our red suits and joining the millions of people that take part in SantaCon each year (which, by the way, started right here in SF). That’s right, over 250 gay men dressed in red- it’s our most festive and spectacular holiday show ever!

MONDAY, DEC. 24 at 5PM, 7PM, & 9PM
Come home for the holidays with us to the Castro Theater on Christmas Eve!

FREE Download – “O Magnum Mysterium” with Melody Moore

paul_saccone — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 22:18:09 +0000

We’d like to give you the gift of music this holiday season! SF Opera superstar soprano Melody Moore soars as she joins the Chorus in this breathtaking performance of Morten Lauridsen’s “O Magnum Mysterium.”

Recorded live on December 8, 2011 at Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco.
Free download is compatible with iPod/iTunes.

Download Song

Get your SantaConcert tickets soon- they’re going fast!

THURSDAY, DEC. 6 at 8PM
Davies Symphony Hall
Special Make-A-Wish concert event benefit!
With the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony Orchestra

MONDAY, DEC. 24 at 5PM, 7PM, & 9PM
Come home for the holidays with us to the Castro Theater on Christmas Eve!

SF Opera superstar soprano Melody Moore joins SFGMC – Video

paul_saccone — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 17:51:02 +0000

Take six minutes out of the hustle and bustle of your frenetic holiday season this Thanksgiving by joining the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus in a stunning musical experience.

This week, soprano Melody Moore stepped into the leading role of the San Francisco Opera’s opening night production of TOSCA. One review said “she received an ovation that shook the walls of the War Memorial Opera House.” Another newspaper said, “A Star is Born.”

Melody joined the Chorus in both our holiday and spring concerts last year and wowed everyone. This video features Melody with the Chorus in the mesmerizing “O Magnum Mysterium” by Morten Lauridsen. She can also be heard on the SFGMC recording “Enchantingly Wicked” singing two arias by Stephen Schwartz.

We are beyond thrilled and honored to have shared the stage with this incredible woman and artist.

Free download- it’s our holiday gift to you!

Download nowDownload “O Magnum Mysterium” to your iPod/iTunes music library for FREE. Hear
Melody soar in this breathtaking live recording!

SFGMC partners with Make-A-Wish foundation.

paul_saccone — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 06:37:45 +0000

We are proud to announce our partnership with the Make-A-Wish foundation, an organization whose volunteers have brought joy to countless numbers of sick children. Join us on December 6th for SantaConcert –a special Make-A-Wish concert event at Davies Symphony Hall.

Meet Michael: Our own Make-A-Wish Child

SFGMC Tenor Michael McGovern received a “wish” of his very own during a battle with cancer. Here is his story, as told by his father:

During the summer of 1986, we were vacationing on Nantucket Island. Marcie’s parents were on a three-week trip in Europe, and the empty house on the water was too inviting to pass up for a quick getaway. 2 ½-year-old Michael and his older brother Phil were horsing around in the breakfast nook one evening when Michael fell back onto the edge of the bench, hit his shoulder, and started crying. Mom discovered a suspicious lump on his shoulder and took him to the doctor the next day. The doctor was very concerned by the lump and rather emphatic that we should see our pediatrician as soon as possible.

We arrived at Dr. Norman Weinberger‘s office first thing on Monday. He looked at the lump on Michael’s shoulder and scheduled a consultation with Dr. Sue McIntosh at Yale New Haven’s oncology practice, who had one look at Michael’s lump and scheduled surgery to determine the pathology of the tumor. The attending surgeon, Dr. Seashore, reported that Michael had a rare form of muscle cancer: rhabdomyosarcoma.

Michael was a brave soldier and submitted to multiple invasive procedures and horrible elixirs in preparation for the follow-up surgery the next day. They removed the bulk of the muscle on his scapula bone and several “involved” lymph nodes around his shoulder and down his right arm. Michael was immediately started on an aggressive regimen of three specific chemotherapy drugs sequencing in one-, two, and three-week protocol timetables and a week off, plus 25 radiation treatments over 18 months.

In the months following his treatment at Yale New Haven Hospital, the staff in Dr. McIntosh’s office referred us to the Make a Wish (MAW) Foundation of Connecticut. We were not too familiar with MAW Foundation, but the MAW volunteers did a fantastic job dealing with our very emotional response to their proposal and reminded me that the MAW Foundation approach was for our son.

He wanted to see Mickey and all the Disney characters (prompted by Phil, I’m sure), and we began planning his “wish,” which became something Michael started looking forward to. At 3 years old he was beginning to see the relationship his wish had to his many visits to the doctor’s office and the ever-present needles, blood work, and tests.

We are one of the fortunate families, and we thank God every day for our blessings. Michael got his wish, and it helped give him the strength to beat the odds. He graduated with honors from high school, and has a BS in Biology/pre-med from The University of San Francisco. Gymnastics classes and tennis mitigated much of the debilitating effects of the surgery and radiation treatments. Michael turned 28 last January and is a smart, attractive, gifted young man with great passion for music and performance, and has been able to spend time “giving back” for all his blessings, dedicating time and resources to worthy charities and foundations.

Favorite One – Holiday Video

paul_saccone — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 16:04:18 +0000

[wp_lightbox_anchor_text_html5_video link="http://www.sfgmc.org/wp-content/uploads/sfgmc_favoriteone-960-2mbps.mp4" width="960" height="540" text="FAVORITE ONE VIDEO"]

The chorus performs FAVORITE ONE in this video to help you get ready for SANTACONCERT — it’s going to be our most festive and spectacular show ever! Don’t forget to get your tickets after you watch the video - on-sale now!

[wp_lightbox_html5_video link="http://www.sfgmc.org/wp-content/uploads/sfgmc_favoriteone-960-2mbps.mp4" width="960" height="540" source="http://www.sfgmc.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/favoriteone_thumbnail2.jpg"]