For Immediate Release
SING FOR THE CURE CONCERT
PRESENTED IN COMMEMORATION OF BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
FEATURING BROADWAY STAR KRIS ROBERTS, CHORUS AND ORCHESTRA
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30 AT 7.30 PM, CHAN CENTER
Paul Saccone, conductor Kris Roberts, Broadway singer
Tickets Online: www.sfgmc.org
SAN FRANCISCO (Oct. 22, 2025) — October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a time when communities around the world unite in the fight against this devastating disease. This year, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC) brings that fight to the stage in a moving and transformative way with the Bay Area premiere of Sing for the Cure—a powerful choral work that celebrates courage, honors those touched by breast cancer, and inspires hope through compelling music.
The concert will be presented Thursday, Oct. 30 at 7.30 p.m. at The Chan National Queer Arts Center, 170 Valencia Street, and will now feature Broadway star Kris Roberts as guest vocalist and narrator replacing the previously announced Britney Coleman, who had to withdraw due to a scheduling conflict. The chorus and orchestra will be led by 20-year SFGMC veteran singer, arranger and conductor, Paul Saccone.
Blending narrative and song, Sing for the Cure offers a deeply emotional journey that captures the resilience of survivors, the memory of loved ones lost, and the unyielding strength of those still fighting. The performance underscores SFGMC’s commitment to presenting music as a force for healing, unity, and advocacy.
Sing for the Cure is a moving 90-minute song cycle for mixed chorus (soprano, alto, tenor, and bass) and orchestra that weaves together real-life stories from breast cancer patients, survivors, and their loved ones. The lyrics are drawn from interviews, journals, and letters, capturing the raw honesty of fear, the quiet strength of perseverance, and the soaring triumph of survival.
Set to a powerful and diverse musical score by ten acclaimed composers—including Joseph Martin, Robert Seeley, Rosephanye Powell, and David Friedman—the work spans genres from classical and gospel to folk and contemporary choral music. Each of the 10 movements tells a story—from diagnosis to treatment, from isolation to resilience—mirroring the emotional landscape of anyone who has faced cancer, both adults and children. The work was originally commissioned in 2000 by the Turtle Creek Chorale and its director, Dr. Timothy Seelig, the former artistic director of the SFGMC. Over the past 25 years, this choral masterpiece has resonated with thousands of audience members nationwide, all to critical acclaim.
“In an era when health crises continue to divide and isolate, Sing for the Cure stands as a bold reminder of music’s capacity to bring people together,” said SFGMC CEO Christopher Verdugo. “It invites us to remember, to honor, and to act—not just for those we have lost, but for those still fighting and those yet to be diagnosed.”
SFGMC Artistic Director Jake Stensberg adds, “This music transforms heartbreak into healing and reminds us all that love, courage, and community are stronger than cancer.”
The performance is designed to raise awareness and to provide support with a portion of ticket proceeds to benefit Bay Area Cancer Connections. The one-night-only concert will give audiences not only an extraordinary artistic experience, but also a way to take action and directly contribute to a profound cause. For performers, it becomes a deeply personal expression of empathy and community, and for audiences, a reminder that no one faces cancer alone.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Kris Roberts lives in New York City and is a graduate of New York University, Tisch School of the Arts. She has appeared on Broadway in Beautiful: The Carole King Musical; on the National Tours of Beetlejuice, Beautiful, and Fame the Musical; and Off-Broadway in the Little Shop of Horrors revival (OOBCR- Grammy nom.). She is also a solo guest entertainer and has performed at sea with cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean and Norwegian. Kris sings regularly with the Tony-honored Broadway Inspirational Voices (BIV) choir in NYC and is involved with the charitable organizations Broadway Serves and Covenant House.
The Sing for the Cure Chorus is comprised of individuals who sing with the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, AfterGlow Chorus, Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra, First Church Festival Chorus, Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choirs, Oakland Symphony Chorus, Or Shalom Music Ensemble, Peninsula Women’s Chorus, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, San Francisco Symphony Chorus, Soli Deo Gloria, Trinity Episcopal Church Choir, and Resound Chorus.
SFGMC extends a special acknowledgement to the members of Symphony Parnassus, “The Doctor’s Symphony” for their participation in Sing for the Cure.
Tickets are $50 premium and $35 general admission; available online at www.sfgmc.org. The Chan Center, now in its third season, is located at 170 Valencia Street, San Francisco.
SFGMC’s Season 48 will continue with the joyful community Holiday Sing-Along concert Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m., at the Chan Center. Beginning Friday, Dec. 12 through Wednesday, Dec. 24, the 300 members of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus will present this year’s edition of the annual and very popular Holiday Spectacular concert led by Artistic Director Jacob Stensberg with eight performances in four Bay Area venues, including San Francisco’s Golden Gate Theatre, Dec. 12 and 13; Cal Performances, Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley, Dec. 20; Green Music Center, Weill Hall at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park, Dec. 21; and Home for the Holidays at Davies Symphony Hall, Dec. 24. Tickets for all performances are now on sale at www.sfgmc.org.
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Press Contact: Jon Finck, SFGMC publicist / [email protected] / +1 415 577 1323
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