June 20, 1992
History
Founded in 1979, is recognized as one of the finest volunteer fine arts ensembles in the nation. WCGC is one of the first gay male choruses-only the San Francisco and the New York City Chorus are older. Known for the highest standards of choral artistry, WCGC fosters gay pride through musical excellence. The Chorus appears around the country at workshops, joint concerts, and competitions. To date WCGC has performed by invitation at six American Choral Directors Association conventions.
Under founding director Richard Garrin, WCGC’s precision, flexibility of style, warmth of color, well-balanced tone, firm diction, and meticulous attention to detail add up to what several composers and conductors term the finest male chorus in the country. Windy City proudly represents Chicago to the rest of the country. Reviewers nationwide rave about WCGC’s performances.
Los Angeles Frontiers said of WCGC’s performance on tour: “this group is in a class by itself… It seems a miracle that an amateur group could sound like this!”
New York City Daily (WCGC’s Lincoln Center debut): ”A thorough pleasure in tone and balance… the results were positively heroic!”
San Francisco Bay Area Reporter: “There was magic in the air… the audience was put into a trance by their lyrical spell.”
Chicago Windy City Times: “a jewel in Chicago’s cultural crown” and “superlatives are superfluous!”
The late Mayor Harold Washington summed it up best when he hailed the group as “a unique asset to the cultural life of the city and a source of pride to its citizens, who are devoted to excellence in the performing arts.”
The professional musical world also recognizes WCGC’s outstanding ability. The Chorus receives merit grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Illinois Arts Council, the Chicago Office of Fine Arts CityArts program, and Chorus America. WCGC won first place in the highly-regarded Johnny Mann Great American Choral Festival, (the first & only openly gay group to do so) after a two-phase competition with hundreds of choruses from across the U.S. and Canada. Windy City Gay Chorus is one of the driving forces behind the thriving Gay & Lesbian Choral movement. In 1982 WCGC hosted the first meeting of gay chorus directors and managers, which led to the formation of GALA Choruses (Gay & Lesbian Association of Choruses), now an organization of over 100 men’s, women’s, and mixed choruses. Since then, WCGC has maintained a strong leadership role in GALA, providing members to its board of directors, and working vigorously to foster the gay choral movement WCGC is very active in supporting other community organizations. The Chorus performed at mayoral inaugurations, many civic events, the More Light Churches Convention, the National PFLAG convention, and at AIDS benefits such as Heart Strings and Not Just Song & Dance.
Windy City Gay Chorus normally gives three major concerts each year: a festive “Don We Now” holiday concert in December (last year with the award-winning Chicago Children’s Choir), a lighter ‘pops’ concert in March (this year with Grammy award-winner Diane Schuur), and a Gay & Lesbian Pride concert in June. Last year WCGC released its first commercial recording, “Don We Now… Holiday Favorites”, to critical praise. This recording, and WCGC’s newest release “Mostly Love”, are a continuation of the Chorus’s mission of promoting gay pride through musical excellence.
Windy City Performing Arts 