June 19, 1993
Program Notes – From the Director
Eleven years ago on Valentine’s Day the Windy City Gay Chorus stepped out onto the stage at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center, New York to a standing room only house, standing and cheering. The New York City Gay Men’s Chorus hosted us in one of the very first chorus exchanges in the nation. At that time, there were approximately 15 gay choruses in the country. Now, there are over 100 including Canada and Europe. NYCGMC and WCGC, two of the founding choruses of this incredible gay/lesbian choral movement, joined together in 1982 and the bond remained intact for all of these years. Gary Miller and I have become long time friends, and we are so happy to renew this wonderful singing camaraderie. There are many singers in both choruses who are appearing on stage tonight who sang in that Valentine’s Day concert. Since then, the AIDS crisis came upon us and has called many who would otherwise still be with us tonight. As we sing “Hidden Legacies”, we remember them all. We look forward to next year’s Stonewall anniversary where NYCGMC will be premiering a new piece by Roger Bourland called “Stonewall” as we almost simultaneously here in Chicago sing Mr. Bourland’s “Letters to the Future” next June. The first piece reflects while the other looks forward. So it is fitting that we both appear to you tonight in “Hidden Legacies” as a prelude and a remembrance.
I am thrilled to be sharing the stage once again with Gary and the NYCGMC. I know you will remember this evening for many years to come just as New Yorkers remember our collaboration in 1982. Stay a part of our family and movement.
Please join us next year for our 15th Anniversary season! And thank you for everything.
Richard Garrin
Music Director
History
Windy City Gay Chorus, 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 & the New York City Chorus are older. Known for the highest standards of choral artistry, WCGC fosters gay & lesbian pride through musical excellence. The Chorus appears around the country at workshops, joint concerts, & 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, & meticulous attention to detail add up to what several composers & 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 – “…this group is in a class by itself…. It seems a miracle that an amateur group could sound like this!”
New York City Daily News – [WCGC’s Lincoln center debut was] “…a thorough pleasure in tone & 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” & “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, & 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. & 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 & managers, which led to the formation of GALA Choruses (Gay & Lesbian Association of Choruses), now an organization of over 100 men’s, women’s, & mixed choruses on four continents. Since then, WCGC has maintained a strong leadership role in GALA, providing members to its board of directors, & working vigorously to foster the gay choral movement.
WCGC is very active in supporting other community organizations. The Chorus has performed at mayoral inaugurations, many civic events, the National PFLAG convention, & at AIDS benefits such as Heart Strings, AIDS Walk Chicago, & Not Just Song & Dance.
Windy City Gay Chorus normally gives three major concerts each year: a festive “Don We Now” holiday concert in December, a (usually) lighter ‘pops’ concert in March, & a Lesbian & Gay Pride concert in June (this season with the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus at Medinah Temple).
In 1991 WCGC released its first commercial recording, “Don We Now” Holiday Favorites, to critical praise. This recording, & WCGC’s newest release “Mostly Love”, are a continuation of the Chorus’s mission of promoting gay & lesbian pride through musical excellence.
Windy City Performing Arts, Inc., Windy City Gay Chorus, & UNISON· Windy City Lesbian & Gay Singers, are equal-opportunity organizations. WCPA welcomes members & supporters of all races, ages, national origins, religions, & affectional preferences.
Windy City Performing Arts 