March 27, 1993
May 7 & 8, 1993
Songs of Praise and Reconciliation
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 choraI 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 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 Art 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.
Click here to view the full concert program!
Unison, with Cris Williamson and Tret Fure
History
On October 9, 1979, a group of 25 or so women and 40 or so men gathered in the basement of Wellington Avenue Church, where a new mixed chorus was to form of gay men and lesbian women. It had no name yet. It only had its organizer Jerry Carlson, its director Richard Garrin, and its accompanist, Phil Stewart. We started to sing. It was a great day in the history of the Chicago gay and lesbian community. As the weeks went on, personnel declined, and we ended up with 38 men and 4 women. A decision had to be made quickly. So, in a few short weeks, the chorus changed to male choral music. The result was the now 14 year old Windy City Gay Chorus. The dream of women and men singing together was never forgotten. Last summer and in January, the 40 plus singers you see on stage successfully auditioned into WCPA’s new chorus: UNISON: Windy City Lesbian Gay Singers.
UNISON is a group of women and men who sing together, whose musical purpose is one that will eventually challenge the traditional expectations that people have of choral music. The intention is to eventually sing music that has no cultural boundaries, no set religious sentiments, and mix the spirit and body into harmonies of higher self, healing and nurturing. In Music, Physician for Times to come, Don Campbell writes: “The new paradigms of musical and healing perspectives recognize music as a healing tool. That is backed up by the discovery that sound produces physical forms… Music is obviously powerful… Music can be the medicine, the healing agent in the process.”
The expectations are high. Help us to achieve them. If you sing, audition; if you love what we are about, volunteer. Future plans will entice you. The musical repertoire will grow and become what UNISON is all about. Sing the song, walk the walk, and be a part of Chicago’s finest gays and lesbians working/singing/playing together.
Windy City Performing Arts 