December 16 & 17, 1993
Program Notes
Waking the world with song,
We are waking the world with love.
Well before the birth of Christianity, the time of the winter solstice was celebrated as a time of awakening. Ancient peoples, when plotting their calendars, saw a mystical connection between the subtle shortening days of fall and early winter and the steady spread of cold and death over the natural world. They also noticed the annual reversal of this progression, as if a divine hand had intervened to plant the seed of the world’s rebirth.
The early Christians also saw a mystical connection between natural rebirth and spiritual rebirth in Jesus Christ. Perhaps they saw a way of responding to the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah. In either case, from its beginning Christmas was associated with winter, feasting and song. As Christianity spread to more tropical countries, celebration and caroling followed, as well, though without the wintery themes.
One other important pre-Christian aspect of winter may account for the easy acceptance of the holiday season by people of other (or even no) religions. Since humanity’s earliest days, the hunger and cold of winter have presented the greatest threats to survival, both individual and tribal. Only by living and working together could they persevere. It is this spirit of community which ties Christmas to the Jewish festival of Hanukkah and the African celebration of Kwanzaa.
As you experience tonight’s abundance of carols-both traditional and modern, in many languages and musical styles-at some point close your eyes. Follow the winter sun as it brings the holiday to each country. Imagine the world awakening in feasting, in song, in community, and-for too short a time-in love.
History – Windy City Gay Chorus (WCGC)
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.
WCGC proudly represents Chicago to the rest of the country. Reviewers nationwide rave about the Chorus’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 City Arts program, and Chorus America. WCGC won first place in the highly-regarded Johnny Mann Great American Chorus Festival (the first and openly gay group to do so), following a two-phase competition with hundreds of choruses from across the U.S.A. and Canada.
WCGC is one of the driving forces behind the thriving gay and lesbian choral movement. In 1982 WCGC hosted the first meeting of gay chorus directors and managers which led to the formation of GALA (The Gay & Lesbian Association of Choruses), now an organization of over 100 men’s, women’s and 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, the national PFLAG convention, at AIDS benefits such as Heart Strings, AIDS Walk Chicago, and Not Just Song & Dance, and at many other civic events.
WCGC normally gives three major concerts each year: a festive “Don We Now” holiday concert in December, a concert in March, and a Gay and Lesbian pride concert in June, this year featuring the world premiere of “Letters to the Future.”
In 1991 WCGC released its first commercial recording, “Don We Now…Holiday Favorites”, to critical praise. Together with WCGC’s second release “Mostly Love”, these recordings are a continuation of the Chorus’s mission of promoting gay and lesbian pride through musical excellence.
History – UNISON
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 15 year old Windy City Gay Chorus. The dream of women and men singing together was never forgotten by Richard Garrin. In 1990, the Long Range Planning Committee of Windy City Performing Arts set as its number one priority to develop a chorus of men and women. In the fall of 1992 auditions were held, and 41 singers were chosen as charter members of Unison: Windy City Lesbian & Gay Singers.
Unison, now in its second season, 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 “Singers” made their debut at “Don We Now XIV” in 1992, and sang their inaugural concert in April with recording artists Cris Williamson and Tret Fure as guests. In February, Unison will present a concert called “Children Should Be Seen… and Heard!” in historic Oak Park, IL. This concert will appeal to all of you adult children; it will include everything from classical sayings set to music, to humorous limericks, to pop favorites like “Children Will Listen” from Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods.
Unison is yet another example of gay men and lesbians coming together to make our community in Chicago stronger and more visible and to lend credibility to the motto “the city that works”.
If you are a soprano, alto, tenor or bass, consider joining Unison for the second half of their season. Auditions are on February 24th, 1994. Call our office for an appointment.
Windy City Performing Arts 