March 21, 2015
Program Notes
Legacies of Hope honors the lives of the countless LGBTQ youth who are at risk in our communities. Singing in the stunning St. James Episcopal Cathedral in downtown Chicago, WCGC will perform the Midwest premiere of Tyler’s Suite, a new original piece commissioned by seven of the country’s leading gay choruses, which pays tribute to Tyler Clementi.
WCTQ will perform several pieces about caring and hope, inspired by stories of other youth at risk.
Co-Commissioned by Windy City Gay Chorus, San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, New York City Gay Men’s Chorus, San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus, Turtle Creek Chorale (Dallas), and Seattle Men’s Chorus, in honor of Tyler Clementi. Performed in collaboration with the Tyler Clementi Foundation and St James Cathedral Concerts & The Cathedral Choir.
• WINDY CITY GAY CHORUS •
Founded in October, 1979, Windy City Gay Chorus is the oldest gay chorus in Illinois and the Midwest, and one of the first gay choruses organized in the country. WCGC is a founding member of the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA). WCGC’s first performance was in December of 1979, at the “Don We Now” holiday concert at Stages Music Hall. Windy City Gay Chorus has performed in cities throughout the country, and has been lauded by the Illinois House of Representatives, the mayors of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Denver, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Seattle and Chicago mayors Rahm Emanuel, Richard M. Daley and the late Harold Washington. The chorus has a commitment to performing music that is as challenging as it is entertaining.
• WINDY CITY TREBLE QUIRE •
Windy City Treble Quire is WCPA’s treble chorus. Formed in 1996 under the name Aria: Windy City Women’s Ensemble, it was originally the small, women’s ensemble of Unison: Windy City Lesbian and Gay Singers, and quickly became an audience favorite at concerts and special appearances over the years, performing at GALA Festival 2000 in San Jose to rave reviews. Now, with a new name that reflects today’s reality of a chorus that encompasses singers who self-identify as female, male, straight, gay, transgender, or bisexual, Windy City Treble Quire embraces its role as a totally inclusive chorus. The word “Quire”, an old-English spelling of “choir”, also gives voice to chorus members who identify as queer. WCTQ performs music that not only entertains but reminds us of our diversity, and is poised to make a lasting impact on the mainstream as well as LGBT music scene.
Windy City Performing Arts 