San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus
| San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | SFGMC |
| Origin | San Francisco, California, United States |
| Genres | Broadway, choral, classical, jazz, popular |
| Occupation(s) | Men's Choir |
| Instruments | ca. 330 voices |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Associated acts | Ambassadors, The Lollipop Guild, Vocal Minority, SWAG |
| Website | www.sfgmc.org |
| Members |
Artistic Director and Conductor Dr. Timothy Seelig Principal Accompanist & Music Director of Vocal Minority Carl Pantle Associate Accompanist Lynden Bair Music Director of The Lollipop Guild Eric Carlson |
| Past members | SFGMC Alumni Association |
The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus (SFGMC) is the world's first openly gay chorus, one of the world's largest male choruses and the group most often credited with creating the LGBT choral movement.
The chorus was founded by gay music pioneer Jon Reed Sims. Despite popular misconceptions, the group does not require that members identify as gay or bisexual. The eligibility requirements for SFGMC are to be at least 18 years of age, to self identify as a man, and to pass the audition process defined by the Artistic Director. Today, with a membership of over 300 voices, the SFGMC continues to present a wide range of music and perform for many different kinds of audiences.
The SFGMC came into existence during the Gay Rights Movement, which rose to national prominence after the Stonewall Riots in New York City in 1969. In 1977, openly-gay candidate for San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk began traveling around the United States to present what came to be known as the Hope Speech. Speaking as an openly gay elected public official, he urged gay people to come out of the closet to oppose anti-gay efforts such as the Briggs Initiative and Anita Bryant's Save Our Children campaign. Sims responded by forming the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Marching Band and Twirling Corps, the world's first openly gay and lesbian performing arts group, early in 1978 and the SFGMC later that year. The chorus held its first rehearsal on October 30, 1978.
However, the first public performance of the SFGMC took place less than a month later, on November 27, at an impromptu memorial at San Francisco City Hall for Milk and Mayor George Moscone, who had been assassinated earlier that day by former Supervisor Dan White. The SFGMC performed "Thou, Lord, hast been our refuge" ("Herr Gott, du bist unsre Zuflucht") by Mendelssohn at the event, which was attended by at least 25,000–40,000 mourners who had marched to the City Hall from Castro Street, which was represented by Milk in the Board of Supervisors.
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