The Pride Concert

A Musical Celebration of Trans and Nonbinary Voices

with special guest Justin Tranter

Main Stage Supporting Sponsors

Janet Cluff
Steve Gallagher/Coldwell Banker
Nick Harper
Butch Merideth + Ivan Capanzana
Chris Stevenson

Join the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus for our most powerful event of the year: The Pride Concert! This is an electrifying concert that celebrates and uplifts our Trans and Nonbinary communities through the power of music. Featuring songs that champion resilience, identity, and belonging—including works by Grammy-nominated nonbinary songwriter Justin Tranter, who will join us onstage—this performance weaves together anthems of strength, defiance, and joy. From rallying cries for change to heartfelt reflections on authenticity, each piece affirms the beauty of self-expression and the power of standing together. In a time when trans and nonbinary voices are being silenced, this concert is a bold declaration: We see you, we hear you, we sing you.

With passionate vocals from almost 300 singers, heartfelt personal moments, and anthems of liberation, the evening will stir your soul and remind you of the power of community. Expect everything from moving ballads to high-energy numbers that will have you cheering, all delivered with the signature SFGMC flair.

Whether you've been with us for years or this is your first SFGMC Concert, prepare for an experience that will fill you with joy, pride, and a sense of belonging.

TWO VIP Packages TO CHOOSE FROM at the curran theatre!

Elevate your experience at The Pride Concert with an exclusive VIP package that brings you closer to the music, the performers, and the magic of the night. Every VIP ticket at the Curran Theatre helps support the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus in our mission to create extraordinary musical experiences that inspire community, activism, and compassion.

✨ Choose Your VIP Curran Theatre Experience:

🎭 VIP IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE –
For the ultimate SFGMC fan, this all-access experience includes the Gift Bag, plus:

🎶 Exclusive access to rehearsal before the show
🎭 Backstage tour of the Curran Theatre – See where the magic happens!
📸 Photo op on stage with Jake – Capture the moment in the spotlight
🎶 Invitation to join our Irish Blessing

🛍️ VIP GIFT BAG
Take home a piece of SFGMC magic with our specially curated gift bag with an array of items only available for this concert!

💖 Your VIP ticket isn’t just an upgrade—it’s a celebration of music, community, and pride.

🎶 Support queer art. Celebrate queer voices. Enjoy an unforgettable evening.

🔗 Reserve your VIP experience now!

This concert is appropriate for ages 4+

ABOUT JUSTIN TRANTER

A Q & A WITH JAKE

So, why this concert, right now?

Jake: Well, I've been creating this concert—since November. The election. I'm trying to figure out: what is the purpose of a Pride concert? What are the goals of a Pride concert? Who are we singing for? What do our members need? What does our community need? And I came one day to the conclusion—I felt compelled. Maybe the word isn’t compelled—drawn to, magnetically pulled toward using our platform to support our trans and nonbinary members who are being legislated into extinction.

So I thought, what if we could sing music that speaks to their experiences? The narrative right now around trans and nonbinary lives is really bleak, if you look at the news. What we can do as an activist arts organization is fight back with trans joys, trans celebration, trans dancing. I thought, we need to be positive storytellers. Truthful storytellers, but also provide the true, positive narrative that trans and nonbinary people, one: exist, and two: are beautiful. I thought we could have this concert become the best language that adds to that story.

When you talk about trans or nonbinary joy, what does that sound like?

Jake: There’s no one particular sound, I think, of trans joy. So, it can sound like a protest. It can sound like chanting. It can sound like screaming. It can be fast, or it can be slow. There are so many ways that it can kind of... it can be cacophonous and messy. In one song, "Future of Us," by screenwriter and songwriter Our Lady J, it starts with everyone doing the same thing, but it's just offset. Half the chorus does it, and then the other half does it a beat later. And it builds this swell of emotion inside of you, but sounds incredibly messy. But then when it comes together at the end, there’s a welling up of emotion.

Why is the concert two acts?

Jake: It’s conceived in such a way that I think after we finish Act One, you're going to want 20 minutes to breathe, walk around, maybe talk about something. There might be some things you talk about with the people around you—about what you've learned or experienced. So I think the audience will kind of appreciate the breather in between the two acts.

How is The Pride Concert part of the national conversation right now?

Jake: I think anyone who buys a ticket to this concert is automatically participating in the protest that's happening right now. When we overtly and proudly support our trans and nonbinary members, we act in defiance of the narrative being pushed on us. When we tell stories about joy in these communities, we act in direct defiance of the narrative that other people would force upon us. What we're doing, I think, is taking control of our own storytelling. The two great dangers are: not telling your own story and forgetting it—or allowing someone else to tell it and telling it wrong. So by taking control and being the storyteller for ourselves, we combat both things.

Can you identify one song in The Pride Concert that really speaks to the joy but also the activism?

Jake: There’s a new song—it’s not like a pop or a Broadway song. It’s a new song called Banned Together. B-A-N-N-E-D. Banned Together by trans composer Pax Ressler. This song is about standing up for the rights that others are trying to suppress. There’s a moment where the full chorus shouts in unison, like a protest, “Trans rights are human rights.”

The lyrics are simple but so powerful:  “If we’re banned, we’ll be banned together. It’s now or never to band together.”

Finally, can you share any details about our special guest, Justin Tranter?

Jake: Yes, absolutely! Justin Tranter is a nonbinary songwriter. Lives in LA, will be coming up to MC and host our concert. And they've written some of the biggest hits in the world. Their first big hit was Centuries for Fall Out Boy, 2014. That song—the chorus is, “You will remember me, remember me for centuries.” And Justin was inspired to write that chorus when they had just finished watching their first ever documentary about Marsha P. Johnson. And they were inspired to write this chorus: “You will remember me for centuries.” We’ll also do their most recent hit, Good Luck, Babe! by Chappell Roan. And I’m excited for them to tell their story and talk about the meaning behind so much of this music that many of us love.

That brings so much joy.

Jake: So much joy!

MEDIA SPONSOR

Tranter’s unparalleled creative fingerprint can be felt across music, film, TV and theater, as he’s lent his talents to some of the most iconic songs and albums in recent memory; Justin Bieber’s diamond-certified smash “Sorry,” Imagine Dragons and JID’s #1 single “Enemy,” Selena Gomez’s “Good For You” (featuring A$AP Rocky), Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” and “My Kink Is Karma,” Saweetie’s “NaNi,” Reneé Rapp’s "Pretty Girls" and "Gemini Moon,” Måneskin's "Honey! (Are U Coming?),” DNCE’s “Cake by the Ocean,” Maroon 5’s “Cold, Ariana Grande’s Thank U, Next (2019), Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia (2020), Lady Gaga’s Chromatica (2020), The Chicks’ Gaslighter (2020), Miley Cyrus’ Endless Summer Vacation (2023), Gomez’s Rare (2020) and Bieber’s Purpose (2015). In addition, he has written regularly with some of the biggest names in music such as Cardi B, Jonas Brothers, Sam Smith, Kid Cudi, Janelle Monáe, Cynthia Erivo, Leon Bridges, King Princess, Kim Petras and more. 

Tranter co-created the heralded musical WILD: A Musical Becoming starring Idina Menzel, which was directed by Diane Paulus and written by V (formerly Eve Ensler). In addition to co-writing several original songs for Netflix’s runaway summer hit Purple Hearts (2022), he also served as executive music producer for Billy Porter’s brand new directorial debut Anything’s Possible (2022) and served as the executive producer for the soundtrack to Happiest Season (2020), Hulu’s record-breaking holiday film. Tranter also executive produced and wrote more than 30 original songs for the Grease prequel series Rise of The Pink Ladies where he also had a starring role as the Angel of Fashion.

His journey is also guided by the community he’s built and grown with Facet House, an inclusive home for publishing and artistry run by Tranter, who has devoted himself to numerous equal pay initiatives for songwriters as well as supporting singers/songwriters he believes in. Artists like Jake Wesley Rogers and Shea Diamond call Facet home, as do writers such as Skyler Stonestreet (“Boyfriend” by Dove Cameron), Blush (“What It Is” by Doechii) Russ Chell (“Rodeo” by Lil Nas X and Cardi B) and Jason Gill (“Never Really Over” by Katy Perry). 

Most recently, Tranter partnered with Google and YouTube to unveil a suite of new music tools dubbed, “Music AI Sandbox.” This state of the art technology is designed to open a new playground for creativity, allowing users to generate new instrumental sections from scratch while transforming sound in new ways. In addition, Tranter has been named a U.S. Global Music Ambassador as part of the U.S. Department of State and YouTube’s Global Music Partnership. Additional ambassadors include Chuck D, Grace Bowers, Kane Brown, Herbie Hancock, Jelly Roll and more. 

As a former board member of GLAAD and the ACLU of Southern California, Tranter is an outspoken supporter of human rights with a storied track record of fighting for change, inclusivity and diversity. Tranter’s activism work has been prolific and in 2019 he earned the prestigious ACLU Bill of Rights Award for his continued dedication to making meaningful change. Most recently, Tranter accepted the Equality Visibility Award at Los Angeles’ Equality Awards, celebrating his activism and continued work within the LGBTQIA+ community.