SF Opera superstar soprano Melody Moore joins SFGMC - Video

Take six minutes out of the hustle and bustle of your frenetic holiday season this Thanksgiving by joining the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus in a stunning musical experience. This week, soprano Melody Moore stepped into the leading role of the San Francisco Opera's opening night production of TOSCA. One review said "she received an ovation that shook the walls of the War Memorial Opera House." Another newspaper said, "A Star is Born." Melody joined the Chorus in both our holiday and spring concerts last year and wowed everyone. This video features Melody with the Chorus in the mesmerizing "O Magnum Mysterium" by Morten Lauridsen. She can also be heard on the SFGMC recording "Enchantingly Wicked" singing two arias by Stephen Schwartz. We are beyond thrilled and honored to have shared the stage with this incredible woman and artist.

Free download- it's our holiday gift to you!

Download nowDownload "O Magnum Mysterium" to your iPod/iTunes music library for FREE. Hear Melody soar in this breathtaking live recording!

SFGMC partners with Make-A-Wish foundation.

We are proud to announce our partnership with the Make-A-Wish foundation, an organization whose volunteers have brought joy to countless numbers of sick children. Join us on December 6th for SantaConcert --a special Make-A-Wish concert event at Davies Symphony Hall.

Meet Michael: Our own Make-A-Wish Child

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SFGMC Tenor Michael McGovern received a "wish" of his very own during a battle with cancer. Here is his story, as told by his father: During the summer of 1986, we were vacationing on Nantucket Island. Marcie’s parents were on a three-week trip in Europe, and the empty house on the water was too inviting to pass up for a quick getaway. 2 ½-year-old Michael and his older brother Phil were horsing around in the breakfast nook one evening when Michael fell back onto the edge of the bench, hit his shoulder, and started crying. Mom discovered a suspicious lump on his shoulder and took him to the doctor the next day. The doctor was very concerned by the lump and rather emphatic that we should see our pediatrician as soon as possible. We arrived at Dr. Norman Weinberger‘s office first thing on Monday. He looked at the lump on Michael’s shoulder and scheduled a consultation with Dr. Sue McIntosh at Yale New Haven’s oncology practice, who had one look at Michael’s lump and scheduled surgery to determine the pathology of the tumor. The attending surgeon, Dr. Seashore, reported that Michael had a rare form of muscle cancer: rhabdomyosarcoma. Michael was a brave soldier and submitted to multiple invasive procedures and horrible elixirs in preparation for the follow-up surgery the next day. They removed the bulk of the muscle on his scapula bone and several “involved” lymph nodes around his shoulder and down his right arm. Michael was immediately started on an aggressive regimen of three specific chemotherapy drugs sequencing in one-, two, and three-week protocol timetables and a week off, plus 25 radiation treatments over 18 months. In the months following his treatment at Yale New Haven Hospital, the staff in Dr. McIntosh’s office referred us to the Make a Wish (MAW) Foundation of Connecticut. We were not too familiar with MAW Foundation, but the MAW volunteers did a fantastic job dealing with our very emotional response to their proposal and reminded me that the MAW Foundation approach was for our son. He wanted to see Mickey and all the Disney characters (prompted by Phil, I’m sure), and we began planning his “wish,” which became something Michael started looking forward to. At 3 years old he was beginning to see the relationship his wish had to his many visits to the doctor’s office and the ever-present needles, blood work, and tests. We are one of the fortunate families, and we thank God every day for our blessings. Michael got his wish, and it helped give him the strength to beat the odds. He graduated with honors from high school, and has a BS in Biology/pre-med from The University of San Francisco. Gymnastics classes and tennis mitigated much of the debilitating effects of the surgery and radiation treatments. Michael turned 28 last January and is a smart, attractive, gifted young man with great passion for music and performance, and has been able to spend time “giving back” for all his blessings, dedicating time and resources to worthy charities and foundations.

Favorite One - Holiday Video

[wp_lightbox_anchor_text_html5_video link="http://www.sfgmc.org/wp-content/uploads/sfgmc_favoriteone-960-2mbps.mp4" width="960" height="540" text="FAVORITE ONE VIDEO"] The chorus performs FAVORITE ONE in this video to help you get ready for SANTACONCERT -- it's going to be our most festive and spectacular show ever!  Don't forget to get your tickets after you watch the video -  on-sale now!

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Call for Auditions: Harvey Milk 2013

Harvey Milk 2013: Living the Legacy will be presented by the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus on Thursday June 27 & Friday June 28, 2013 at the Nourse Theater in San Francisco. The music is taken from the life and words of Harvey Milk and set to music by Broadway composer Andrew Lippa. Three lead roles will be cast. You may request a live audition & we will also be accepting video submissions. Those requesting a live audition may email [email protected] for an appointment. If you are providing a video, please send a high quality video file or URL to [email protected]

Mr. Lippa will be present for the auditions.

DETAILS

• Saturday, October 13, 2012

• 10:00am - 2:00pm

• The Baha'i Center of SF

• 170 Valencia Street, SF, CA 94103

MORE INFORMATION

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Downloadable PDF with character descriptions & additional information.

Visit the Milk 2013 Page

Introducing Season 35

Watch the SEASON 35 VIDEO and learn how the icons that make San Francisco unique-- SantaCon, Beach Blanket Babylon and Harvey Milk-- help us celebrate our 35th anniversary season.

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Season 34-- Highlights Video

Ever wonder what an entire season of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus is like? If you got 4 minutes, we can show you-- here's a video look-back at Season 34, SENSATIONAL

Season 35 starts with Dan Savage & Joe Jervis at Crescendo!

The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus opens its Iconic 35th Season with Crescendo, its wildly anticipated annual fundraising gala. SFGMC will present two gay icons with its Champion Awards: Dan Savage, co-founder of the It Gets Better Project, will receive the Human Rights Champion Award for his contributions to Stephen Schwartz's "Testimony", which was premiered by the Chorus last March. Blogger and activist Joe Jervis will receive the Media Champion Award for continued support of the chorus on his widely-read blog, "Joe.My.God."
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Dan Savage, Creator
It Gets Better Project

Joe Jervis, Blogger
Joe.My.God.

Andrew Lippa, Composer
The Addams Family Musical

“This time-honored event supports the Chorus in raising both awareness and the crucial funds necessary to build and sustain our broad repertoire of social endeavors," said Sean Livingston, SFGMC Chairman of the Board and Crescendo Co-Chair. "We look forward to a fun afternoon filled with inspiration, as we continue to share our mission of changing lives through the power of music." At the event, guests will mix and mingle with family, friends and local Bay Area personalities and will hear a glorious and entertaining preview of selections from SFGMC’s upcoming Iconic Season 35 which includes SantaConcert, Snow White and Her Merry Men and Harvey Milk: Living The Legacy. Crescendo further delights with a classic Sunday champagne brunch, silent and live auctions overfilled with faraway exotic destinations, extra special events, distinctive food experiences, rare treats and Crescendo's signature Wall of Wine. For more information and tickets, please visit the Crescendo web-site.

The Ground-- Video Performance

See and hear the chorus' breathtaking performance of Ola Gjeilo's THE GROUND. This special video was recorded live in Denver, Colorado at this year's GALA Festival of Choruses. Originally part of the composer's Sunrise Mass for mixed chorus, a men's version of "The Ground" was commissioned specifically for the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus.

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Get ready for Unplugged!

SFGMC presents UNPLUGGED on June 15 and 16 with special guests Deke Sharon, Vocal Producer of the NBC hit "The Sing Off," and the internationally acclaimed beatboxer, Kid Beyond. Join the nearly 300 voices of the San Francisco Gay Men's chorus for an evening of fresh cappella pop hits and beautiful classic and contemporary choral music that shows just how versatile, and beautiful, the chorus can be. You've never heard SFGMC like this before.

UNPLUGGED. Serious Fun.

TICKETS & SHOWTIMES

SFGMC announces "Harvey Milk 2013: Living the Legacy"

On the night of November 27,1978, reeling from the news that Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk had been assassinated, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus headed to the steps of City Hall and sang in public for the very first time. The newly formed group joined thousands of candle-carrying San Franciscans at the crime scene, where they sang Felix Mendelssohn’s “Thou Lord Our Refuge.” With nearly 300 voices, the Chorus has grown considerably since the eve of Harvey's assassination. Inspired by Milk’s tragic death, SFGMC has become the world's premiere gay chorus. To commemorate 35th anniversary of Milk’s assassination, SFGMC will present “Harvey Milk 2013: Living The Legacy” in June 2013. SFGMC, along with several partners and the Harvey B. Milk Foundation, are planning regional events and celebrations that will culminate in a world premiere multi-media concert and exhibition presented in June 2013. It will include public submissions, as well as a newly commissioned work by Broadway composer Andrew Lippa (The Addams Family Musical). DOWNLOAD THE PRESS RELEASE.

Testimony Video & Music Now Available

TESTIMONY is a breathtaking and emotional new masterpiece written by Stephen Schwartz for the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus. Based on the heartfelt words of the "It Gets Better Project," TESTIMONY speaks to anyone who has ever felt out of place. The DVD Video is available for purchase, along with an iPod/iTunes downloadable version of the song from the SFGMC online store.

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