SAN FRANCISCO GAY MEN’S CHORUS ANNOUNCES “THE LOVE TOUR” OF IOWA AND NEBRASKA
SFGMC WILL ALSO HEADLINE THE 2024 GALA CHORUS FESTIVAL IN MINNEAPOLIS
(SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 21, 2024)—The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC), the world’s premier queer chorus is proud to announce “THE LOVE TOUR” that will bring their powerful voices and message of unity to the heartland. From July 7-9, 2024, the 300-member Chorus, under the direction of Jacob Stensberg, will travel to Iowa and Nebraska, joining forces with local LGBTQ choruses and advocacy groups at each stop to elevate the Chorus’ mission of transforming and connecting people through song.
Following the momentous tour, SFGMC will headline the finale concert at the 2024 GALA Chorus Festival in Minneapolis. The GALA Chorus Festival is the quadrennial festival of LGBTQ+ Choruses from around the world. More than 15,000 singers and 200 Choruses will be represented.
In each city of the LOVE TOUR, The Chorus will be joined by a local chorus and also shine light on local LGBTQ+ nonprofits who are investing in advocacy, education and the celebration of our shared queer culture and people. In Iowa City, the Chorus will partner with the Quire of Eastern Iowa as well as the family of Puck Carlson, the teen who is the lead plaintiff in the fight against bills that target LGBTQ+ rights in that state. In Omaha, they’ll join with the River City Mixed Chorus and with OutNebraska, an organization that invests in advocacy, education and culture; and in Des Moines, they’ll work with Iowa Safe Schools to help create a fun VIP Experience for kids and give them a great time at the concert, where they will share the stage with the Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus.
At a time of rising anti-LGBTQ+ legislations and hate crimes across the country, the Chorus is dedicated to countering intolerance by sharing their artistry and radiating a message of love, hope and acceptance. The Chorus has chosen Iowa and Nebraska due to a wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation before those respective state’s legislatures. Iowa currently has 34 active bills on its docket and Nebraska 10, according to the ACLU Legislative Tracker. It hopes to counter a rise in anti-LGBTQ crime that has been legitimized nationwide since the 2016 election. According to the ACLU, attacks based on gender identity are up 32.9% and those based on sexual orientation are up 13.8%. SFGMC believes that music has the power to transform and connect people, opening a door to conversation and healing.
SFGMC has a storied history of using their voices to respond to adversity, create dialogue and inspire change. They last toured in 2017, which took the Chorus to Southern states like Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina. That powerful journey was captured in the Tribeca Festival Award-winning documentary “Gay Chorus, Deep South”.
The Chorus first toured in 1981, visiting Dallas, Detroit, New York, Washington, D.C. and Seattle. That tour became the catalyst for other cities to create their own LGBTQ Choruses, launching the International circuit of Choruses that exist today - many of whom will perform at the GALA Festival this summer in Minneapolis, where SFGMC will headline the closing night of the Festival.
SFGMC has also toured extensively in the Bay Area, headlining concerts at Zellerbach Hall (Berkeley), The Green Music Center (Sonoma County) and Davies Symphony Hall (San Francisco). In June of this year, the Chorus will be presented at Davies as part of the San Francisco Symphony’s concert season.
“We are lucky in San Francisco. An LGBTQ+ person can find a safe haven, free from the discrimination and hatred many, in other communities, experience every day,” stated SFGMC Artistic Director Jacob Stensberg. “But we know that, even in our own Chorus, there are many who need to be healed from the discrimination and hate they experienced in their life. And instead of running from that, we want to embrace it and show up in communities that may not have as favorable of a view around LGBTQ+ rights. Our last tour not only helped shift hearts and minds but also helped to magnify and amplify work already underway in towns across America. With our upcoming THE LOVE TOUR, we’ll be bringing a big wave of love, a rainbow ripple of song to communities that are yearning for music, unity and love.”
“It would be easy to stay home in our SF bubble and avoid the hurt, avoid the hate but how does that change the world and move hearts and minds,” asked SFGMC Executive Director Christopher Verdugo. “But that is not who we are. We want to open up hearts, to have a conversation and make room to find agreement, and ultimately, love. We hold our own preconceptions of what it is like to live with an open heart in the Midwest, unaware of the vibrancy and resilience that already exists. We have as much to learn from them as they do from us. As long as the world continues to discriminate against the LGBT community, we will sing until our very last breath”
SFGMC, now in its 46th season, had an auspicious start. Only four weeks following their formation, San Francisco was rocked by the assassinations of
Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in the country. The Chorus, along with tens of thousands of others, gathered on the steps of City Hall for a candlelight vigil and sang “Singing For Our Lives”, a song that was crafted in the tumultuous aftermath of that tragedy. Then, as now, SFGMC used the power of music to salve the
troubled crowd, while delivering a message of love, unity and community. Since that time, the Chorus has grown to nearly 300 members. In 2023, SFGMC reached a new milestone when they opened an Art Deco building in San Francisco to serve as an arts destination for queer artists from across the world. The Chan National Queer Arts Center, located at 170 Valencia Street, serves as the Chorus’ headquarters and also includes programming directed towards the community at large.
Schedule of performances
July 7: University of Iowa, Iowa City with the Quire of Eastern Iowa
July 8: Countryside Community Church with River City Mixed Chorus (Omaha)
July 9: Des Moines with the Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus
July 12: The ensembles of SFGMC (The Lollipop Guild and HomoPhonics) at the GALA Festival
July 14 - SFGMC headlines the closing concert at GALA
About SFGMC
Founded in 1978, SFGMC sparked a nationwide LGBTQ choral movement after its first public performance at a vigil on the steps of City Hall following the assassinations of Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone. Since then, SFGMC has been embedded in the fabric of San Francisco. It has soothed souls in pain, lifted spirits in triumph, and has remained a steadfast beacon of hope.
Under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer Chris Verdugo and Artistic Director Jacob Stensberg, SFGMC has established a heightened level of performance standards bringing renewed audience and choral industry acclaim. Recent touring schedules, recordings, and outreach programs have broadened its impact and reputation in the community while maintaining its signature blend of humor, personality and ground-breaking performances. In 2019, SFGMC acquired a historic facility that has become its permanent home for rehearsals and offices. The building also serves as The Chan National Queer Arts Center, the first-ever community space for LGBTQ artists and arts organizations.
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