The Show Must Go On

How the SFGMC Survived – and Ultimately Thrived – During a Global Pandemic

by Andrew Barrett

On Friday, December 10, 2021, the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus made history: they performed live during a pandemic.

Having lived through the AIDS pandemic, SFGMC had the experience, compassion, and expertise to ensure both Chorus and audience members could safely gather during another global pandemic. 

When the curtain opened at the Sydney Goldstein Theater  for “Holigays Are Here…Again!,” a tidal wave of gratitude and excitement erupted from the the sold out audience.

This was followed by two more live performances on Saturday afternoon and evening. Then the following weekend, the Chorus performed two more sold-out performances at Weill Hall at Green Music Center in Sonoma County and Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, CA.

As 2021 closed, however, the Omicron variant shut down live performances across the country, including the Chorus's three performances at the Castro Theatre.

Still, the fact that the Chorus was able to perform at all when so many other organizations were stymied, is a testament to the dedication and skill of some extraordinary people behind the scenes.

What follows is a detailed look at these people and the road to reach this remarkable achievement.

COVID Hits Home

Board chair, physician, and Chorus member Dr. Glenn DeSandre vividly remembers first hearing about the virus in 2020 that would end up nearly crippling the country.

Returning home to San Francisco, though, the group realized the situation was more grave than they'd thought.

All events, including their concert at Davies Symphony Hall only 2 weeks away, were canceled until the organization could get a better handle on the COVID situation.

Still, the Chorus didn't completely scrap plans for live performances.

Dr. Seelig said, 'I'm looking at the fall and the holiday concerts as if we're going to do them just as we did them before.' Because we can always change from that into something [that's] more geared back.”

While the Chorus wouldn't be able to perform in the latter part of 2020, their commitment would pay dividends in the future.

For now, though, the focus was on community.

Keeping the Community Together

Initially, SFGMC's virtual meetups were focused on sharing news about COVID, and on making sure the community's bonds didn't fade.

A high-quality technology that allowed everyone to sing together virtually didn't exist at the time, but Chorus members were able to record and share individual performances to be edited together.

These performances were turned into “magic” by SFGMC's “amazing team of audio/visual editors,” according to Dr. DeSandre.

This switch to virtual-only interactions also taught SFGMC an important lesson: that it's crucial to record their experiences and performances.

“Unfortunately, SFGMC hasn't always been the best [at] recording our concerts. Mostly due to the costs associated with filming in the venues,” said Wil Wright, Director of Operations and Production.

RUNNING ON EMPTY

While trying to maintain the mental and social health of the Chorus community, SFGMC's full-time staff had another equally-important job: keeping the organization itself running.

The pandemic forced SFGMC to lay off numerous staff members, since live performances were out of the question in 2020.

“There were whole parts of the organization that were brought to a complete standstill,” noted an SFGMC Patron and Development Operations Manager. She continued, “We had no roles for volunteers for the entire two years of the pandemic.” Volunteer roles would only return in late 2021, as the Chorus prepared for long-awaited live events.

The remaining staff members found themselves taking on new roles, assisting other departments, and in general trying to keep the organization running as efficiently as possible.

To keep cash flow stable, SFGMC also tried something new in the summer of 2020: the Rise Up campaign.

“We put the fundraising responsibility on the shoulders of the singers and we asked them individually to go out and ask their friends and family to support the Chorus,” said Lipsky. “We've done it in smaller ways before...but this was completely different. [This campaign would] basically help us stay afloat during such a trying time.”

Almost 100 singers volunteered to fundraise for the Rise Up campaign, ultimately raising over $100,000.

“It was amazing,” Lipsky said. “No one expected it to be that successful.”

As 2020 wound down, SFGMC staff, chorus members, volunteers, and donors were cautiously optimistic as they looked ahead to 2021.

Their optimism paid off: COVID vaccines were made available to the general public, bringing back the possibility of live performances.

Vaccines: A Game-Changer

Early in the pandemic, SFGMC formed a five-person medical committee to advise on all COVID-related matters. Each committee member is an experienced healthcare professional.

“We have access to a lot of great data,” said Dr. DeSandre, a committee member. “All of our decisions were guided by making sure that the members were kept safe. We didn't want anyone to suffer just because we decided we wanted to sing.”

“And so when vaccines came on board and were available to everyone, we very quickly made the decision...that in order to participate in any of the Chorus activities, members would have to be vaccinated,” he continued.

The staff also secured $700,000 in funding from the state of California for an upgraded ventilation system for their building, in an effort to prevent COVID from spreading freely through the air.

With everyone fully vaccinated and committed to following the rules laid out in the COVID safety protocol manual developed by the SFGMC Patron and Development Operations Manager – such as wearing masks and practicing social distancing – SFGMC considered scheduling rehearsals again.

Then the Delta variant kicked into high gear.

“We had planned initially on coming back in August [2021],” said Dr. DeSandre. “And then Delta hit. And so then we put things on pause a little bit.”

To ensure all Chorus members were COVID-free as the possibility of performances returned, SFGMC purchased home antigen tests for the entire Chorus.

They also partnered with Safer Together, a San Francisco-based nonprofit which helps other nonprofits with COVID testing.

Dr. Seelig emphasized how safe attending a SFGMC rehearsal or performance is.

“We have created this really protective, safe bubble with our protocols,” he said. “If you want to go to a restaurant or a bar or shopping at the grocery store, it's less safe than rehearsal is.”

Members with COVID-like symptoms are also advised to stay home, until it's determined they're not carrying the virus. In addition, all team members must have received booster shots by January 17, 2022.

While other performance organizations have struggled to create safe environments, SFGMC's robust COVID protocols allowed members to return to what they love best: in-person rehearsals and performances.

Although rehearsals in Fall 2021 would be different than any they'd ever participated in.

A Strange New Way to Rehearse

How do you practice singing when there's a mask covering your face?

This is the question that vexed Dr. Seelig as SFGMC resumed rehearsals.

To rehearse, Chorus members were required to wear masks and social distance, which drastically altered how the members interacted and trained.

“Everybody sounds good singing into a pillow,” Dr. Seelig said. “But then you take that away and it's quite shocking. I had to....trust that what I was teaching them behind masks was really going to work when they took the masks off.”

Dr. Seelig also missed the magical moments that sometimes occur during rehearsal.

“We have all kinds of experiences in rehearsal that...we would call mountaintop experiences,” he said. “Where we finish a piece and everyone sighs and realizes that it was so beautiful.”

“None of that happened in the fall,” he continued. “And boy is that hard.”

But a crucial date was rapidly approaching. The Chorus would finally return to a live stage, and share their passion: creating incredible music.

We're Back!

On December 10, 2021 at the Sydney Goldstein Theater, the SFGMC's “Holigays Are Here…Again!” program was slated to be performed. It was the group's first full-scale live performance since the pandemic began.

The curtain was raised, revealing masked members of the Chorus. The audience waited expectantly. Then a signal was given, and the Chorus members removed their masks — showing that COVID hadn't defeated them.

And the crowd went wild.

“I got chills the first night that I took my mask off,” said Dr. DeSandre. “I looked around and saw my other Chorus members and just how happy they were. It was so great to see their smiling faces. And it was just a really, really proud moment for us.”

One staff member said, “It literally fell over me, like how much work went into this.”

Wil Wright, as Director of Operations and Production, strove to make this performance something to be remembered: “I wanted it to be special because who knows, right? How many of these shows are we going to be able to do? Are we going to go back to where we can't do shows again? So it just makes those moments much more precious. That you just want to make it as awesome as you possibly can.”

But while this “mountaintop experience” is one of the greatest ones in SFGMC's history, the persistence of COVID – specifically the rampaging Omicron variant – had forced the Chorus to again curtail its activities.

The Chorus had to cancel their beloved Castro Theater Christmas Eve shows at the last minute, to the disappointment of many.

But safety, not creative expression, is paramount — and canceling shows doesn't detract from the Chorus's incredible accomplishment.

“The biggest thing is none of our singers take for granted anything anymore,” said Mitch Galli. “And everyone knows how fortunate we are to have the leadership that we do both artistically, medically, and on an executive level.”

On April, 10, 2022, the Chorus once again returns to live performance at Davies Symphony Hall. What is planned is more ambitious than anything they’ve done before. “Voices Rising” will be more than the show name!

As Alison Mertz described the Chorus: “Here we are. We're still here, still queer, still singing.”