The Stonewall Chorale

The Stonewall Chorale, founded in New York City in 1977, is America's first gay and lesbian chorus. The Chorale, a four-part mixed chorus of approximately 60 members, annually performs three subscription concerts at various venues in New York City. Its repertoire ranges from great classical works to contemporary pieces by cutting edge composers like Ricky Ian Gordon, Eric Whitacre, Chris DeBlasio, Jaakko Mäntyjärvi, and Meredith Monk.

Details

The Stonewall Chorale regularly participates in community service events such as the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center Annual Garden Party, World AIDS Day and Kristallnacht commemorations, holiday caroling, and Gay Pride celebrations. Stonewall also performs with various groups that provide entertainment in hospitals throughout the NYC metropolitan area.

Stonewall Chorale Advisory Board members include Gerald Busby, Beth Clayton, John Corigliano, Meredith Monk, Marni Nixon, Kirk Nurock, Patricia Racette, Ned Rorem, Jerry Rubino, Liz Smith, and Eric Whitacre.

Cynthia Powell is the conductor and artistic director.

History

The Stonewall Chorale originated in December 1977 as the Gotham Male Chorus, founded by conductor Donald Rock, who wanted a chorus that would "dig music as well as each other." In 1979, women joined Gotham Male Chorus for the first time, and the name was changed to Stonewall Chorale, the nation's first lesbian and gay mixed-voice chorus. It was a catalyst for the creation of solidarity and commonality among GLBTQ individuals in New York City.

In September 1983 at Lincoln Center,^[1] named "Come Out! and Sing Together" (aka COAST), organized and sponsored by GALA Choruses (Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses), now an international organization with more than 150 member choruses.

In 1983, the Stonewall Chorale officially became a tax exempt corporation.^[2]

In 1996, the Chorale received a $5,000 Community Arts Project Award from Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. These grants are awarded annually to nine community performing arts organizations based on their quality of musical performance, program creativity, and ongoing commitment to professionalism. This grant subsidized a concert at Alice Tully Hall on February 22, 1997 which honored the music and pedagogy of Nadia Boulanger. The program also resulted in a generous grant of $2,000 received from the Florence Gould Foundation, whose purpose is to promote French culture in the United States.

In 2002, the Chorale welcomed Cynthia Powell as its conductor and artistic director. Under her direction, the Chorale has performed major works by Handel, Mozart, Orff, Vivaldi, Faure, Vaughan Williams, Poulenc, Stravinsky, and Britten to capacity audiences. The Chorale commissioned and premiered "love notes" by Gerald Busby, presented the choral premiere of Meredith Monk's Book of Days at Merkin Hall, performed Monk's Ascension Variations at the Guggenheim Museum, and her Songs of Ascension at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. In January 2012 the Chorale performed at Carnegie Hall in a benefit for the American Cancer Society, alongside special guests Julie Andrews and Donald Trump.

In 2012, The Fund for Creative Communities from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council awarded a grant to the Stonewall Chorale.^[3]

Notable guest artists

• Tovah Feldshuh
• Flutronix
• Isle of Klezbos
• Liza Minnelli
• Debra Monk
• Marni Nixon

Notable performances

• June 26, 2013: Sang "America (My Country, 'Tis of Thee)" at rally in front of the Stonewall Inn celebrating the US Supreme Court ruling on United States v. Windsor overturning parts of the Defense of Marriage Act.^[4]
• October 21–25, 2009: Sang as part of larger chorus in Meredith Monk's "Songs of Ascension" at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.^[5]
• March 5, 2009: Sang as part of larger chorus in Meredith Monk's "Ascension Variations" at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.^[6]
• September 12, 1983: Sang at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall as part of "Come Out and Sing Together: the first national gay choral festival.^[7] "

References

• Pareles, Jon (Sep 11, 1983). "Music: Gay Male Choruses Perform at Lincoln Center". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 September 2012. 
• "GALA Choruses History". Retrieved 19 September 2012. 
• Crutchfield, William (11 June 1988). "AIDS Brings Composer's Inspiration". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 September 2012. 

External links

• stonewallchorale.org