SAN DIEGO GAY MEN’S CHORUS by caleb rainey
THE HOLIDAYS are upon us! ‘Tis the season for shopping, parties, ugly sweaters and generosity. And the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus (SDGMC) is here to help us celebrate with its upcoming showThe Nutcracker: Men in Tights!, taking place onSaturday and Sunday, December 14 and 15at the Balboa Theatre! SDGMC is an incredible organization and one of the very few arts non-profits in
San Diego that are specifically LGBT, with a 30-year history entertaining audiences in San Diego, while building queer visibility in the arts world. The Rage Monthly had the chance to chat with Bob Lehman, a representative from SDGMC and a chorus member, to talk about the upcoming event this month. We started off by asking Lehman what exactly makes The Nutcracker: Men in Tights! stand out from the rest of the holiday shows to choose from this season. Lehman responded with, “Nobody does the
holidays like 100 gay men singing and dancing! This year’s show is uplifting, fun, full of mischief, hijinks, and yes, even men in tights. Added to that is some of the most beautiful music of the season. We guarantee everyone will leave with a smile on their face and in the holiday spirit.” That “holiday spirit” is particularly important for LGBT folks who often do not have families they can celebrate the holidays with. Events likeThe Nutcracker: Men in Tights! are not only fun, they are also critical in providing a sense of community and connection that many LGBT people need this time of the year. This event attracts over 1,700 San Diegans, their friends and families, making it one of the largest holiday shows in the city. While this event has a long and successful history, I
asked Lehman if we could expect anything new from this year’s concert. Here’s what he had to say, “The highlight of the show will be our very own version of The Nutcracker. Word has it that the lovely ballerinas of the Hillcrest Academy of Tap, Ballet and Decoup- age were taken ill after traveling to Tijuana for a bachelorette party and street-hotdog-eating binge. So Madame Anastasia has to send in the handsome
14 12 RAGE monthly | DECEMBER 2013
men of the ballet troupe to perform all The Nutcracker roles from dancing mice and toy soldiers, to the sugar plum fairy. You won’t see anything like this anywhere else.” LGBT Chorus organizations are not only about great shows and having a blast
“We offer an inclusive and welcoming place for gay men who may not have
experienced that before.
performing, they have a long history in the community of providing incred- ible services that simply cannot be measured. When asked why choruses are still important in 2013, Lehman responded passionately with, “For many of the guys in the chorus, it’s like their family—a real feeling of brotherhood. We offer an inclusive and welcoming place for gay men who may not have experienced that before. We bond through our singing but it goes much deeper than that. We are proud of our diversity with ages spanning more than 60 years, from young- est to oldest and representing an impressive array of nationalities and cultures. It is truly an open-arm, accepting, loving family.” Organizations like SDGMC are also a great alternative to the club and bar scene while still being fun and providing a social outlet. Not only does the chorus build kinship within
our singing but it goes much deeper than that.”
We bond through
the LGBT community, it also builds bridges in the broader society as well. Lehman stated, “Our chorus was one of the first openly gay organizations in San Diego, starting nearly 30 years ago when it wasn’t so easy to be ‘open.’ But that is, and has been, part of our reason for existing. Through music and our outreach programs, we work hard to build bridges between the gay community and the rest of San Diego. We strive to be a dynamic force for social change and we do that by entertaining people, be it at the recent public library opening ceremony, AIDS Walk or one of our shows.” So while you are out holiday shopping and prepar-
ing for this wonderful time of year, be sure to get a few tickets forTheNutcracker: Men in Tights! and help support a wonderful organization working hard for our community! For tickets and more information go
tosdgmc.org.
TU-TU TRADITIONS
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