Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus Announces 2003-04 Concert Season

Joann Usher, Executive Director, 612.339.7664
Dr. Stan Hill, Artistic Director
Jon Lewis, Executive Director

Minneapolis, MN, September 22, 2003 – An all new Holiday concert. A world premiere composition. The Music of Elton John. These are some of the highlights of the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus’ 2003-04 season, announced this week.

An annual favorite, this season’s Holiday concert will feature bells, bells and more bells! Aptly titled Bells: A Tintinnabulation of Song will include some of your Holiday favorites as well as some new selections, including a piece titled Ring Out, Wild Bells!, by Ron Nelson, one of America’s premiere composers plus works by Rachmaninoff, Gustav Holst, Leonovich, John Rutter and many more. Joining the Chorus will be the Bells of the Lakes English Handbell Choir, under the direction of William Mathis. There will also be plenty of opportunity for audience participation, as tradition has it, in the popular carol sing along.

And if you don’t get your fill of singing with the Chorus in the Holiday concert, you can join them in the Messiah Sing-A-Long to be held at Westminster Presbyterian Church. Handel’s masterpiece will be performed with a chorus of hundreds as the audience joins the Chorus, soloists from the MacPhail School of Music and the 50-piece Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Joseph Schlefke. Scores will be available in the lobby prior to the performance.

For the first time in four years, and for the first time under the artistic direction of Dr. Stan Hill, the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus will present a world premiere piece commissioned by the men of the Chorus about the lives of the men in the Chorus. Metamorphosis, written by Robert Espindola with music by Robert Seeley, the famed composer/librettist team of Exile, started with over 83 interviews and scores of conversations with the men of the Chorus. “We wanted to develop concepts and themes that we felt were dominant in the stories of the men of the Chorus. What we came up with are some profound characteristics of this Chorus that makes this piece unique and wonderfully expressive yet still have resonance with the audience,” said Artistic Director, Stan Hill.

Metamorphosis will feature a 16-piece orchestra, and as a visual counterpoint, the James Sewell Ballet. In this first-time collaboration, Metamorphosis will be performed as part of the spring programs for both organizations and then will go on to be performed in Montreal in July 2004 where the Chorus will participate in the International Gay and Lesbian Choruses Association Festival VII (GALA).

There’s nothing like the Great White Way, and there’s nothing like the men of OutLoud!, the small ensemble of the Chorus. Broadway, Our Way will take you on a journey of high energy singing and dancing as this show tune extravaganza features music from Tony award-winners to one-hit wonders including Kiss of the Spiderwoman, the Producers, Lion King, Rent, The Full Monty, Falsettos and more! “All of the music celebrates the lives of gay characters in Broadway musicals,” said Robert Schlidt, Director of OutLoud!

What better way to celebrate Pride Week than with Rocket Man! The Music of Elton John! This production, originally created jointly by the Seattle Men’s Chorus, Los Angeles Gay Men’s Chorus, Turtle Creek Chorale and the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, celebrates the Legend’s 40+ year career of composing music. Sure to include many of your favorites from Crocodile Rock, Honky Cat and Rocket Man, to Candle In The Wind, Your Song, Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me and Tiny Dancer – truly there will be something for everyone. And, don’t be surprised if there are a few fun theatrics added to this program, too. This concert just wouldn’t be complete otherwise!

Add-on concerts include a benefit concert, Timothy De Prey & Friends. In this third such concert to support the Chorus as they travel to Montreal for the GALA Festival, De Prey, the Principal Accompanist for the Chorus, will be joined by Kelsey Bruso, tenor; Carolin Johnson, violin and Jacqueline Ferrier-Ultan, cello in a program of Rachmaninoff, Chopin and Carnahan. The performance will be presented at the College of Saint Catherine’s O’Shaughnessy Auditorium in February.

GALA VII Send-Off Concert will be your opportunity to see five choruses – nearly 350 voices strong – in a special send-off concert the evening before the Chorus departs for the Montreal Festival. The Portland Gay Men’s Chorus, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Houston, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Hamburg, Germany (Schola Cantorosa), One Voice Mixed Chorus of Minneapolis and the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus will all take the stage at Ted Mann Concert Hall in a program unlike any other. This concert will be just a sampling of what will take place in Montreal – your opportunity to feel the magic that happens at Festival.

“This is an important season for the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus,” said Executive Director, Joann Usher. “Thanks to the support of this community, the board, and the artistic leadership of Stan, we are growing in exciting new directions with challenging new music and exciting arrangements. To back this up, we have a new “look” with a strong bold logo and a fresh design for our season brochure and marketing materials.”

Subscriber benefits include:

• A savings of 15% off regular single-ticket admissions
• Receiving the best seats in the house!
• The ability to order additional tickets at the subscriber price
• Invitations to the Director’s Prelude, a special pre-concert reception
• Special discounts on TCGMC merchandise
• Flexible ticket exchange policy
• Free ticket replacement should you misplace yours

The Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus 23rd-season brochure is available at the Chorus offices, Ted Mann Concert Hall on the University of Minnesota campus, or by calling the Chorus offices at 612.339.7664. Single tickets will go on sale Monday, October 27.

For more information or to order season tickets, contact the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus at 612.339.7664 or www.tcgmc.org. The offices are located at 528 Hennepin Ave., Suite 307 in Minneapolis.

The Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus is the fourth largest and one of the most highly regarded gay men’s choruses in the country. TCGMC served an audience of over 10,000 this past year through concert programs and outreach performances. Its mission is Gay men building community through music.

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Digital Photos available by contacting: Jon Lewis at 612.339.7664 or jlewis@tcgmc.org