TCGMC Holiday Concert Kicks-Off 25th Anniversary Season

November 14, 2005
Jon Lewis, Executive Director
612.339.7664
jlewis@tcgmc.org

Minneapolis, MN - The Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus will open its 25 th anniversary season with the ever-popular holiday concert tradition the weekend of December 9 th through the 11 th at Ted Mann Concert Hall.

SOULstice: Holiday Music That's Good For Your Soul! will herald the season with poignant selections that celebrate the deeply reflective and tradition-filled aspects of the holiday season. Paying homage to this time of year when the nights are long and the days are short and filled with anticipation of the solstice - the return of the sun - this concert is an eclectic stew, sure to warm the hearts and minds with some very old, familiar music along with some compelling new music.

"More than a traditional holiday concert, this special anniversary year we wanted to celebrate a broader theme that is more about our spiritual, moral and emotional nature as human beings," said Dr. Stan Hill, Artistic Director of the Chorus. "Ultimately, this concert is built on a concept of music that speaks to our human condition and our souls. This concert will set the tone for what you can expect throughout the season - beautiful, and often quite challenging, music and always a bit of fun thrown in," he added.

Highlighting the concert will be two new commissions, one by nationally celebrated St. Paul native Stephen Paulus and the second by former Artistic Director of the Chorus, Craig Carnahan.

Serving as a thread that runs through the entire anniversary season, the first of three treatments of the Paulus piece will premier at this holiday concert with the second treatment highlighting the March anniversary concert and the final treatment premiering at the Chorus' final concert of the season, the June Pride concert. Aptly titled Undying Music, this new work is based on a poem by George Elliot, Oh May I Join the Choir Invisible, and in its entirety pays homage to the many men of the Chorus that have gone before them.

A special commission for the Chorus' 25th anniversary, the Carnahan piece, This Winter's Night, is based on two poems: one by Ursula Vaughn-Williams and the other anonymous. Filled with hope and promise, This Winter's Night will be sung by baritone soloist Glenn Olson, himself a member of the Chorus for 25 years.

Joining the men of the Chorus for this concert will be a chorus of women, auditioned by Dr. Hill, to perform the soprano and alto parts of Bach's magnificent classic Christmas piece, The Magnificat . First performed for Vespers on Christmas day 1723 in Germany, this joyful choral masterpiece is recognized as one of the greatest choral works ever written.

Other highlights include Finzi's Eclogue, adapted by Dr. Hill, to include text from a poem he wrote earlier this year; John Rutter's powerful Gloria, 23 rd Psalm with music and text by Bobby McFerrin; Amor de mi Alma with music by Z. Randall Stroope and text by Garcilaso de la Vega; and more familiar holiday music in Christmas Trilogy ( I Saw Three Ships, What Child Is This and God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen ) by Mark Riese.

This holiday season, the Chorus is proud to partner, once again, with the Aliveness Project, a local 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, serving the HIV/AIDS community in the Twin Cities and greater Metro area. Aliveness Project distributes over 700 unique baskets with a variety of gifts to over 1500 people every holiday season.

The Chorus is asking audience members to help Aliveness Project this year by bringing a gift to one of the holiday concerts. For every gift or donation brought in, the Chorus is giving a $5 coupon that may redeemed for any of this season's concert tickets or merchandise. "By helping one another, we help the whole (community)," said Joann Usher, Executive Director of the Chorus. More information on the Holiday Basket Program can be found at Aliveness Project's website: www.aliveness.org

The Chorus is also continuing its annual "Deck the Halls" program where individuals may purchase a poinsettia from the Chorus for $15 in honor or remembrance of a loved one. These plants will then be used to decorate the stage at Ted Mann Concert Hall for the holiday concerts. The names of all the individuals being honored will be printed in the Chorus' concert program. After the last concert on December 11th, the poinsettias will be distributed to various GLBT charities so that these plants can help brighten the spirits of others less fortunate during the holidays. Call the Chorus office at 612.339.7664 to make a reservation. The deadline for ordering is November 23rd .

The holiday concert will be held at Ted Mann Concert Hall located on the west bank of the University of Minnesota . Tickets for the holiday concert are priced at $19 - $39 for adults and half price for children age 12 and under. Student rush tickets go on sale one hour prior to each concert and are 50% off the adult full-price value with a valid student ID. Tickets are currently on sale and may be ordered online at www.tcgmc.org or by calling the Ted Mann box office at 612.624.2345.

Celebrating 25 years in the Twin Cities, the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus is the fourth-largest gay men's chorus in the nation. Through musical excellence, this award-winning chorus has built a solid reputation for adventuresome programming, and its work and performances have been praised in a diverse range of media, including Star Tribune, Pioneer Press, Minnesota Monthly, Minneapolis/St.Paul Magazine, Lavender and MPR.

With over 760 past and current members to its membership, the Chorus serves as a conduit for creating a more tolerant society through the elimination of stereotypes and by building community. TCGMC served an audience of over 25,000 people this past year through concert programs and outreach performances. Their mission is Gay men building community through music. Dr. Stan Hill is the Artistic Director and Joann Usher is the Chorus' Executive Director.

Lavender, Minnesota Monthly, The Rake and Twin Cities Public Television (tpt), are proud media partners of the Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus 25thanniversary season.

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Photos available in jpeg or tif format.
Please contact Jon Lewis at 612.339.7664 or email: jlewis@tcgmc.org