Not Your Mother's Gay Chorus
The CGMC celebrates 20 seasons of raising voices for social justice
By Liza Alwes |
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A bitter-cold wind whips across the sidewalk at High and State Streets (which I'm told is the windiest intersection in the city). It's well after dark on a Sunday, and downtown seems deserted. But sheltered in the warmth of a big yellow-lit room underground, eighteen men seated in a semicircle are singing.
I've been graciously invited to sit in on a rehearsal of Vox, the Columbus Gay Men's Chorus ensemble. After warm-ups, they work their way through songs chosen by artistic director David Monseur to get them in the mood for their upcoming performance - March's Vox on the Red Carpet will celebrate award-winning show tunes. The ensemble sings "Rent," which they graciously allow me to pitch in on, despite my almost complete inability to carry a note. (I can now die happy.)
Writer Liza Alwes (far left) sings along with members of Vox, the Columbus Gay Men's Chorus ensemble.
Photo: Chris Casella. Top Photo courtesy of the Columbus Gay Men's Chorus.
The Columbus Gay Men's Chorus, now in its twentieth season, was founded in 1990 "by five guys who wanted to do something that was musical but also had a mission behind it," according to CGMC Executive Director Matthew Arnold.
"We try through our music to send a message of acceptance for all gay people, and to bridge gaps [between communities]," said Arnold.
For instance, the Chorus performs Joy, an annual holiday show, at several area churches to "showcase that there is a place in the church for gays," in Arnold's words. Last season featured a performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with the Columbus Children's Choir, and this season concludes with a Vegas-themed collaboration with the Columbus Jazz Orchestra in May. These performances demonstrate the CGMC's versatility and broad appeal, showing that there's much more to being a gay chorus than just being gay.
"That's what this group does," said Patrick Anderson, a banker and aspiring professional singer. "People see the musicianship - these aren't a bunch of gay men who typify stereotypes. [Being gay] isn't their entire personality or their entire persona."
But it is, of course, still salient.
"Every time someone walks out on the stage, it's a very political statement," declared Arnold. "Every time we're out there we have the opportunity to open up minds and hearts."
"There's always the social justice issue," Artistic Director David Monseur explains. "[But] from an artistic standpoint, the number one thing we have to do is we have to sing well. It doesn't matter if I have a song with a particular message - it has to be to the highest artistic level it can be."
To achieve that aim, members of the Chorus - who during the day are bankers, lawyers, travel agents, and administrative assistants - rehearse every weekend for ten to twelve weeks before each performance. The Chorus welcomes auditions from singers of all skill levels and offers resources like music-reading lessons to help each man develop as a singer.
"Although we're an amateur chorus, we try to be as professional as possible," Arnold says. "It takes a big commitment."
Again at rehearsal, Vox is singing a rendition of "My Heart Will Go On" that makes me actually like the song. The ensemble makes a song written for Celine Dion's overwrought theatricality sound powerful and real. The song concludes, and someone breaks the melancholic silence that follows it by declaring, "I'm emotionally spent!" with gusto.
When rehearsal is over, several men gather around the piano to talk to Mr. Monseur about songs they'd like to perform for Vox on the Red Carpet - Luther Vandross, Alison Krauss, Hedwig, "I Am What I Am." A well-dressed gentleman approaches my chair at the edge of the room and introduces himself as Mark Cooke. He's a web-content developer, and he's been with CGMC since its second concert ever, in 1991.
"When I was in grade school, I was the little boy who liked to sing, and that made me different," he said. "In 1991, I found all the other boys who liked to sing, and that seemed like a safe place to me. It still does."
He describes the atmosphere of the Chorus as casual, family-like, and lighthearted.
"But I think we have almost a ferocious sense of pride in our ability to make music, touch people, and entertain," said Cooke.
CGMC Performs Vox on the Red Carpet
March 5th & 6th, 8 p.m.
Van Fleet Theatre at the Columbus Performing Arts Center
549 Franklin Ave.
www.cgmc.com
Originally Published: March 1, 2010
