Christmas Wish by the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles featuring the Aftershock Ensemble.
December 1 is World AIDS Day. In honor of that we feature the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA), the oldest, largest, and most prestigious Gay coral group in the United States. It was founded in 1979 at the Plummer Park Community Center in Los Angeles with 99 members. The first public performance was at the National March On Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights that October and they also performed at the first ever National LGBT Concert at the Washington Memorial.
As the GMCLA continued to grow throughout the 1970s and early '80s the AIDS crisis did not spare its members. The Chorus suffered the loss of its music director,Jerry Carlson, as well as over 20 other members by 1988. Ultimately, over 150 members were lost to the AIDS pandemic leaving only eight original members now known at the "First Nighters."
The chorus has grown in size. gained professional artistic and administrative staff, toured nationally and internationally, released 16 CDs, and appeared with numerous stage, film, and television celebrities including Billy Porter, Lili Tomlin, Angela Lansbury, Bea Arthur, Jerry Herman, Melissa Manchester, Mary McDonnell, Stephen Schwartz, Liz Callaway, Lance Bass, Jennifer Holliday, LeAnn Rimes, and Christy Metz. They have also appeared on TV broadcasts including the 85th Academy Awards, Access Hollywood, Will and Grace, The Ren & Stimpy Show, MAD TV, and a six episode arch on Six Feet Under.
Back in 2011 I was honored and astounded when Chorus members commissioned an original choral setting adapted from my poem Rainbows Are Not Enough as a retirement salute to their long time music director. The poem was included in my 2004 Skinner House Books collection We Build Temples in the Heart.
GMCLA's annual Holiday Spectacular concerts are highly awaited programs.
Today's selection, Christmas Wish was in the 2016 program and featured the Aftershock ensemble with and arrangement by Brad Stephenson and conducted by Gavin Thrasher.
