BWW TV: San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus Premieres Stephen Schwartz's It Gets Better-Inspired 'Testimony'

Three time Oscar® winner and four time Grammy® award-winning composer and lyricist Stephen Schwartz joined the 275 singers of San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus in two performances of his celebrated Broadway musical hits and film tunes in Enchantingly Wicked on March 20 and 21 at Davies Symphony Hall. Anchoring the program was "Testimony", Schwartz' world premiere composed specifically for SFGMC. Schwartz worked closely with Dan Savage, the founder of the "It Gets Better Project" in selecting texts from those who have shared their lives' journeys and weaving those into the resulting breathtakingly poignant work.

"Testimony" has been released by the Gay Men's Chorus and BroadwayWorld brings you the moving performance below.  

Acclaimed opera soprano, Melody Moore, and The Choral Project directed by Daniel Hughes joined SFGMC as special guests through this concert of favorites spanning four decades of Schwartz' illustrious career. The two-night only engagement also showcased Schwartz as singer and pianist.

Concert highlights included iconic songs from the musicals Wicked, Godspell (currently enjoying a revival on Broadway), Pippin, The Baker's Wife, and Children of Eden; and the films Enchanted, The Prince of Egypt, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, and Pocahontas. Several relatively unknown but equally enjoyable works rounded out the program, including Kéramos, composed for The Choral Project by Schwartz, and excerpts from Schwartz' Séance on a Wet Afternoon performed by Melody Moore who debuted the role of Rita Clayton with New York City Opera.

For more on the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, visit http://www.sfgmc.org.

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