NYC Gay Men's Chorus is Back In The Rehearsal Room

The New York City Gay Men's Chorus is thrilled to announce its return to the rehearsal room. On Monday, November 1, 51 members gathered at P.S. 11 in Chelsea, Manhattan, to sing for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The mood in the room was joyous and celebratory as members raised their voices together in song after a long hiatus. Starting with a group warm-up, the Chorus then rehearsed a few pieces of music led by the musical direction of Ryan Kennedy with Aaron Dai at the piano.

While a date has not yet been set for the New York City Gay Men's Chorus' return to public performances, the rehearsal was an exciting and hopeful first step toward that eventuality. The Board of Directors of the Chorus is in the process of planning the next concert to be held in early 2022. The date and venue will be announced in the coming weeks.

After its last performance at the NYU Skirball Center for Performing Arts in December of 2019, the Chorus gathered for rehearsals in early 2020, but the subsequent performance of their annual Big Gay Sing show was cancelled, mere days before opening night as New York City and the rest of the world were responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following the cancellation of the March 2020 Big Gay Sing, the chorus launched a successful virtual program whereby they invited people to become associate members of the NYCGMC. These new associate members joined current members online for virtual rehearsals and performances. Despite the success of that program, it could never equal or replace the joy and camaraderie of in-person singing and musicianship. As such, the Chorus members, staff and the BAPA Board of Directors alike were overjoyed to be together again on Monday and to create music once more, all in the hope of a time, soon, when that music can be shared with a public audience.

Founded in 1979, the New York City Gay Men's Chorus is a world-renowned New York performing arts institution and a pioneering voice for the LGBTQ community. For information on the Chorus, and to sign up for the newsletter to stay apprised of the Chorus' return to the stage, visit www.nycgmc.org.