GMCLA 2023 GALA Honors Mayor Karen Bass and Disney Concerts

Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles will present the 2023 GALA on Sunday, June 25 at Walt Disney Concert Hall immediately following the 3:00 p.m. matinee performance of Disney PRIDE in Concert — a multimedia musical celebration featuring GMCLA’s 200 singers, a 25-piece orchestra and stunning video projections, with almost 50 songs from over 20 beloved Disney films and the Disney Parks.

At the annual gala, outstanding individuals, companies, and institutions are honored with GMCLA’s Voice Award — a longstanding Chorus tradition. This year, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass will be presented with GMCLA’s Civic Voice Award, and Disney Concerts will be presented with its Artistic Voice Award. Television host and journalist, Melvin Robert (“Extra” senior correspondent, Fox’s “Good Day L.A. anchor”) will host the reception and dinner event, which will include a silent and live auction. Funds raised will support GMCLA’s extensive Alive Music Project in schools and its numerous free public concert events.

“We are thrilled to recognize Mayor Bass for her decades of service to the LGBTQIA community as both an advocate and a leader,” said GMCLA Executive Director & Producer Lou Spisto. “In 2019, Mayor Bass voted in favor of the Equality Act, which would ban discrimination against LGBTQIA people.” He also noted, “Mayor Bass has a long history of legislative work that has positively advanced civil rights, justice, and equality for all. As a California State Assembly Member, she was a strong and vocal opponent of Prop 8, the ban on gay marriage in our state. While serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congresswoman Bass brought her support for our community to the national level as an influential member to the Congressional HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ Equality Caucuses.” 

Spisto added, “We are tremendously proud to honor Disney Concerts. For years, this group has brought the magic of Disney — the incredible artistry and the incomparable music —to small and large stages and concert halls across the country and around the world. The performing arts world is forever grateful for this amazing canon of work and the opportunity to perform and present it — made possible by Disney Concerts. This alone would have been enough to honor this entity, but we have more reason that’s even closer to home. Disney Concerts chose to begin its journey into choral presentations with the LGBTQIA community of choruses, and this is simply groundbreaking.” He exclaimed, “We are thrilled to perform Disney PRIDE in Concert and honor Disney Concerts at our gala dinner. It is going to be epic. Other choruses will perform this work and do it beautifully, but GMCLA is the only chorus that will bring it to life it at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The milestone of Disney’s 100th anniversary is yet another great reason to celebrate Disney and to take pride during this very special Pride Month!”

GMCLA’s 2023 GALA will be a truly spectacular event. Gala guests will start the celebration on GMCLA’s signature pink carpet. After the conclusion of the 3:00 p.m. performance of Disney PRIDE in Concert, guests will enjoy the unique silent auction offerings beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the soaring architecture of the Frank Gehry–designed event space at Walt Disney Concert Hall, as well as the hour-long open bar and hors d’oeuvres reception. This will be followed at 6:30 p.m. by a three-course dinner featuring custom food and drinks by The Music Center’s exclusive catering arm Hope & Grand Events. The dinner event will conclude with the Voice Awards celebration honoring Disney Concerts and Mayor Bass.  

Current gala sponsors include Amazon, AT&T, Disney Concerts, Royal Bank of Canada, U.S. Bank, the Vyas Family, Greg Weaver & Haig Youredjian, and Richard & Carol Weaver, and, with major season sponsor support from Perenchio Foundation. Individual gala tickets are $750 and $1,250, and table sponsorships are available for 10 guests at $7,500, $12,500, and $25,000.

Gala tickets and table sponsorships are available at www.GMCLA.org/gala or by contacting Brian Tillis at brian@GMCLA.org or 424.453.3990.

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