Silicon Valley Gay Men's Chorus to Present One-Night-Only Queer + 1983 Concert Party: FORTY

Silicon Valley Gay Men's Chorus' Rubyversary concert, FORTY, will celebrate and highlight all things 1983-the year the choir was founded-at the Hammer Theatre Center in Downtown San Jose, California, for one night only, at 7:30 pm on Friday, June 16, 2023.

The repertoire featured in this landmark concert will include songs that were popular in 1983, such as Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and Bonnie Taylor's "Total Eclipse of the Heart (Turn Around);" pieces by musicians who were born in 1983, like Carrie Underwood and Amy Winehouse; selections from SVGMC's first season of making music; and a special performance of "Sunday," from Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park With George, which made its stage debut off-Broadway in 1983, and will be performed by SVGMC's current roster of singers and alumni from the past 40 years.

"This season has been so much fun to program. But this particular concert was that much more enjoyable because every song that made the cut, while anchored in the year 1983, is really going to present the current roster of singers in a modern and new light," said SVGMC Artistic Director and Conductor Corey Liggans Miller. "And I am especially excited about this show because we have exactly 40 singers in the chorus this season for our fortieth anniversary!"

FORTY also serves as SVGMC's ode to Pride month, especially in the context of the organization's anniversary. "Audience members can expect to see a display of Silicon Valley Gay Men's Chorus' archives in the lobby of the Hammer Theatre Center," notes SVGMC Board President James Creer. "From past SVGMC uniforms and T-Shirts to old photographs and concert paraphernalia from yesteryear productions, the modest exhibit will give patrons a deeper view into South Bay Area queer history."

The concert will also be livestreamed.

Tickets are available at svgmc.org.

Photo by Bill Weaver

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