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Gay Men's Chorus Sings Its Way Across VT
Gay Men's Chorus
Sings Its Way Across Vermont
by
Lynn McNicol
BARRE
— Want to start a new organization? Set up a booth at Pride - and
- presto! Your fledgling group has begun.
That’s exactly how the Gay Men’s
Chorus got its start in 1998. Rob Larabee, his partner, Yves Morrisette,
and former member Tim Menk set up a booth at Pride that summer to sign
up interested men, and did so well that they held their first performance
a few months later. Tim Tavcar has been the director for all but one year.
People drive from the Northeast Kingdom,
Hinesburg, and Wells River to take part in the group. Practices are held
at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Barre to accommodate the distances
many of the members have to travel.
Anyone can join the group who’s
interested, Tavcar said. There is a wide range of backgrounds, from professional
musicians to those who don’t read music. The chorus has ranged from
six to eight core members and as many as 20 members at a time. Men ranging
in age from early twenties to late sixties have joined up.
The group practiced songs such as
“525,600 Minutes,” “Dreams,” and “Shenandoah”
at a recent rehearsal. This was an extra session prior to the last two
performances of the season this month. Normally they practice just once
a week. The group will take a break for the summer and begin rehearsals
again in September.
Last month, the chorus performed
at the gay-friendly Barre church where the men rehearse. On this Sunday,
Beth Robinson, chair of the Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force, spoke
at the service attended by many others involved in the civil union and
marriage issues.
Tavcar said he was moved by the service
held in June, which is Pride month for many across the country.
“The more of our stories we
can get out, the better it is,” Tavcar said.
The Gay Men’s Chorus has
performed many benefit concerts, including for Outright Vermont, Habitat
for Humanity, and the R.U.1.2? Queer Community Center. For the third year
in a row, they have accepted the Legislature’s invitation to sing
at Farmer’s Night, a series of weekly performances by various groups
at the Statehouse.
At Farmer’s Night this
year, the chorus sang songs written solely by gay or lesbian composers
or lyricists.
“It’s one more step towards
equality,” Tavcar said.
Often, people from the audience will
talk to chorus members after the performance, and say that they didn’t
know the music or words were written by gay men or lesbians, Tavcar said.
Some of the composers include Aaron Copland, Langston Hughes, Leonard
Bernstein, Walt Whitman, or Steven Sondheim, who wrote the lyrics for
West Side Story.
The social aspect of the group is
wonderful, Tavcar said. Each year chorus members discuss their plans at
potlucks, and they typically serve a buffet after performances.
There has been talk of making a CD,
as the chorus has received requests for one. Chorus members also pay $24
dues each year. They use the income to pay the churches where they practice,
and for expenses such as sheet music.
The Gay Men’s Chorus typically
asks for a $10 donation for admission.
For more information, call Rob and Yves at 802-633-3605, email robnyves@hotmail.com,
or go to www.vtpwac.org