Jeff and I both sing in the Gay Gotham Chorus (i.e. the “classical” one, not the “showtune” chorus). We have a great concert coming up this Saturday night — Shenandoah: The Songs of America. It’s at 8:00 pm at the Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew, 263 West 86th Street at West End Avenue. Tickets are only $20, or $15 for students and seniors.

Cool things about being in the chorus:

1. Our last concert, a mounting of Carmina Burana, was listed in the “Goings On About Town” section of the New Yorker (no mention this time because last week’s was a double two-week issue). That may not seem like a big deal to anyone else, but growing up I devoured the New Yorker each week at the Public Library, dreaming of life in the big city. I still have to pinch myself every so often, even after living in NYC for almost a year now.
2. We’re presenting the world premiere of Marvin Gaspard‘s new arrangement of “Shenandoah” and we’re singing Philip Hagemann‘s haunting “Two Shakespearean Sonnets” — he’s come to our rehearsal several times to give us pointers.
3. Making beautiful music with a bunch of amazing gay men is a blast. Our wonderful director, Jonathan Babcock, wrote a great piece for the Advocate last year which sums up many of my own feelings.