If We Only Have Love, June 22, 2008 was an inspiring and fun afternoon of music that was all about the many dimensions of love — love between people, among families, love of place, and others.
The concert included songs by composers ranging from Samuel Barber to Joni Mitchell, from Jacques Brel to Elvis Presley, and from Hoagy Carmichael to DC's own Ysaye Barnwell.
Thanks to all who made this concert a wonderful event!
Every year we look forward to performing at DC's Capital Pride Festival!
Many thanks to all who participated in our performance at the Pride Festival Arts Corner, and special thanks to those who helped staff the LGCW booth. Many people stopped by to learn more about the LGCW!
The LGCW performed at Hillwood Museum.
The incomparably beautiful gardens at D.C.'s Hillwood Museum provided the perfect setting for this community performance.
Sat. May 31, 2008 - DANGEROUS MOOD Concert - The pop/jazz artist,Suede with Janice Friedman and the Dangerous Band, horns and all! This inaugural celebration featured the entire Dangerous Big Band, headed up by the brilliant Janice Friedman, Suede's trio, and the 9 piece horn section!
Suede's new CD, DANGEROUS MOOD had its official release in Washington DC!
LGCW was proud to be co-producing this concert along with Easily Suede Music. It was an amazing event - be sure to purchase Suede's new Dangerous Mood CD here!
Sun. June 1 - Brunch with Suede at the Starfish Cafe! (539 8th Street SE) was so much fun and the food was delicious! Be sure to visit the Starfish Cafe soon. You'll love this restaurant.
Sun. June 1 - Shop With Suede The intimate concert with the fabulous Suede and bidding on great auction items makes for an incredible afternoon! Our big fund raiser of the year was a huge success! Thanks to everyone!
LGCW presented its winter concert on January 26 and 27, 2008.
The chorus performed sets of songs reflecting the city’s role as a National City, a Hometown Community, and as an Ideal.
The concert included pieces by Stephen Sondheim, Duke Ellington, Aaron Copland, as well as by D.C. composers Ysaye Barnwell and Jeffery Watson.
The Capitol Hill Youth Chorus joined the LGCW to perform Watson’s 2002 work, “Where Every Voice is Heard,” which was written to celebrate the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop.
Click here to view the Concert Program.
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered (GLBT) Arts Consortium offered its annual Remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr., on, January 22, 2008, at the Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church. It was sponsored by a grant from the Capitol Hill Community Foundation.
Participants in the Remembrance included: Bread & Roses Feminist Singers, Capitol Hill Youth Chorus, Jubilee Singers of All Souls Unitarian Church, Lesbian & Gay Chorus of Washington, D.C., Not What You Think, Nuance, Rock Creek Singers of Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, Third Millennium Ensemble, and others. The MC for the Remembrance was: Sharmila Khare.
Participants in the King Remembrance reflect the broad range of artists and presenting groups that collectively make up the GLBT Arts Consortium, a voluntary collaboration of varied arts organizations from the Washington, D.C. metro area which works to raise the visibility of GLBT arts.
LGCW was proud to perform for the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop's 35th Anniversary celebration at the Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church!
The program featured a performance of Where Every Voice Is Heard, under the direction of Dr. Jeffery Watson, the composer. Dr. Watson’s four-part suite combined adult and children voices in a powerful and charming affirmation of building community through the arts.
Chorus members hailed from the Capitol Hill and the greater DC community. Capitol Hill Youth Chorus, part of the CHAW Youth Arts Program, offered the voices of the children.
This family-friendly, community performance included additional sets by the Capitol Hill Youth Chorus – under the direction of Dr. Thea Kano, the a cappella group Not What You Think, and others from the CHAW community.
For more information about CHAW’s programs, please visit www.chaw.org.
LGCW was proud to be one of the choral groups performing at the Ganymede Fall Arts Festival on Sunday Oct. 21 at the Church Street Theatre. The festival was a 10 day celebration of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (glbt) artists of Washington D.C.
The LGCW sang “Bonse Aba,” “You are the New Day,” “Everything Possible,” “We Shall Not Give Up the Fight,” and “Freedom is Coming.”
Ganymede arts is dedicated to the (glbt) experience. The organization's mission - to provide high-quality, professional theatre and art (dance and musical performances, poetry readings and art shows) that fosters social and cultural awareness of and for the glbt community.
Alvin Mayes (acclaimed choreographer and LGCW tenor) presented “Days of Stars, Moon, and Dreams” at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Washington's Kreeger Auditorium on Saturday, October 20.
The evening of dance and music featured lighting by Paul D. Jackson and performances by LGCW affiliated ensemble Not What You Think, former LGCW alto Janet Chance, LGCW music director C. Paul Heins (on flute), and Mike Smith.
Original music by Alvin Mayes and works by local composer Ysaye Maria Barnwell were featured.
The concert celebrated the multigenerational and multicultural community we have become with works set on dancers from the University of Maryland, the Maryland Youth Ballet and Tommy Parlon Dance Projects. Additional dancers were Gretchen Dunn, Anne and Bobby Sidney, Alison Crosby, Ling Tang, Dustin Kimball, Aaron Jackson, and Talia Bar-Cohen.
The LGCW was honored to host singer-guitarist Elise Witt for a choral workshop during rehearsal on Oct. 9, 2007
Elise Witt was born in Switzerland, raised in North Carolina, and since 1977 has made her home in Atlanta. She speaks fluent Italian, French, German, Spanish, and English and sings in more than a dozen languages. She has performed at such venues as Carnegie Hall, the People's Voice Café, the Bluebird Café, the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change; and at festivals that have included Clearwater's Hudson River Revival, Falcon Ridge, Jinotepe Harvest Festival (Nicaragua), and the Popular Music Festival (Siena, Italy). Elise was chosen to represent the state of Georgia for the Kennedy Center's 25th Anniversary and she recently returned from a cultural exchange in South Africa.
In addition to performing and recording, Elise has created a reputation as a masterful singing teacher, both for adults and children, encouraging even the most shy singers to revel in their voices and join with others to create joyful choruses. Elise's Singing For Fun classes in Atlanta have become legendary and her workshops and community residencies around the country and abroad draw and inspire both professional singers and self-professed "non-singers."
Elise has nine recordings on the EMWorld label and her music has been broadcast on radio and television around the world.
Ms. Witt’s workshop with the LGCW was funded in part by a grant from Alternate Roots, through a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The LGCW sang Saturday Sept. 29, 2007 at the Out & Equal Workplace Summit's final banquet. The chorus performed “Bonse Aba,” “You are the New Day,” “Everything Possible,” “We Shall Not Give Up the Fight,” and “Freedom is Coming.” We were warmly received, and afterwards, had the opportunity to meet former choristers and colleagues!
The LGCW’s spring concert featured songs that tell stories: folk songs, love songs, songs of history, and songs that are just plain fun! Repertoire included:
- American Folk Rhapsody
- Twinkle Twinkle/Jack and Jill
- The Streets of Laredo
- Niño Precioso
- Everything Possible
- Bonse Aba
- Russian Picnic
- Baby Bear's Lament,
- and many more.
A light-hearted and family-friendly performance, the concert was followed by a free spaghetti dinner for all concert goers.
The LGCW proudly presented the pop/jazz artist, Suede. Suede, one of the nation’s best jazz vocalists, entertained (to thunderous applause!) our many wonderful supporters at the LGCW’s annual Shop With Suede fundraiser.
The popular Suede, now living in Provincetown, MA, is originally from Baltimore. Her recent release, "Suede, Live at Scullers Jazz Club," has received many accolades including a "must see" recommendation from PBS! Her voice, captured on earlier recordings, ("On The Day We Met:, "Easily Suede", "Barely Blue" and The Flirtations' "Three") has garnered high praise from critics and devoted audiences from Boston to Australia.
But wait. There's SO much more! Suede has appeared on the nationally aired NPR radio shows, Metro Connection, The Faith Middleton Show and West Coast Live, from D.C., Hartford, CT, and San Francisco, respectively. PBS picked up the "Suede, Live at Scullers Jazz Club," DVD for airing on any PBS station nationally for fund drives. Suede is THRILLED to be able to support PBS in this way, being a BIG fan of their work.
Of course we also continue to celebrate the fabulously exciting, aforementioned DVD, "Suede, Live at Scullers Jazz Club." Get your copy of this limited edition now before all those PBS fans buy them up! Be sure to visit Suede's web site and buy a copy today!
Shop With Suede is the annual auction and concert to benefit the LGCW. Auction items included weekend getaways, adventurous dining, tickets to area shows, and many other treats! The St. James Parish Hall provided a unique setting for Suede's silky, sultry, bluesy, and jazzy music.
Chapel of Love - Fundraiser Dance was Amazing Fun!
Let's go to the Hop! It happened Saturday April 28 at St. James Episcopal Church's parish hall. Everybody had a wonderful, entertaining evening!
LGCW happily continued our annual tradition of singing at All Souls Unitarian! The LGCW and the All Souls Jubilee Singers provided an amazing musical experience.
Later we presented a benefit concert in support of the Rockville Unitarian Universalist Church's Rainbow Youth Alliance. The following is a note of thanks from the music director at UUCR.
Dear Friends:
I was delighted to hear how beautifully you are singing these days! You are a fine, fine musical group. The sound was warm and your dynamics were splendid. And the repertoire you offered was very meaningful to all. I hope you are as proud of yourselves as I am. I'm so glad that you chose to do this concert for us. I know you boosted the moral of the parents and young people of The Rainbow Youth Alliance (RYA). I hope you had as good a time at UUCR as you gave to your audience. Our doors are always open to you.
With fondest affection,
Myra
Our program featured repertoire from our recent winter concert (“Peace by Piece”) and provided a preview of selected works from our spring concert (“Stories and Songs”). Program:
- We Are…, from Lessons by Ysaye Maria Barnwell
- You are the New Day by John David arranged by Peter Knight
- There is a Time, music by Craig Courtney text from Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
- Let Me Sow Love, music by Deen Entsminger text adapted from St. Francis
- Deep River, African-American spiritual arranged by Harry T. Burleigh
- Never Never Land, from Peter Pan music by Jule Styne text by Betty Comden and Adolph Green arranged by David Pearl
- Imagine, music by Jennifer Higdon text by Donna Red Wing
- Everything Possible by Fred Small
- That's What Friends Are For by Carole Bayer Sager and Burt Bacharach arranged by John Higgins
- Freedom, traditional South African song
Wow! What an amazing concert - Peace by Piece, a musical affirmation of the power of people to build a lasting peace for the world!
Pop and jazz song stylist Suede, the “Diva la Difference,” and the Enchanted Strings Ensemble joined the LGCW for its winter 2007 concert “Peace by Piece.” Peace by Piece was a diverse program of choral works dedicated to the theme of “waging peace” in the world.
Celebrated for her “unstoppable spirit and moxie,” as well as her “pure, clear, marvelously musical voice,” Suede brought her incomparable vocal interpretation to performances of “We Are,” “Never, Never Land,” “Cherish Your Doubt,” and “Peace by Piece.”
The Enchanted Strings Ensemble and the LGCW chorus performed "Nava", by Kazem Davoudian. The piece is an extraordinary blend of Persian and Western instruments, percussion, song leaders, and chorus. The text, a poem by Sulfi poet and mystic Rumi (1207-1273), celebrates the many diverse aspects of humanity "colors" that make up humankind's "rainbow". The poetic text urges the listener not to sit quietly if one sees injustice or a lack of harmony in any color even if its not one's own color. We in the LGCW embraced the opportunity to learn this challenging work and have appreciated the return embrace from the local Iranian community.
Enchanted Strings is a greater Washington area based music ensemble provides inspiring learning in Persian Inspirational Music. The Iranian-born composer, conductor, performer, and teacher Kazem Davoudian founded the Enchanted Strings Ensemble in 2003. Integrating Persian and Western instruments, the ensemble specializes in performances of Maestro Davoudian's compositions, and has performed at such prestigious venues as Wolf Trap, the George Washington Masonic Memorial, the Lyceum, and the Kennedy Center.
Other composers on the program included Jennifer Higdon, Alice Parker, Brian Tate, and Gwyneth Walker. From the Hebrew folksong “Nations Shall Learn War No More” to the Buddhist mantra “Gate Gate”; from the Irish lament “Johnny We hardly Knew You” to the prayer of St. Francis “Let Me Sow Love” – the program offered a message of hope and included testaments to the enduring belief that “peace by piece, we bring this world together.”
C.Paul Heins (Artistic Director) and the Fabulous Suede! The Enchanted Strings Ensemble and the LGCW.
Photos by Digital Photographer Cyndi Smith (cyndismith.smugmug.com) Thanks Cyndi!
Nava Performance with the Iranian String Ensemble at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater
LGCW was proud to be part of the performance of Kazem Davoudian’s “Nava,” with the Iranian String Ensemble at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater . The performance was conducted by the composer.
“Nava” is a stunning setting of Iranian poetry celebrating humanity’s diversity. The Farsi poem likens human diversity to colors in a rainbow, and it urges listeners “not to sit quietly” if we perceive a lack of harmony or witness injustice.
LGCW's Spring Concert was a Huge Success!
The chorus presented life lessons learned from the Musical Theater. This performance had musical selections from the shows Wicked, Rent, Into the Woods, West Side Story, Grease, The Wiz, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserable and more! Repertoire for the concert included:
- Children Will Listen
- Never Never Land
- Over the Rainbow
- Ease on Down / Everybody Rejoice
- For Good
- Defying Gravity
- Somewhere
- Seasons of Love
- We Go Together
- One by One
- Hold On
- Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again
- I Am What I Am
- Medley:
- Sound of Music / Edelweiss / O What a Beautiful Mornin’
- The Surrey with the Fringe on Top
- June is Bustin’ Out All Over
- Oklahoma!
- I Whistle a Happy Tune - Do You Hear the People Sing?
Festival of Extravagant Welcome - Little River United Church of Christ in Annandale, VA
Little River UCC is an open and affirming United Church of Christ which organized in 1955 while taking a strong stand for integration. In December 2004, as part of its God Is Still Speaking! campaign, the UCC denomination aired nationally a 30-second TV commercial which showed two bouncers turning away "unacceptable" people from a traditional-looking church: persons of color, a single mother, someone in a wheel chair, and a same-sex couple. Then the screen read: "Whoever you are, wherever you are on life's journey, you are welcome here." (View the ad at www.ucc.org.) When CBS and NBC refused to run the ad – saying it was too controversial – the denomination reaped tremendous positive publicity and as a result, many UCC congregations saw a significant increase in interest and visits by newcomers (a phenomenon which continues to this day).
LRUCC welcomed the actor-bouncers to their church on Saturday, April 22nd for a "Festival
of Extravagant Welcome!" The actors reprised their classic roles at one set of the church building’s main doors, turning everyone away, while lots of LRUCC members lavishly welcomed everyone through the next set of doors. The main event of the evening was a concert of 3 acts - each act reflecting the rich diversity of the community.
Suede was amazing - her voice and trumpeting left the audience standing and pleading for more!
Thanks to all who made this important LGCW event a great success! We proudly presented the pop/jazz artist, Suede, on March 12th at St. James' Episcopal Church's Parish Hall. Shop With Suede is an auction and concert to benefit the LGCW. Auction items include weekend getaways, beach weekends, adventurous dining, tickets to area shows, and many other treats!
The popular Suede, now living in Provincetown, MA, is originally
from Baltimore. Her most recent release, "Suede, Live at Scullers Jazz Club," has
received many accolades including a "must see" recommendation from PBS!
Her voice, captured on earlier recordings, ("On The Day We Met:, "Easily Suede", "Barely
Blue" and
The Flirtations' "Three") has garnered high praise from critics and devoted audiences
from Boston to Australia. A fan of the LGCW, Suede was accompanied by
Janice Friedman on piano and Max Murray on bass.
Celebrate the Journey!
The chorus traveled to distant lands, to times long past, and to places within our own histories as GLBT people, through an exciting and adventuresome program which included works in Hebrew, Polish, Russian, and Spanish; ancient folk songs and brand new musical gems; songs that inspired, songs that made us laugh, and songs that touched our hearts.
Featured composers included Elizabeth Alexander, Alexandre Gretchaninoff, Antonin Dvorak, and Joshua Jacobson, as well as local composers Ysaye Barnwell and Deen E. Entsminger. The chorus also sang the delightful arrangements of “Derry Air (O Danny Boy)“ by David Mooney and “Sweet Betsy from Pike” by John David Ernest.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance - Jan. 17, 2006
LGCW sang to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the GLBT Arts Consortium's annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance. Various D.C. artists performed at the Capital Hill Presbyterian Church. It was a moving and energizing experience! Read what the Washington Blade wrote about past Remembrance Performances.
LGCW performed at the University of Maryland’s World AIDS Day commemoration at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. People from the University of Maryland’s campus and local community joined together for informal performances, readings and personal reflections. Many different and amazing art organizations performed! Everyone discussed ways to take action in the continuing world AIDS crisis.
The LGCW and the UM Health Center presented the commemoration. LGCW Selections include:
- Derry Air (Danny Boy) – arranged by David Mooney
- Dirge for a Soldier – by Louis M. DeShantz, words by George H. Boker
- Trust the Seeds – by Elizabeth Alexander
Everything Possible highlighted family friendly fare! The LGCW performed works by John Rutter, Robert Convery, Gwyneth Walker, Billy Joel, Ysaye Barnwell and others on Sunday, June 19, 2005 at the Capitol Hill Presbyterian Church.
“The LGCW is committed to building community by building bridges through music. ‘Everything Possible’ spoke to experiences of children and childhood and featured a concert production of John Rutter’s The Reluctant Dragon – a musical fairytale depicting a Dragon who prefers writing poetry to war. It explored themes of prejudice and reconciliation. Although the concert was programmed with children in mind, the messages are ageless,” said music director C. Paul Heins.
Other works performed included Robert Convery’s “Not About Cheese”, “The Rose, the Briar, and the Bicycle” by Gwyneth Walker, Joan Szymko’s “It Takes a Village”, “Lullaby” by Billy Joel, “Everything Possible,” by Fred Small and three works by Sweet Honey and the Rock’s Ysaye Barnewell – “We Are…”, “No Mirrors in my Nanna’s House,” and “On Children,” with text by Khalil Gibran.
Wade in the Water, the January 2005 concert offering of the LGCW, covered a broad spectrum of choral music as we highlighted the physical and metaphorical characteristics of water. Repertoire included the following and more!
Water as Separator
- Across the Bridge – words and music by John Schrag; arr. by David Maddux
- Bridge Over Troubled Water – words and music by Paul Simon; arr. by Clyde Sechler
- My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean – arr. by Harry Simeone
- O Waly, Waly – setting by Joseph Flummerfelt
Water as Connector, Healer, and Nourisher
- April Rain Song – words by Langston Hughes; music by Stephen Smith
- At the River – music by Aaron Copland; arr. by R. Wilding White
- Let the River Run – words and music by Carly Simon; arr. by John Higgins
- Peace Like a River – setting by Gwyneth Walker
- Shenandoah – setting by Roger Wagner
Water as a Means for Journeying
- Somos El Barco (We Are the Boat) – words and music by Loree Wyatt
- To Be Sung on the Water – words by Louise Bogan; music by Samuel Barber
GLBT Arts Consortium's Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance
LGCW sang to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the GLBT Arts Consortium's annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Remembrance. Various D.C. artists and the LGCW performed in a moving remembrance of Dr. King. Read what the Washington Blade wrote about previous year's Remembrance Performance.
LGCW and many different art organizations performed at the University of Maryland’s World
AIDS Day commemoration at the Clarice
Smith Performing Arts Center.
LGCW Selections included:
- “Dirait-On” – words by Ranier Maria Rilke; music by Morten Lauridsen
- “I Remember You” – words & music by Johnny Mercer / Victor Schertzinger; arr. by Tom Anderson
- “The Ones Who Aren’t Here” – words & music by John Calvi; arr. by David Pearl (3:50)