The Lesbian & Gay Chorus of Washington had its humble beginnings in 1983, when a small group of singers presented our first performance in the dining room of a Capitol Hill residence. Now beginning our 23rd year, we have grown to an ensemble of 25-40 members, with a strong connection to DC’s glbt community and a significant presence in the artistic life of the Washington, DC metropolitan area.
From its inception, the LGCW has been a non-auditioned, community chorus governed by consensus decision-making. The LGCW selected this operational approach because its early members believed that this model offered the most egalitarian and just approach to issues that the chorus might face. The LGCW believes that learning responsible use of the individual voice in its full power is a goal shared by the practice of consensus and the art of choral music. We believe that the responsible use of the voice is an essential step in achieving social justice. Our combined Mission and Vision statements read: “Every Voice Matters…in a World That Listens.”.
The LGCW’s music, chosen through a chorus-wide process and with the guidance of the Music Director, has built the capabilities of the individual singer and the chorus-at-large. Increasingly, the LGCW has attracted more experienced singers, while maintaining its commitment to having no audition requirements. From more traditional choral repertoire, the LGCW has performed Robert Convery’s cantatas Songs of Children and Not About Cheese, Gian-Carlo Menotti’s The Unicorn, the Gorgon, and the Manticore, Vincent Persichetti’s Celebrations, and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music, as well as long-neglected works such as Howard Hanson’s “Song of Human Rights,” Randall Thompson’s “Fare Well,” and the official anthem of the District of Columbia, “Washington,” written by Jimmie Dodd in 1951. Our repertoire also proudly features the creative output of local composers such as Ysaye Maria Barnwell (“No Mirrors in My Nanna’s House,” “On Children,” “We Are…,” “We Want the Vote”) Toby Tate (“Carnival is Over Now,” “Children of the Stars”), and Jeffery Watson (Where Every Voice is Heard); folk songs from around the world and in many languages; and styles that span a time from the Renaissance chant to today’s popular music.
Our performance history includes collaborations with jazz vocalist Suede; Ysaye Maria Barnwell, baritone Stephen Salters, the Heritage Signature Chorale, the Washington Men’s Camerata, and the Washington Women’s Chorus (in the 2002 premiere of Barnwell’s Suite Death); the Children’s Chorus of the Academy of Music in Gaithersburg (in the 2003 performance of Jeffery Watson’s Where Every Voice is Heard); Iranian composer Kazem Davoudian (in the 2005 premiere of the Farsi-language symphonic work Nava), and the symphonic band DC’s Different Drummers, with whom we commissioned the large-scale work Quilt Panels (for my love, for my grief, for my letting go), by Robert Maggio, premiered by the LGCW and DCDD at the Clarice Smith Center for the Performing Arts in December 2003.
The LGCW’s connection to the local community has made local performances a priority (performing at various venues throughout the tri-state area, including the US Departments of State and Justice and at the 2000 Smithsonian Folklife Festival), but we have also traveled to Baltimore, New York City, Richmond, Williamsburg, San Francisco, and Salem (Ohio) to perform. Additionally, we have sung at several international festivals of GALA Choruses, the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses: in Seattle (1989), Denver (1992), Tampa (1996), and San Jose (2000).
We have released three commercial CD recordings: We Shall Not Give Up The Fight! (released during our 10th anniversary season), Celebrating Our Lives: Songs of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere (1996), and LGCW Live! (1999). We are now (2006-07) producing our fourth commercial CD (tentatively titled Collaborations)! This CD will include several songs recorded with the incomparable Suede!
Through pro bono appearances, the LGCW has raised more than $25,000 for community groups, including Among Friends, The NAMES Project, Whitman-Walker Clinic, PETS-DC, Hine Junior High School, The Mautner Project for Lesbians with Cancer, Sexual Minority Youth Assistance League, and others. We offer more than 300 complimentary tickets annually through our complimentary ticket program (funded by a grant from the DC Commission of the Arts and Humanities/National Endowment for the Arts) to service agencies working with people who are living with HIV/AIDS, the deaf, lesbians with cancer, sexual minority youth, and others who cannot easily access the arts. In addition to DCCAH/NEA, we receive funding from a highly involved group of donors and from organizations such as Brother Help Thyself, the Capitol Hill Community Foundation, and contributions designated through the Combined Federal Campaign.