The group sets a record for attendance at Millennium Park and Rosie O'Donnell attended the performance—you might say the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus is a big deal.
Okay, so maybe the chorus (CGMC) had a little help and a little luck to be part of Grant Park Music Festival's "Broadway Rocks!" concert July 13 (and to run into O'Donnell on the streets of Chicago), but the concert stands as a highpoint in the near-30-year history of the chorus, and on the heels of a groundbreaking season. In only months, the CGMC has begun to redefine itself without losing any of its renowned talent, theatricality and flare, and if it that continues, the stage at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion could be just the beginning of a whole new chapter.
The idea came first to Artistic Director Patrick Sinozich, but seemed to emerge as a collective epiphany: Cut the annual Pride Concert.
As with any proposal to eliminate a 27-year-old tradition, the decision was met with some skepticism, but logic prevailed: The Pride Concert has had the most trouble not only filling seats, but also filling the risers with singers. Chorus General Manager Arnie Cuarenta said CGMC took a hit on the concert every year.
"This year we saw it as a way to not budget a loss, but make money if we put ourselves out there to do performances where we don't have to rent a venue," he said.
The board decided to push the spring concert, this year titled "Divas," to the middle of May and spend June getting out into the community, both in Chicago and elsewhere. After sold out performances of "Divas" in Oak Brook, the group traveled to Bloomington, Ill. and Milwaukee in addition to singing at Pride-related events, memorial services and civil-union celebrations.
"[These performances] really gave us a much larger breadth of connection to the community at large both from an LGBT standpoint as well as in our Chicago community," said Board President Quenten Schumacher. "We're not just the Lakeview community chorus; we are Chicago's gay men's chorus. We wanted to make ourselves present and available to that larger community."
The performances these past months have mostly consisted of tunes from the "Divas" show—such as a Donna Summer medley and songs by Diana Ross and Tina Turner—that the chorus has been able to reuse instead of having to learn a whole new set of music for a poorly attended Pride concert.
Sinozich said it was challenging trying to coordinate various performances where no combination of songs or singers was the same, but he's seen much growth in the group's ability as the singers have become more comfortable with the "Divas" repertoire.
"I was surprised at how good they were becoming by getting a lot more mileage out of these songs," Sinozich said. "Once they appreciated and enjoyed that it became easier."
CGMC has also been able to take the additional rehearsal time to learn more permanent repertoire to sing at occasions such as the aforementioned memorial services and celebrations. Cuarenta said he hopes this will lead to more performances where others pay to bring the chorus in rather than the chorus having to pay to host itself.
"I'd like us to get small group of singers to count on to be ready whenever we're called," he said. "Some gigs come through word of mouth, but I would love to be able to market us, … 'Hire us for your upcoming event.' We haven't gotten to that point yet."
Schumacher said that he would like to extend that reach in a more physical way by performing in more parts of the city and trying to appeal to different audiences.
"As we move forward, I think audience expansion is important for us," he said. "We are still Chicago's best-kept secret and I don't want that to be the case. We're trying to bring new people into our audience."
Yet in spite of all the realms where the chorus could continue to improve, the extensive outreach of the past few months has made one particularly tremendous stride, albeit one that perhaps only those who have been around CGMC long enough would notice: a renewed sense of purpose.
Danny Kopelson is one of two remaining founding members of CGMC. He joined the chorus when he moved to Chicago at 24 after searching for a means to stay creative while meeting those with similar interests who were also gay. At the time, he said, "there weren't that many gay things going on. Just being a gay chorus was enough."
The experiences of the last few months have reminded him of CGMC's role in the community beyond that of entertainment.
"We are emissaries of the LGBT community through art and music; we impact peoples lives," Kopelson said. "We're still relevant after 30 years. We're as relevant as we've ever been if not more than ever."
Although recent changes have been the catalyst, no group—especially one with more than 120 members—stays around this long without some core values that prove its vitality.
"I have always been very gratified that the chorus is one of the few places I see where you do have different generations of people, from their 20s to their 70s," Sinozich said. "There aren't many things [in the LGBT community] that offer diversity of ages."
Kopelson said that's held true for him these nearly 30 years.
"I had friendships with guys who were in their 50s that were not based on sex; now I'm 53 years old and I'm having friendships with guys in their 20s not based on sex," he said. "The reversal is interesting, but kind of wonderful."
One of the group's newest young members, Michael Marino, 25, recently moved to the city and joined CGMC in January. Since then, he's become involved in not just the singing but the fundraising and the socializing.
"I love the sense of community," Marino said. "Everyone in chorus is connected by a passion for arts. … It's easy to develop friendships and ties within the chorus."
One gets the sense that back in the early '80s, a young Kopelson would've said the exact same thing.
For more information on the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus, visit www.cgmc.org . For more photos, see www.WindyCityMediaGroup.com .
