CHICAGO, IL - Windy City Gay Chorus and Aria present "It's About Time!", a very special concert that kicks off Pride month with an evening of music that strives to reclaim love songs and traditional wedding songs from many cultures and makes them our own.
Performances are Saturday June 1 at 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. at Ebenezer Lutheran Church — 1650 W. Foster Ave., in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood.
Under the direction of Artistic Director Paul Caldwell, the choruses will take the audience on a musical journey of songs celebrating love and matrimony in many forms, from the time that we dream of the day when we'll walk down the aisle arm in arm with that special someone, to the "gaiety" of weddings in no uncertain terms!
Some of the selections audiences will hear include "She Moved Through the Fair", an ancient Irish folksong arranged by Timothy Takach exploring a sensual relationship between two women. And for something sure to put things in a different perspective, "Mother, I Will Have a Husband", a 16th century madrigal will be performed, and presentedwith a gay twist!
We'll bring a touch of royalty to the stage, with wedding music from royal weddings performed as only Windy City Gay Chorus and Aria can, such as in "I Was Glad When They Said Unto Me", the classic wedding processional of Britain's most celebrated couple — Prince William and Kate Middleton. It's sure to be a fascinating rendition you won't soon forget!
Also featured is the world premiere of the choral arrangement of the concert's title "It's About Time", a powerful new song about marriage equality that Chicago's own Karen Mason commissioned for a gay wedding. When she performed it at Davenport's earlier this year, it inspired Chicago Tribune critic Howard Reich to write an emotionally powerful review of her performance, identifying the importance of supporting marriage equality. And with lyrics like these: "Feels like we have waited 20 lifetimes, wishing for this moment to be real. It's about love. It's about life. It's about time." you'll be equally as moved.
Another moving song that is on the program is a new work by Paul Caldwell and Sean Ivory, "The Wedding Dress", a work memorializing a wedding that took place in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp during World War II.
And on the lighter side, you'll be thoroughly entertained by WCGC's and Aria's presentation of "Church Bells are Ringing for Mary", a hilarious display of codependence barbershop style, and "That's How You Know", a gay staging (complete with flower girls!) of the song from the Disney movie Enchanted.
"It's About Time!" featuring Windy City Gay Chorus and Aria will be performed Saturday, June 1, at 5:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. at Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 1650 W. Foster Ave. in Chicago's Andersonville neighborhood. General admission tickets are $20 and can be purchased online at windycitysings.org . Discounted tickets for Seniors ($15) or Students and Children ($10) are available only at the box office.
Windy City Performing Arts (WCPA) was incorporated in 1983 as an independent not-for-profit umbrella organization for Windy City Gay Chorus and Aria. Each ensemble in WCPA performs a variety of musical styles. The chorus is committed to musical excellence, and embedded in the spirit of every performance and outreach event is our mission statement:
Windy City Performing Arts celebrates diversity, honors creativity, and cultivates pride through the transformative power of music and the arts.