The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus will welcome all comers to its annual Holiday Spectacular and Home for the Holidays shows this December. The latter show, traditionally held at the Castro Theatre on Christmas Eve, will be held this year for the first time at Davies Symphony Hall. The Castro venue is, of course, shuttered till next year due to the ongoing renovation and restoration project spearheaded by Another Planet Entertainment.
Danny Sullivan, a gay man who's the principal pianist and music supervisor starting his second season with the chorus, said that it's "going to be a new experience."
"We're going to be able to fit a lot more people in that venue than we could at the Castro Theatre," Sullivan told the Bay Area Reporter.
Sullivan said there are a few attractions that attendees have to look forward to, including a diva medley ("though maybe I shouldn't give away who the diva is," Sullivan said) and a new composition with music by Holly Near, who wrote the first song the chorus publicly performed back in 1978, "Singing for Our Lives."
"Holly wrote that music. She's still around and has brand new music premiering in this concert," Sullivan said.
The Near piece was put together by Joseph Shapiro, a member of the Chorus who was inspired by a speech Cleve Jones gave at the Chorus' gala last year. He and his daughter worked on taking Jones's words and editing them for the song before they brought in Holly Near to compose the music.
The winner of a composition contest, local composer Daniel Hughes' "A Winter's Breath," will be performed by the Chorus, too.
"From a musical perspective, I think the things to be most excited about are the the contest winner and the diva medley," he continued. "I've written myself a new arrangement of 'Silent Night,' one of the first things I've arranged for the chorus. They do it every year in sign language, which is a wonderful thing, but I've reharmonized the tune."
Choral community
Expect more of the "big, dancy show numbers which are super fun," as in past years, Sullivan said.
"We just have the most fabulous band," he said. "They are some of the best in the bay."
The seven-piece band will be accompanied by the 275 members of the chorus and a troupe of 20 specialty dancers, according to a news release.
"This year, SFGMC's theme is 'together,'" stated SFGMC Artistic Director and Conductor Jacob Stensberg, "and there is no better time to create family and togetherness than during the holiday season. 'Together' embodies the spirit of community, love and connection that pours from the stage in our every note. It showcases the connection between the members of the chorus, our audience and our larger community. It is the pure definition of what the holidays represent — the warmth, the laughter, and the love — and we can hardly wait for you to experience it with us.''
The chorus also has a message for the country as it finds itself at an "inflection point" following the election.
"In 1981, we traveled across this great country in a radical act of love and defiance as the first gay chorus in existence, supporting the queer community during the onset of the AIDS pandemic. And as we did in 2017 with the Lavender Pen Tour and in 2024 with the Love Tour —the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus will continue to stand as a guiding light against darkness and a beacon of love to dispel hate," the statement reads, in-part.
"In these times, our dedication to protecting the dignity, security, and welfare of our community is more crucial than ever. We will continue to stand together, resilient in our mission to foster a world where everyone can live openly and authentically. Together, let's keep moving forward, lifting each other up and using our voices to ignite hope and inspire change."
The Holiday Spectacular shows will be December 6, 8pm and December 7, 3:30pm and 8pm at the Sydney Goldstein Theater, 275 Hayes St.
December 15, 5pm at Weill Hall, Sonoma State University.
December 17, 5pm at Zellerbach Hall, University of California, Berkeley.
The Home for the Holidays shows December 24, 4pm and 7pm at Davies Symphony Hall, 201 Van Ness Ave. Tickets range from $30 to VIP packages at $209.
www.sfgmc.org
Those in the South Bay can attend the Silicon Valley Gay Men's Chorus December 13 and 14 at 8pm and December 15 at 3pm at Campbell United Methodist Church, 1675 Winchester Boulevard in Campbell. www.svgmc.org
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