Gay Men's Chorus of Charlotte

FREE First Tuesday Concert: Brahms in Love

Lee Hill — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 03:54:49 +0000

Tuesday, February 7, 2012
12:10 p.m. or 5:30 p.m.
The evening concert includes a wine and cheese reception at King’s Kitchen.

First Presbyterian Church
200 West Trade Street
Charlotte, NC 28202 (Map)
Click here for more Parking Information

Cost: FREE

Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte's small ensemble 7th Son teams up with Charlotte Chamber Music for a program that explores the relationship between Johannes Brahms and his lifelong Valentine: Clara Schumann. We’ll hear works by both Clara and Robert Schumann, interspersed with the ever-charming Liebeslieder (Songs of Love) Waltzes by Johannes Brahms.

BRAHMS: Liebeslieder Waltzes
C. Schumann: Piano Trio, Op. 17: II
BRAHMS: Liebeslieder Waltzes
C. Schumann: Piano Trio, Op 17: III
BRAHMS: Liebeslieder Waltzes
C. Schumann: Piano Trio, Op. 17: IV

Musicians of highlight:
Charlotte Chamber Music, Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte's 7th Son under the direction of John Quillin

These concerts are performed by leading local and regional professional musicians that Charlotte Chamber Music compensates.

PARKING INFORMATION

There is parking available in the flat surface lot next to the church at 12:10 p.m. for $8.00 and at 5:30 p.m. for free. The access for this lot is off of Poplar Street. Note that parking is not available in the section marked by Preferred Parking, accessed off of Trade Street.

Additionally, there is ample parking in the Carillon, Marriott, IJL Buildings and Discovery Place parking decks.

Click Here to visit a site that will provide details about location, price and directions. Enter the street address as indicated in the left hand column in PARKING SEARCH.

Concert made possible in part by support from:

Videos From Drummer Boy

Ash — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:29:18 +0000

Saturday December 10, 2011

LIttle Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth performed by the Gay Men's Chorus of Charlotte

Lullaby performed by 7th Son

The 12 Days of Christmas performed by 7th Son

Go Tell It On The Mountain performed by the Gay Men's Chorus of Charlotte

Free Choral Workshop: Choral Pop & Jazz with Dr. Charles Beale

Lee Hill — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:43:52 +0000

Friday, March 2, 2012, 7:00 PM – 9:30 PM

St. Martin's Episcopal Church
1510 E. 7th Street,

Charlotte, NC 28204 (Map)

Whether you sing or conduct a church, school, or a community-based chorus, pop and jazz are staples of the current repertoire. And there’s real music to be mined in these idioms, often more than just what you see on the page. You can actually learn to sing (and teach) Lady Gaga, tobyMac, Jason Mraz, Point of Grace, and Michael Jackson. You don’t have to be “born with it.” With a knowledge of rhythm, sound, style, improvisation, and technique, you can make this music come alive within the choral medium.

With over 25 years of experience in pop and jazz instrumental and choral music, Dr. Charles Beale brings his training and expertise from the UK and New York to North Carolina. Join us on Friday, March 2, 2012 at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church as Charlie works with you on a genre of music most of us never studied and, that, therefore, sometimes feels alien.

Primary topics include:
Rhythm
Sound
Improvisation
Mike technique (we’ll have lots of mikes and a PA system for individual and group work)
How you can continue your study

Bring yourself, your small ensemble, your vocal band, your director, your chorus, your choir, your classically trained and untrained singers and join us on March 2 from 7:00 – 9:30.

The workshop is FREE, but registration is required. You can REGISTER HERE.

Originally trained as an organist, Dr Charles Beale studied music at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, England, where he conducted the chapel choir, and he later studied jazz at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, where he won the Rose Morris Prize as a composer and jazz pianist. Career highlights before his move to New York have included several national radio broadcasts in the U.K. as a classical pianist, a jazz organ concerto with the U.K.'s National Youth Jazz Orchestra, West End theater work, and he has collected playing and arranging credits on albums and singles by pop and dance artists including Whitney Houston and Adeva. Beale also has a burgeoning career as an international jazz educator and academic, was professor at the Royal College of Music in London from 1999-2007 and was nominated for the U.K.'s prestigious National Jazz Parliamentary Award in 2005 for services to jazz education. In the past ten years, he has written many academic articles and toured extensively, adjudicating, examining, and doing jazz workshops and seminars for teachers in the U.K., the U.S., New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Singapore. His recent ground-breaking book, Popular Voiceworks, co-authored with fellow-GALA director Steve Milloy and published by Oxford, was recently voted best Pop Music Publication of 2008 by the Retail Music Association of the UK.

Dr. Beale joined the New York City Gay Men's Chorus as Artistic Director in September 2007 after five years directing the London Gay Men's Chorus, during which time it grew to over 200 members and performed to critical acclaim at venues as diverse as the Sydney Opera House, Washington's Kennedy Center, and most of London's major concert halls. Having directed choirs for over 20 years as part of a broader musical career, choral directing is now gradually replacing jazz as his main focus. An active member of the Association of British Choral Directors, he gives frequent clinics on improvising and swing with choirs.

Dr. Beale's time with NYCGMC has so far been characterized by a new energy, a confident open sound, a more relaxed and interactive style with audiences, an extensive web presence and innovative programming that has included everything from Beyonce's Single Ladies and Benjamin Britten, to Broadway show favorites and traditional South African songs. In May and June 2009 alone, the chorus did over 25 Outreach performances, sang in every borough in the city and took part in a number of Marriage Equality benefits, including Defying Inequality at the Gershwin Theatre, where NYCGMC performed with Shoshana Bean. This new focus on reconnecting with our roots in the many LGBT communities of New York City is coupled with a continuing commitment to fight homophobia in all its forms and an unstinting educational mission around HIV/AIDS awareness.

Dr. Beale is currently co-writing a second Voiceworks book due out in Summer 2011, and commutes to London as often as he can to be with Yuwrajh, his partner of 18 years.

GMCC & CPB to preform at First Night 2012

Lee Hill — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 19:54:31 +0000

December 31, 2011 – January 1, 2012 at 9:00 pm – 12:30 am
Location: Levine Avenue of the Arts
The Green: Lower Tier Dance Tent
Performances: 8:30pm, 9:30pm and 10:30pm

GMCC and Charlotte Pride Band will once again for the 2nd year in a row preform for Charlotte's family-friendly cultural celebration First Night Charlotte. Please come out and join us and all the festivities and ring in the New Year in Uptown Charlotte.

For information on First Night Charlotte 2012, please go to www.FirstNightCharlotte.com. You'll find everything you need to know about tickets, parking, and a full event schedule.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Admission Information:

Purchase Wristbands in advance at the Visitor Info Center starting December 15th.The Info Center is located at the corner of South Tryon & MLK Street

Wristbands will go on sale at the event by 10am on New Year’s Eve!

Sales locations will be the Visitor Info Center, The Green, NASCAR Hall of Fame, Outdoor terrace at the Charlotte Convention Center as well as at the main stage. You can purchase your wristband at First Night from 10am-4:00pm and 7-9pm. Adult wristbands are $10.00, children 4 and under are FREE (with a banded adult), and kids 5-12 are $5.00 (with a banded adult).

About First Night:

First Night returns to ring in 2012 in Charlotte with a family-friendly cultural celebration taking place at NASCAR Hall of Fame, Outdoor terrace at Charlotte Convention Center, Bechtler Museum, Mint Museum, The Green and the main stage located at Levine Avenue of the Arts Street!

Artists, Dancers, Comedians, Musicians and Magicians will take to the streets and venues for you to enjoy! First Night Kids kicks off First Night and runs from 12-5pm with a kids countdown for the little ones. First Night picks back up at 9pm for the adults to ring in the new year and a fantastic midnight finale show featuring headline band The Atlanta Party Band!!

First Night is alcohol-free but attendees are encouraged to enjoy the local dining before the Queen Charlotte crown is raised to ring in 2012!

Free Choral Workshop with Joseph Jennings

Lee Hill — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 15:00:05 +0000

Friday, October 28, 2011, 7:00 PM

St. Martin's Episcopal Church
1510 E. 7th Street,

Charlotte, NC 28204 (Map)

Joseph Jennings is widely regarded as one of the choral world's top conductors and music directors, clinicians and arrangers. He joined the renowned a cappella group, Chanticleer, in 1983 as a countertenor, and shortly thereafter assumed the position of Music Director. Under his direction, Chanticleer achieved international renown, releasing 23 critically acclaimed recordings in works ranging from Gregorian chant to Renaissance masterworks to jazz. Many of the recordings became Billboard best sellers, and earned three GRAMMY Awards.

As a prolific composer and arranger, Mr. Jennings has provided Chanticleer with some of its most popular repertoire, most notably spirituals, gospel music and jazz standards. He has also composed for such ensembles as The Palo Alto High School Chorus, The San Francisco Girls Chorus, Phillip Brunelle’s Plymouth Music Series, The GALA V Festival Chorus, The New York City Gay Men's Chorus, The Dale Warland Singers, The Phoenix Bach Choir, Los Angeles Vocal and Instrumental Ensemble and Chanticleer. Jennings recently completed a multi-year composition project, When Nights Were Dark for the Japanese Dance Duo Eiko and Koma. His compositions and arrangements are published by Oxford University Press, Hinshaw Music Company of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Yelton Rhodes Music, Los Angeles.

Updated: Charlotte Vigil for Equality

Lee Hill — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 02:49:50 +0000

Monday, September 12, 2011, 7:00pm

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church

1900 The Plaza, Charlotte, NC

Please join the Gay Men's Chorus of Charlotte and Equality NC in Charlotte and participate in a candlelight vigil on the evening of September 12, at 7 p.m. at the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Plaza Midwood – 1900 The Plaza, Charlotte. The vigil is meant to draw attention to the growing numbers of North Carolinians who will be impacted by this harmful legislation. Similar vigils will be held in concert at locations across the state.

In addition to mobilizing North Carolinians to make their voices heard during the rally, Equality NC will hold an “act in” the entire week of the special session—empowering fair-minded citizens from every corner of North Carolina to join the thousands who have already contacted their local legislators, demanding they oppose this legislation. Interested parties can get involved by joining Equality NC’s Online Action Network at www.equalitync.org.

On Tuesday, September 13, at noon, Equality NC will join a coalition of pro-equality organizations, as well as supporters of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) rights from across the state, to convene outside of the state capitol for a rally urging legislators to oppose North Carolina’s proposed anti-LGBT constitutional amendment. The rally on Halifax Mall will take place during a special legislative session on constitutional amendments beginning September 12, and will coincide with a predicted vote on House Bill 777/Senate Bill 106, the “anti-LGBT amendment,” that would ban same-sex marriage (as state statute already does), as well as prohibit civil unions and nullify domestic partnership benefits.

More info: https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=257541397601574

NC House passes measure to put gay marriage before the voters

Source: http://www.wbtv.com/story/15446225/nc-house-passes-measure-to-put-gay-marriage-before-the-voters

Sounds of Pride

Ash — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 02:25:00 +0000

Join Charlotte’s three LGBT performing arts groups for a special collaborative concert! Charlotte Pride Band, Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte and One Voice Chorus team up to raise awareness and funds for Pride Charlotte! Seating is limited for this first-ever event, so order your tickets today by visiting PrideCharlotte.com/SoundsofPride.

Thursday, August 25, 7:30 p.m.
Mint Museum UPTOWN – James B. Duke Auditorium
500 South Tryon Street

The Boy Toy Season

Ash — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 16:00:43 +0000

Summer Drive Bys

Ash — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 13:20:53 +0000

Join 7th Son, of the Gay Men's Chorus of Charlotte, for "Our Kind of Music"

Enjoy one or all in this series of free, brief and impromptu(ish) performances at local hang-outs, restaurants, bistros, bars, coffee shops and other fun locales. Join your friends for a martini, dinner, piece of chocolate cake or just a diet Coke — we'll provide the entertainment. And you can be sure it will be a blast! We announce the next location one week in advance. To find out when & where our next one is, just become a fan of Gay Men's Chorus of Charlotte on Facebook or follow us on Twitter (@gmccharlotte)

GMCC featured on FOX news

Ash — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 14:56:57 +0000

GMCC's Michael Curtis and 7th Son are featured.

New York is now the 6th state to allow same sex marriage. But a bill before the North Carolina House wouldn't recognize those marriages here.