by June Kamerling

I had the pleasure of interviewing James Berglund on a beautiful Saturday morning walk at Pt. Isabelle recently. 

James and hubby, Jeff McEwen, have been in the chorus for 10 years.

James lived in LA and was in a mixed SATB GALA chorus there, West Coast Singers from 1996 till 2009. 

James and Jeff met at Montreal GALA in 2008.

James moved to the Bay Area a year later, leaving his WC Singers “family” to join Jeff who was already with SFGMC at that time. James joined and sang with them for 4 years. 

They lived in Oakland and knew of OGMC. They had been to OGMC concerts and noticed that the chorus was growing and sound was getting better. They decided in 2010 to leave SFGMC and join OGMC both at the same time (yay!). 

Michael Patch was director of OGMC at the time and then Stephanie Smith came in.

James’ musical background is a little out of the ordinary! “I was a beginner when I joined West Coast Singers. I had been in some talent shows in the past. I didn’t know how to read music but I have a great ear. I trained myself to match pitch by listening to my mom’s vacuum cleaner and I’d sing that pitch (laughs)….and go up and down and do different pitches. I learned how to imitate sounds and voices so mostly I just listen to how things sound and copy the pitch. I had a hard time learning piano because I played by ear. Now I’ve learned how to read music enough to follow along”. 

I asked him what the chorus was like when he first joined.

“OGMC was very insular at the time. I had a hard time finding my place in the group. Peter Dempsey was the most welcoming. He was quite a driving force back then. His passing was really rough on me.

Jeff Ray, (who used to be on the board but, stepped away 2-3 years ago) was in the chorus then. I’d sit next to him in the back row and we’d crack jokes. We clicked”.

James continued, “The chorus has changed dramatically for the better since I joined. It’s not the same chorus. We’ve come a long way.

I’m happy to see ‘the old guard’ holding up the chorus and the new people coming in adding changes. The chorus is who the people are and we’ve got some amazing people. It’s lovely to see everyone from younger to older members as well as ethnic and gender diversity. I find the chorus to be much friendlier now. We were more insular back in the day. But now it feels like family. Groups of friends mix with other groups of friends. I feel the same intimacy I felt with The West Coast Singers”.

I asked him what direction he would like to see the chorus take in the future? “We’ve come a long way since I joined but we need to continue to grow. We have such great potential going on. We’re a lot more inclusive of gender and gender identity. We just need to keep growing.

I love the family aspect of the chorus. I love to sing but it’s not my deepest passion. I love the artistry but it’s the human connection I truly love. I call it my church.

When I joined the chorus connecting with the gay community was important but not so much now….now it’s just the people. I’m happy it’s mostly gay, but I’m happy that it’s not all gay. I love that we have people who aren’t queer, male, gay identified”.

In summer of 2019 I was looking for a chorus to sing with having left my previous chorus the year before. I missed singing in harmony with others. Stephanie Smith had suggested that I audition for OGMC. I was friends with some of the members but had never considered that as a straight woman I could join a “gay men’s chorus”. As Membership Chair, James was the first person I contacted in the chorus to find out about auditioning. He immediately made me feel comfortable and welcome.

As I settled into my first season in OGMC (Sept 2019) I found out that Membership Chair was quite a multi-hat job. James explained more, “I became the Membership Chair in January of 2014 during Stephanie Lynne Smith's second run as our director. I took the role reluctantly because I wasn't sure I would want the responsibility. I quickly found it to be quite enjoyable and rewarding."

My main role as membership chair is to be the connection for the general membership of chorus to the board of directors and other leadership positions. I encourage members to contact me with their concerns, questions, critiques, and accolades they have about their experience in the chorus. One major way of getting that information is through the surveys I send out at the conclusion of a concert block which allows members to voice their opinions. My role also includes having regular Membership Committee meetings where we plan out the chorus social activities. Everything from a bowling night in Alameda to scheduling and planning the weekend retreat rehearsals. I am thankful for the committee members for helping make the chorus a fun and enjoyable experience for everyone”.

The short time I’ve been in the chorus has been beyond fun and enjoyable. I thanked James for his part in welcoming me into the “family”. I know we all look forward to the day we can gather and sing together again and James and the members that are the OGMC glue can get back to their chorus jobs.