by June Kamerling
TA Dunn is grateful to still have his job during Quarantine days working for IRA Services on accounts and evaluations. His company gave him a laptop so that he can work from home. His 10 AM to 7 PM schedule allows him to take his morning and lunch time walks as well as an evening walk after work. I spoke with TA on a Thursday evening at 7 PM after his long work day.
TA grew up in Richmond, VA. The US Air Force brought him to CA after college in 1981. He has never left.
TA first discovered OGMC at SF Pride 2001 (although the chorus originally started at Oakland Pride in 1999). Dick Kramer, the founder and artistic director at the time had a table for signing up that year at SF Pride. TA saw the sign-up sheet on the table there and that was it!! He was in!!
When asked if he had been singing before, TA answered, “I first learned to sing in church and elementary school. We would have school assemblies and they would teach us songs like the national anthem, America the Beautiful, This Land is My Land, though my faves are musical theater, folk and pop.
I sang in a choir in 7th grade but then was told I had to take French to get into college so I couldn’t be in high school choir. Aside from the church choir I sang in glee club in college. But after that I didn’t sing again till I joined OGMC so there was a gap of about 25 years."
I asked TA how chorus has changed over the years. “The biggest change is that we now have women in the chorus. That was something that was talked about not long after I joined but it never happened until recent years.
The chorus is so large now. It was about 30 or so when I came in. I think we have about 60 people now.
There was a crisis in 2003 and the chorus almost fell apart. The director left and we had no money. Thankfully someone anonymously gave enough money for us to be solvent again. That was in Aug 2003. A new director came in and we had our next concert at Christmas 2003."
I asked TA how chorus affects his life these days (when we’re singing together)?
He told me this: “I joined to be with a group of gay men…well, not just gay men, to be in a group I don’t have to hide in. In this chorus I’m accepted with no questions asked. I’m accepted for who I am, not what I am.
The chorus is the only way I’m connected with the gay community on a regular basis."
We both agree that we miss singing with OGMC and look forward to the day we can gather again with our community and sing in our glorious harmony.
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