OEBGMC Gives Back!

By Melvin Terry  March 31st was declared Cesar Chavez Day in 2014 by President Barack Obama. Cesar Chavez (March 31, 1927 – April 23, 1993) founded along with Delores Huerta the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), which later merged with the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) to become the United Farm Workers (UFW) labor union . International Women’s Day was first celebrated in the early 20th century and became a mainstream global holiday in 1977. It helps to focus attention on women and concerns such as gender equality, equal wages, and violence and abuse against women. Another important issue is the lack of attention paid to the substantial contributions of women.

By Melvin Terry Oakland is a diverse vibrant community with a goldilocks climate and an assortment of parks and trails with opportunities for exercise, socializing, and stunning visuals. It also has the benefits and drawbacks that come with a large city. But did you know about the history of Black migration to Oakland in the 1940’s and the rich culture that flourished in West Oakland back then? 7th Street, now the home of West Oakland BART and the sprawling main post office, was the hub of the community. There were many Black owned businesses and music venues. It was bustling and the place to be.

By Melvin Terry It doesn’t seem so long ago when I first heard of GALA (GayLa), a sort of choral Olympics where queer folks from around the world get together every four years to celebrate our existence and joyously sing for each other. Well, it was 16 years ago, when I first joined the then Oakland East-Bay Gay Men’s Chorus in 2007.

By June Kamerling With our upcoming spring concert, “True Colors,” a few weeks away I interviewed Seth Frost and Kelvin Ellis, two baritones in Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus. They both also sing with New Voices Bay Area Trans, Intersex and Genderqueer Chorus, who will be joining OGMC for a few songs. I asked Seth first, “How did you find OGMC, and what was the chorus like when you first joined?” “My former voice teacher Eli Conley ( www.eliconley.com ) told me about OGMC. He knew Billy Sauerland, our previous director before Ben, because Billy did his dissertation on voice education for trans people and Eli is passionate about teaching trans singers. That was in summer 2018, so I’ve been in OGMC for roughly 10 seasons. I was nervous at first because I hadn’t been a part of a queer chorus before, but everyone was really friendly and welcoming. My first concert was the summer show, kind of Disney-esque. Some of the members were auditioning for small ensembles, and doing all this cool singing/dancing and there were costumes. It was pretty amazing and really fun. Most memorable was Billy announcing that there would be a giant evil Donald Trump head during the theme song from ‘Little Shop of Horrors’. I thought he was kidding. He wasn’t.” Seth moved to the Bay Area in 2015 from Lawrence, Kansas. He took piano lessons as a child, and later sang in the civic choir in his home town. He didn’t have traditional voice lessons until he started with Eli. Seth’s mom had played clarinet in high school, so Seth followed suit, but eventually quit band because it conflicted with the Latin class he wanted to take (“I was the wrong kind of nerd for marching band”). Next I talked to Kelvin, one of the newer members of OGMC. “I found my way to OGMC in January 2022, through Seth. I grew up in a family of singers and musicians, and I was interested in singing but not at all confident in my voice. I did take piano. Around 2012 I took my first taiko drumming class and loved it. In 2018, after coming out, I found a group called Queer Taiko which I still perform with periodically ( taikoandcommunity.org/queertaiko ). [Seth says he’s very good.] We do some vocalizing, like shouting words and sounds, and the teacher was very encouraging, so that kind of unlocked my voice finally. Then in 2020, a friend-of-a-friend recommended ‘New Voices.’ I joined on Zoom during lockdown, and it was like part chorus, part support group. When we resumed rehearsing in person, I met Seth. We sat next to each other, and then started carpooling from the East Bay, and… On one of our first dates, Seth was gushing about this other chorus he was in (and on the board of). I was nervous but it sounded super fun and I wanted to finally get into singing. OGMC has been a blast. I feel like I’m finally in the right place at the right time.” About New Voices New Voices Bay Area Trans, Intersex and Gender Queer Chorus will be joining Oakland Gay Men’s Chrorus in our April 15 th and 16 th concerts “True Colors”. New Voices Bay Area TIGQ chorus is run like a (free!) tuition class through San Francisco Community Music Center. Here is a little about them, including a socially-distanced recording made for the 2021 Billboard Music Awards: https://ybgfestival.org/event/new-voices-bay-area-tigq-chorus/ They ’ ve been around since 2018 and sing about 4-5 engagements a year. The chorus is comprised of about 30 men, women and a wide variety of people with non-binary gender identities. Rather than SATB, the voice categories are numbered as 1, 2, 3, 4. Singers are able to move from one part to another as they feel comfortable, and there are often in-between parts, “1.5, 3.5” etc. The director is Reuben Zellman, one of the first openly trans rabbis in the country ( https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuben_Zellman ). “How did it come to be that we’re singing together?” Seth has been telling each group about the other for a while, trying to be a bridge between the two. Previous director Billy was especially aware of trans issues in the singing community and worked hard to make the chorus a trans-friendly place. When Billy left, Seth made it his job to bridge the two choruses. Brian Tognotti, on the artistic committee of OGMC, asked Seth who to talk to, and Seth got him in touch with Reuben. In our time talking, we discovered that Kelvin’s parents were in The Berkeley Broadway Singers chorus with me many years ago (small world).

By Melvin Terry We are thrilled to be joined by New Voices Bay Area TIGQ Chorus a mixed-voice choral ensemble for singers who self-identify as transgender, intersex, or gender-queer (TIGQ). Their goal is to build a creative, empowered, joyful space for our TIGQ community, to encourage voices that have been silenced or shamed, to grow and be heard, and to change how the world thinks about gender identity and music. In these troubled times when there are multiple attempts to roll back rights for Queer, Black and Brown people such as far-right commentator Michael Knowles announcing from the Conservative Political Action Conference stage a few weekends ago that “transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely,” and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas hinting that after Roe Vs Wade was struck down other previous decisions should be revisited. Many of us are afraid that this conservative activist court might strike down same-sex marriage. There are many bills either passed or pending throughout the country restricting the ability to vote. Most affected by these new laws are Black and Brown people and people with limited means. Fortunately, some of us are showing our true colors and pushing back: A Nebraska Democrat, State Sen. Machaela Cavanaugh began her filibuster during a Senate meeting a few weeks ago vowing to filibuster every bill her state Senate colleagues introduce if they support a measure that would restrict certain transition-related health care for minors. “If this Legislature collectively decides that legislating hate against children is our priority, then I am going to make it painful, painful for everyone,” - Cavanaugh said during the meeting. The mission of the Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus is to give voice through song to a community where everyone matters. Through our repertoire, we aim to offer hope and encouragement to those in our community struggling with bullying, depression, and mental health and those who love them. These issues are highlighted in “You Are Enough” from Aron Accurso’s “A Mental Health Suite”. We believe you will be inspired and uplifted by Jonathan Larsen’s “Seasons of Love (from Rent),” Sara Bareilles’ pop hit “Brave,” and our title song “True Colors,” originally sung by Cyndi Lauper. “My Heart Be Brave” is a stirring and reflective piece composed by African American composer, Marques L. A. Garrett and based on a Sonnet by James Weldon Johnson, also African American, who along with his brother John wrote the words and music to “Lift Every Voice and Sing”, the Black National Anthem.

By June Kamerling With our upcoming spring concert, “True Colors,” a few weeks away I interviewed Seth Frost and Kelvin Ellis, two baritones in Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus. They both also sing with New Voices Bay Area Trans, Intersex and Genderqueer Chorus, who will be joining OGMC for a few songs. I asked Seth first, “How did you find OGMC, and what was the chorus like when you first joined?” “My former voice teacher Eli Conley ( www.eliconley.com ) told me about OGMC. He knew Billy Sauerland, our previous director before Ben, because Billy did his dissertation on voice education for trans people and Eli is passionate about teaching trans singers. That was in summer 2018, so I’ve been in OGMC for roughly 10 seasons. I was nervous at first because I hadn’t been a part of a queer chorus before, but everyone was really friendly and welcoming. My first concert was the summer show, kind of Disney-esque. Some of the members were auditioning for small ensembles, and doing all this cool singing/dancing and there were costumes. It was pretty amazing and really fun. Most memorable was Billy announcing that there would be a giant evil Donald Trump head during the theme song from ‘Little Shop of Horrors’. I thought he was kidding. He wasn’t.” Seth moved to the Bay Area in 2015 from Lawrence, Kansas. He took piano lessons as a child, and later sang in the civic choir in his home town. He didn’t have traditional voice lessons until he started with Eli. Seth’s mom had played clarinet in high school, so Seth followed suit, but eventually quit band because it conflicted with the Latin class he wanted to take (“I was the wrong kind of nerd for marching band”). Next I talked to Kelvin, one of the newer members of OGMC. “I found my way to OGMC in January 2022, through Seth. I grew up in a family of singers and musicians, and I was interested in singing but not at all confident in my voice. I did take piano. Around 2012 I took my first taiko drumming class and loved it. In 2018, after coming out, I found a group called Queer Taiko which I still perform with periodically ( taikoandcommunity.org/queertaiko ). [Seth says he’s very good.] We do some vocalizing, like shouting words and sounds, and the teacher was very encouraging, so that kind of unlocked my voice finally. Then in 2020, a friend-of-a-friend recommended ‘New Voices.’ I joined on Zoom during lockdown, and it was like part chorus, part support group. When we resumed rehearsing in person, I met Seth. We sat next to each other, and then started carpooling from the East Bay, and… On one of our first dates, Seth was gushing about this other chorus he was in (and on the board of). I was nervous but it sounded super fun and I wanted to finally get into singing. OGMC has been a blast. I feel like I’m finally in the right place at the right time.” About New Voices New Voices Bay Area Trans, Intersex and Gender Queer Chorus will be joining Oakland Gay Men’s Chrorus in our April 15 th and 16 th concerts “True Colors”. New Voices Bay Area TIGQ chorus is run like a (free!) tuition class through San Francisco Community Music Center. Here is a little about them, including a socially-distanced recording made for the 2021 Billboard Music Awards: https://ybgfestival.org/event/new-voices-bay-area-tigq-chorus/ They ’ ve been around since 2018 and sing about 4-5 engagements a year. The chorus is comprised of about 30 men, women and a wide variety of people with non-binary gender identities. Rather than SATB, the voice categories are numbered as 1, 2, 3, 4. Singers are able to move from one part to another as they feel comfortable, and there are often in-between parts, “1.5, 3.5” etc. The director is Reuben Zellman, one of the first openly trans rabbis in the country ( https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuben_Zellman ). “How did it come to be that we’re singing together?” Seth has been telling each group about the other for a while, trying to be a bridge between the two. Previous director Billy was especially aware of trans issues in the singing community and worked hard to make the chorus a trans-friendly place. When Billy left, Seth made it his job to bridge the two choruses. Brian Tognotti, on the artistic committee of OGMC, asked Seth who to talk to, and Seth got him in touch with Reuben. In our time talking, we discovered that Kelvin’s parents were in The Berkeley Broadway Singers chorus with me many years ago (small world).

 By Steve Smith, Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus Board of Directors Frequently the brightest spot in anyone’s day is the person who looks after their hair. In those intimate conversations, we trust that person with news, opinions, and world-problem-solving. During the pandemic, Curtis Marsh became one of those pilgrims who made house calls to keep people presentable, sane, and somewhat connected to other humans. Imagine the brightest of bright spots once a month outside on the little deck at my place! We sang together in the Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus, which gives voice through song to a community where everyone matters. When Curtis joined in 2019, we had just been invited to work with the Oakland Symphony Chorus to perform Beethoven pieces with Emmanuel Ax under Michael Morgan’s direction. As an accomplished Tenor, Curtis was thrilled with the opportunity and plunged into performance mode. An amazingly rewarding cooperative experience was the result. Curtis was born to perform and to delight audiences. He brought style and verve to every event, large and small. While everyone was scrambling to make things work during the pandemic, Curtis was one of our group of 70 or so who could not safely sing inside with large groups of people, so he and I kept up through the monthly haircut housecalls. A favorite set of conversations about travel and keeping in touch with friends and family despite every obstacle were Curtis’ grand plans for his High School Reunion to be held this past summer back in Iowa. Although some classmates apparently proposed a fairly modest one-evening event, Curtis was determined to expand the scope and see to it that a 3-day party was in order. Sending wigs and gowns ahead, Curtis arranged an evening for all at Roederer’s Pit Stop in Burlington IA. I can only imagine the sheer delight he created for all those folks he used to know. His murder Saturday is all about shock and horror. How much hate can there be lurking in the soul of some other person in a sweet Oakland neighborhood where Curtis had lived among friends for 15 years? The life force of this man was a gift deserving love, gratitude, and applause. We salute Curtis and will rely upon law enforcement in Oakland to apprehend his killer and to prevent that evil from continuing in our community. With love from the Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus.

by Melvin Terry February marks Black History Month, a tradition that got its start in the Jim Crow era and became official in 1976, with President Ford calling on the public to "seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history." For our spring concerts, “True Colors,” the Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus will be performing “My heart be brave,” an important contribution to music in the Black tradition, composed in 2022 by Marques L.A. Garrett. He’s given us a setting of “Sonnet,” written by James Weldon Johnson in 1893. A Virginia native, Marquis L.A. Garrett is an Assistant Professor of Music. at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Before earning his PhD in Music Education at Florida State University he was the Director of Choral Activities at Cheyney University of Pennsylvania. He holds an MM from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a BA from Hampton University. An active conductor, Dr. Garrett is the artistic director of the Omaha Symphonic Chorus and founding conductor of the Nebraska Festival Singers. This is the first time Oakland GMC has had the opportunity to perform his music. James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938) is a name we remember today for having written the lyrics for " Lift Every Voice and Sing ” in 1900, which later became known as the Negro National Anthem. The music was written by his younger brother, J. Rosamond Johnson . In 1897 James Weldon Johnson became the first African American admitted to the Florida Bar Exam since the Reconstruction era ended. Under President Theodore Roosevelt he was appointed U.S. consul in Venezuela and then Nicaragua for most of the period from 1906 to 1913. From 1920 to 1930 he was Executive Secretary of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). In 1934, he was the first African American professor to be hired at New York University, and later he was a professor of creative literature and writing at Fisk University a historically black university. Johnson was known during the Harlem Renaissance for his poems, novels, and anthologies collecting both poetry and spirituals of Black culture. “Sonnet” is one of Johnson’s earlier poems, published while the poet was in his early twenties and still attending Atlanta University. He died on June 26, 1938, at the age of 67, after a train struck his car in Wiscasset, Maine. His Harlem funeral was attended by over 2,000 mourners. Sonnet My heart be brave, and do not falter so, Nor utter more that deep, despairing wail. Thy way is very dark and drear I know, But do not let thy strength and courage fail; For certain as the raven-winged night Is followed by the bright and blushing morn, Thy coming morrow will be clear and bright; ’Tis darkest when the night is furthest worn. Look up, and out, beyond, surrounding clouds, And do not in thine own gross darkness grope, Rise up, and casting off thy hind’ring shrouds, Cling thou to this, and ever inspiring hope: Tho’ thick the battle and tho’ fierce the fight, There is a power making for the right. James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938) Garrett describes his relationship to the poem: “The first and last lines of the Johnson poem immediately stood out to me. In the midst of discrimination, our heart—the core of our being—must lead us into rightful change. And as we continue doing right, the principles of honesty, love, and justice will give us the power to strive for what is due all of humanity.” Don’t you love learning the back story of a song? It becomes so much more meaningful for the singers and audience. For our spring concerts, “True Colors,” the Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus (OGMC) will be performing many wonderful songs— songs that sing of hope, resiliency, and being enough, when there is so much discrimination and divisiveness in the world. We’ll be joined by New Voices Bay Area TIGQ Chorus. Black history should not be confined to just one month! Black history is American history. Please click on the links above for a deeper dive into this topic. Visit the Museum of African Diaspora in San Francisco: https://www.moadsf.org Do a google search for Black History or Black composers. There’s a wealth of information out there. 

By June Kamerling I interviewed Wally Bee way back on May 7, 2022 in my backyard in Richmond CA, while our dogs happily romped together. But no matter how long ago, this info is still current and important.  J: I always ask first, "H ow and when did you find the chorus?"  Wally went onto the internet in 2010 and googled “choruses in the Bay Area”. He found OGMC (then called Oakland East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus) and soon after went to the summer pops concert in Oakland. “I didn’t know what to expect. I’d been in the Bay Area for 2 years and had recently ended a long-term relationship. I’d been in various choirs and musical outlets since childhood. Music has always been an important part of my life and now I wanted to belong to a chorus community and sing with like-minded people. Michael Patch was the conductor then. My first season was the holiday show at St. Paul’s Episcopal church. I auditioned with my own version of “Santa Baby” and got to perform, with Doug Marques as Santa (he has has since moved to Sacramento. It was my first concert solo. Totally fun”! At his first rehearsal Wally remembered meeting John Rogers, TA, Mel, James, and Jeff and a few others who are still in the chorus. “As seasons passed there were so many new members, as well as different directors between Michael Patch and Ben….Stephanie, Jeremiah, Carl and Billy. The board was re-organizing and there was a lot of work going behind the scenes.   "I joined the board in 2014, and initially served as secretary. There were quite a few challenges in the board work that needed to be done. It wasn’t long before I was elected vice president and worked with Lawrence Turner. I held that position for 2 years, during which we did a lot of fundraisers and refined some of the things we needed to refine as an organization. We wanted it to be part of the larger community. It was important to build that leadership and support structure”. I commented that the chorus leadership seems so organized to me. Wally replied, “It was a long road to our current leadership. When I joined the chorus in 2010 the board was heavily involved in operations and constantly looking for new, inspired blood. After serving for two years, 2014-2015, the organization had gained more stability, and was heading towards additional leadership under Dr. Sauerland. When he came on as Artistic Director, I knew we were in good hands so I left the board and decided to take a little time off. After a year, I started singing again, and a few years later in 2020 I joined the board again wanting to be more involved behind the scenes. I loved the timeline project that Peter Dempsey created. That needs to be finished in memory of him. We took time to reinvigorate this great organization, then Covid came and we lost a lot of members. We went from about 60 to 40, but the organization allowed us to weather these past few years. It’s testament to all of the leadership that was there before.  J: Is the chorus community your main community of friends?  W: I also have my motorcycle group of gay friends, but the chorus is consistent and is my artistic outlet.  J: What’s your music background?  W: Music is my whole life. I started playing piano at age 4. I can plunk my way through music on the piano but I don’t sight read very well. I played mostly in church as a kid. In college I tried to be a theater major, then pre-law, then after 2nd year of college I ran for school board. After college I forgot about music. I was working a lot. My energy was going into other areas of my life… Till the chorus….I was going through a challenging breakup and analyzing my life and I figured “I should do something with music….that makes me happy”. Coming to OGMC where I could participate in music with other gay men reminded me of being in a connected community. I love that music is an integral part of my community.  J: What direction do you want to see the chorus take in the next few years?   W: “The world is not imperfect nor is it on a path to perfection…it’s perfect at every moment”. I feel like the organization continues on the path it is finding for itself. We’re on a good path. We want to strive to be better….more members, more $$, but I feel that we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be right now. That said, I’d like to see us more involved in the community. It can be challenging with 40 members…we all have busy lives. But we can be intentional and do community service projects and outreach. I returned to the OGMC board right before Covid. One of our committee tasks was how can we engage community? One idea is a community project linked to a concert. We want members to participate via retreats, sectionals, and also things for community. I hope what we see as an organization is more community involvement that speaks to our mission. Then we’ll attract the folks that we want. I appreciate and support Ben and his artistic leadership. We have the talent. With Ben and his vision we have a great trajectory for the organization. People feel connected to something greater than themselves.  J: Tell me about your songwriting. W: It wasn’t something I ever dreamed of or pursued as a musician. I dabbled and wrote a song in high school (ie: a poem and added music). I never tried to make it a performative art. It was actually Fancy Brian (Brian Murakami) who inspired me. Fancy writes beautiful poetry and I was inspired by his poem “Past Your Darkness”. With that inspiration I realized I actually can write music. My 2nd song came after a long and emotional phone conversation with my mom…”Love is All That Matters”….. I had heard a few people sing it as a solo. I approached our accompanist, Lynden Bair, about making it into a choral arrangement and he connected me with Tim Sarsany who arranged the piece currently in the OGMC library. This was in 2019. J: I remember Don Martin sang it at my house at a Miss Smith class W: That was the first time heard it performed. I received the arrangement New Year's Day 2020. I gave it to Ben and he programmed it for the April 2020 season - “Be The Change”….and then Covid and so we didn’t get to perform it in person for that season. Instead we were able to put it together for a Thanksgiving release as a virtual choir. It was fun to sing it as a virtual choir…..and then we performed it for our Welcome Back concert in person which was really amazing. Now I have another one that is yet to be named that will come out soon. I’d like to find a music publisher and have them for sale at GALA. I’d love to see OGMC perform both songs at GALA and then I share them with the greater choral world. Each piece of music I wrote took about 3 months. Siddhartha (the current one) has been on paper for a long time. It’ll happen. Aside from having OGMC perform my compositions, I have had the distinct privilege of refining some of my musical abilities and connecting with other organizations including GALA Choruses, and most recently Berkshire Choral International who perform multiple concerts around the world. I had the joy of singing with BCI in Barcelona during the Summer of 2022, where we performed two classical pieces at the Palau de la Musica, under the baton of Grant Gershon, the Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and the Resident Conductor for the Los Angeles Opera. This week-long, immersive choral experience was truly one-of-a-kind, and one that I hope to repeat again soon in another international city. Thanks to OGMC, I have had many experiences with various types of music, which gave me the confidence to sing abroad!