A group of men from the gay community use music as a medium of expression to bring visibility to their identity.
The South Wales Gay Men’s Chorus are planning their first performance in Cardiff after a two-year break from the pandemic.
The concert titled ‘Together Again’ will happen on the 2 April at the Royal Welsh College of Music of Drama and is an opportunity to bring the LGBT community together, says the choir.
“We will be ‘Together Again’ not only as a choir but as friends, singing with our guest choirs and reconnecting with our audience,” said chair Craig Stephenson. “It was important for me to be part of not just singing again, but also part of the LGBTQ community.
The chorus was founded in February 2008, and it has about 30 to 35 members singing everything from traditional male voice choir pieces, to show tunes and modern classics.
During the pandemic, their offline events had to be cancelled due to lockdowns. But it didn’t bring them apart and let their joint passion for music ends with the form of offline events. “The one thing that brings us together is singing, we weren’t able to sing. So we met every week online, and we did quizzes and discussion groups, ” said Craig.
“It changed my perspective on what the chorus is about, it’s not just about singing, it’s about friendship, community supporting each other,” he said. The choir serving as a place for people on their own made him feel at home.
SWGMC provided visibility for gay men, and they are very proud that they have “gay” in their title. “It’s important to us because it tells people that we’re here. we’re here to be seen, to be counted, we’re proud to be gay,” said Craig, “ That visibility in the wider community is important because otherwise being gay would be sort of underground.”
The choir has won several musical awards since its formation. In 2017, they joined in the biennial Cornwall International Men’s Chorus Festival, winning the Best Small Chorus, and being named as the Champions of the event.
One of their musical directors Christopher Fossey rearranged the song Somewhere Over the Rainbow which won the best musical arrangement for the whole competition. “I just wanted to write a version for us,” said Christopher, “it’s got its own little individual’s sound or interpretation.”
“I suppose my favourite piece for a long time has been our version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, that particular song caught the heart of the judges and they thought it was the best song in the festival,” said Craig.
The associations among the members go beyond musical matters. Craig recalled a ‘special’ community event held last Sunday when several chorus members went to the vigil to show their support as part of the LGBTQ+ community for Dr Gary Jenkins who was died of a homophobia attack.
If you are interested in the upcoming concert, click on the link below for the ticket. Besides presenting a selection of their favourite songs from classical to pop, they will also collaborate with two other LGBTQ+ choirs, the Songbirds and Cardiff Trans Singers.
https://www.rwcmd.ac.uk/events/2022-04/south-wales-gay-mens-chorus-together-again
