I’ve always loved singing. As an awkward child who didn’t really fit in with the popular crowd in school, singing was my way to express myself. I didn’t fully understand at the time what being gay meant. But I knew that I was different, and other people picked up on it too, and I was bullied for it. But singing was my outlet and my way to escape all of that. It was also my way of belonging—I was never happier than when I was singing in a choir with people like me who loved performing beautiful music. If I didn’t have singing, and music, I would be a much different person than I am today. Singing, especially in front of an audience, gave me confidence, self esteem, and the courage to face anything.

My parents passed on their love of singing to me. My dad performed in Barbershop Choirs and competed with these groups on a national stage. When I was a child, my mom played the guitar and serenaded me with songs that she had learned from scratch. My parents ran a Japanese restaurant when I was growing up, and after we closed up the restaurant, I have fond memories of singing karaoke with my mom at the bar on an old 8-track karaoke machine. All the songs were old, so this is when I first was exposed to Nat King Cole, and Paul Anka and Frank Sinatra. She also taught me Japanese enka (traditional folk songs), and many years later, I won a nationally televised singing competition in Japan, singing one of those songs that my mom had taught me.

My parents have both passed on. So, singing for me is not just something I enjoy. It’s an intimate connection for me to my parents. It’s something of them that lives on in me. When I sing, my parents resonate in my voice and in my heart.

For many years, I was not able to be part of a chorus. When I found out that I had been accepted into the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus, I was overjoyed. Not only did I finally feel like I belonged in New York City, but I was finally able to find a home with other people with whom I had so much in common, united by our love of singing and our desire to make the world a more equitable place for the LGBTQ+ community.

Since joining the chorus, i have been fortunate to have some incredible experiences, including earning a solo (which sadly, I never got to perform), singing the National Anthem at Madison Square Garden for a Knicks game, and performing live on stage at The 75th Annual Tony Awards at Radio CIty Music Hall. These memories will last me a lifetime.  But, it's also the small moments that mean so much: coming back and singing together for the first time in two years after being away due to COVID (yes, I cried), honoring our past members during our memorial service at Retreat, and welcoming new members during orientation.

The last two years has been a perilous time for performing arts groups. The COVID-19 pandemic forced most groups like ours to either shut down completely, or to find new outlets to reach our audiences. Our main source of income, ticket sales for live performances, had suddenly been taken away, and there was no indication of when we would be able to return to the stage. As it turned out, it was a full two years before we could finally take the stage again for a live concert. But while COVID-19 temporarily took away our stage, it did not taken away our voices. We continued to sing throughout the pandemic, even if virtually, and it got many of us through a very challenging period.

And now, we are facing new battles.  The political climate has become precarious, and there are those who would deny the rights that we have worked so hard to obtain.  But we will not let them win.  We will use our voices to shine a light on this hatred and show the world that we have a place, that we deserve to live and love just like anyone else.

It is more important than ever that we continue to inspire others through these dark times. But to do so, we need financial support to continue our mission.

The Membership Fundraising Drive is one of our most important fundraisers of the year. It is our chance to give back to the chorus that gives us so much by leveraging our networks to support the chorus. We know that it is a tough time right now for many people—financially, emotionally and even physically. But we need your help to survive so that we can continue to inspire others through song. Any contribution will go a long way to help us recover from the damage that COVID-19 wrought, and build us up even stronger for the future, so that we can weather any other storms that might come our way.

We kindly ask for your support, so that we can make this world a better place through song.

Thank you.

NYCGMC 2020 Membership Fundraising Drive

Welcome to the NYCGMC 2020 Membership Fundraising Drive!

The New York City Gay Men’s Chorus is an internationally renowned performing arts institution in New York City and a pioneering voice for the LGBTQ+ community.  Through the power of song, NYCGMC challenges people’s perceptions of the LGBTQ+ community, combats fear and hatred, encourages compassion and human connection, and thrills audiences with inspiring performances.  NYCGMC champions social justice and embraces the values of diversity, inclusion, equity, and intersectionality.  

Founded in 1979, NYCGMC provided a community when LGBTQ+ people faced daunting challenges and devastating loss.  The Chorus now confronts the unprecedented challenges of 2020 in its inimitable fashion by reflecting on our extraordinary past and forging an innovative and exciting path towards the future, inviting New York City and the entire world to join in the celebration.  

Comprising nearly 400 talented singers of various ages, backgrounds, and experiences, across a spectrum of gender identity and sexual orientation, NYCGMC is especially excited to welcome our new Associates singers this season from across the US and Canada.  The new Associates program is designed as a service to the choral field and the LGBTQ movement, expanding the reach and breadth of music and mission, and helping all of us reach for the most radical egalitarianism in the most pragmatic way at this difficult time.  NYCGMC is actively engaged in how we can be stronger together, rather than struggling individually in isolation. 

NYCGMC’s first entirely virtual season will present two concerts, in December 2020 and May 2021.  For more information, please visit www.nycgmc.org.  

As a non-profit organization, NYCGMC relies on the generosity of donors to support this important work and to keep our song alive.  With the impact of COVID-19 creating particularly challenging circumstances for choral and performing groups, NYCGMC is unable to perform live this year, yet continues to thrive by expanding the reach to a national audience and producing stirring virtual performances with crucial messages of social justice and equality.  Your support allows NYCGMC to amplify our mission and our voices at this important moment.  Thank you for your generosity!  

When performing in person, NYCGMC presents three mainstage shows and over forty outreach activities across all five boroughs and beyond annually.  Previous years’ outreach performances have included appearances at LGBTQ teen homeless shelters, at SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBTQ Elders), and at corporate and public pride celebrations.  NYCGMC has performed at Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden, and Yankee Stadium; at gala fundraisers for the Swish Ally Fund and the Ackerman Institute; and at the Brooklyn Museum and the Global Citizen concert in Central Park, among many others.  Television appearances including Good Morning America, The Tonight Show, and Last Week Tonight have provided a national platform for the mission.  Through technical assistance and joint concerts, NYCGMC supports development of LGBTQ choruses in the U.S. and internationally.  NYCGMC’s school outreach program serves over 2,000 NYC public middle and high school students.