NYCGMC 2024 Membership Fundraising Drive

Why Benn Sings

Hello everyone! Thank you for considering donating to the New York City Gay Mens Chorus (NYCGMC). I sing because it brings me a sense of catharsis. I haven't always been in spaces I felt supported, accepted, or uplifted. When I sing with the NYCGMC, I feel a sense of belongingness. Being in the NYCGMC I feel a connectedness to my queer identity and the queer community that I've never felt before. I get the chance to sing alongside generations of queer people who have fought for our rights and remind me everyday that we have always and will always exist. If you are able, please donate to the NYCGMC to help carve more spaces for queer activism and joy.

Welcome to the NYCGMC 2024 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 LGBTQIA+ community. Through the power of song, the NYCGMC challenges people’s perceptions of the LGBTQIA+ community, combats fear and hatred, encourages compassion and human connection, and thrills audiences with inspiring performances. The NYCGMC champions social justice and embraces the values of diversity, inclusion, equity, and intersectionality.

Originally founded in 1979 and assuming its present form in 1980, the NYCGMC provided a safe and supportive community when LGBTQIA+ people faced daunting challenges, extreme discrimination, and devastating loss. The Chorus now confronts the unprecedented challenges of recent years 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 300 talented singers of various ages, backgrounds, and experiences, across a spectrum of gender identity and sexual orientation, NYCGMC is actively engaged in how we can be stronger together. NYCGMC’s 2024-2025 season will present concerts throughout the year all around New York City. For more information, please visit www.nycgmc.org/performances.

In addition to our mainstage shows, the NYCGMC annually presents over forty outreach activities across all five boroughs and beyond. Previous years’ outreach performances have included appearances at LGBTQIA+ teen homeless shelters, at SAGE (Services and Advocacy for older LGBTQ+ people), 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. In June 2022, NYCGMC performed in the 75th Annual Tony Awards at Radio City Music Hall. In June 2023, the NYCGMC performed a concert exclusively for NYC middle and high school students at the Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture in the Bronx. Through technical assistance and joint concerts, NYCGMC supports development of LGBTQIA+ choruses in the U.S. and internationally. NYCGMC’s school outreach program has served over 2,000 NYC public middle and high school students. In July 2024, we joined over 7000 other queer singers in Minneapolis at the GALA Choruses Festival as a display of unity, strength, resilience, and solidarity for LGBTQIA+ people.

As a non-profit organization, NYCGMC relies on the generosity of donors to support this important work and to keep our song alive. Your support allows NYCGMC to amplify our mission and our voices at this important moment. In these critical times when LGBTQIA+ people are under scrutiny and attack, your donations make an enormous difference. Thank you in advance for your generosity!

@NYCGMC