History
Now celebrating its 30th Anniversary season, the mission of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC is to entertain through excellent musical performance, to affirm the place of gay people in society and to educate about the gay experience.
Founded in 1981, GMCW has performed at the Kennedy Center, the National Theatre, the Warner Theatre, Constitution Hall, the Lincoln Theatre and Lisner Auditorium at The George Washington University, along with a number of other venues in the District, cities around the United States, and abroad. On January 18, 2009, GMCW had the distinct honor of performing as part of the concert We Are One: The Obama Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial, for the 56th Presidential Inaugural. On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, like many others before them who struggled to achieve equality, the Chorus sang “America” with Josh Groban and Heather Headley before President-elect Obama and millions around the world. On October 11, 2009 the Chorus welcomed participants in the National Equality March with song as hundreds of thousands LGBTQA marchers arrived for the rally at the U.S. Capitol West Lawn. During its 20th anniversary season, GMCW performed at Symphony Hall in Boston and Carnegie Hall in New York City. In December 2002, GMCW was honored to perform as part of the 25th annual Kennedy Center Honors in tribute to Elizabeth Taylor.
The more than 270 members of GMCW perform five subscription concerts annually. GMCW also appears at a number of community events, including programs for PFLAG, Whitman-Walker Clinic and Food & Friends. GMCW sponsors two small ensembles: Potomac Fever, a 12-member close harmony group, and Rock Creek Singers, a 25-voice chamber music ensemble. These ensembles serve as representatives of GMCW at many community functions. GMCW has won a number of awards, including the prestigious Mayor’s Arts Award for artistic excellence in 1989, and four Washington Area Music Association’s WAMMIE awards.
GMCW is a proud member of Chorus America, the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA Choruses), the Consortium of Gay Choruses, the Cultural Alliance of Washington, the Washington Council of Agencies, the GLBT Arts Consortium of Washington and the Center for Non-Profit Advancement.