(above) UMOJA Men’s Chorus (Warren Correctional) prepares for the World Choir Games in Cincinnati; the international panel who came to the prison to ajudicate these singers awarded gold medals in the categories of spirituals and gospel. This article was originally printed in Choral Journal as part of the October 2018 issue, permission was granted by […]
This article was originally printed in Choral Journal as part of the October 2018 issue, permission was granted by ACDA to share here. Learn more at acda.org/choraljournal. I am the product of a K-12 Quaker education received at Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia. My Quaker education taught me to listen to and value diverse voices, to […]
GALA. Most of us in North America use it as shorthand for the LGBTQ choral movement. Many of us also use it as the name of that Festival we attend every four years. Like Kleenex, it’s a brand that’s become a common noun for the product. The nonprofit organization that is GALA Choruses Inc. is, […]
2018 has been a difficult year, as we watch the unending attacks on our democracy and many of the values we hold dear—respect, tolerance, decency. Each day seems to bring a new outrage, and we are emotionally exhausted by the indignation that seems to have become a permanent part of daily life. The arts have […]
Two of GMCW’s small ensembles, Potomac Fever and Rock Creek Singers, travelled to Munich, Germany last week to attend the Various Voices Festival. We had 36 singers on the trip, and we performed seven times. There were 93 choruses from 17 different countries participating in the Festival, including three other GALA choruses: Our Song (Atlanta), […]
The following text is from Donna Red Wing’s keynote address at the 1995 GALA Leadership Conference (now the GALA Symposium) in St. Louis, MO. Donna spent over three decades in the limelight as a cultural warrior battling homophobia, but she lost the battle with cancer on April 16th. She will be sorely missed. The writer […]
A quick self-introduction: I am the founding artistic director of two women’s ensembles based in Boulder, Colorado. Sound Circle is a group of 18 singers, and has been together for 23 years. Resonance Women’s Chorus is 125 singers, singing together for 15 years. Both ensembles are members of GALA and of the Sister Singers Network. […]