The German word for love is “liebe.”

It’s only fitting that a labor of love about an enduring love affair – the mini-opera For a Look or a Touch — will finally be showcased in the setting for this story: Germany.

The idea of a German tour sprang from SMC’s 2011 performance of the powerhouse production, says SMC Artistic Director Dennis Coleman. “The reaction of both the singers and the audience in those performances was so profound,” Coleman says, “that a groundswell began to move among some key players about doing the piece again in Germany, where the story happened.”

One of those early enthusiasts was opera star Morgan Smith, an acclaimed baritone and regular artist at Oper Leipzig who had been part of For a Look or a Touch from the beginning. The role of Manfred Lewin was written specifically for him, and Smith was passionate about bringing the production and its message “home” to Germany.

Frank Stilwagner, Executive Director of Flying House Productions, says the chorus sent DVDs of its production to multiple LGBT choruses in Germany, and they agreed that the mini-opera delivered a potent and meaningful message that they wanted their audiences to see and hear.

Three years later, that dream is being realized with a 10-day tour that will include performances in Berlin, Leipzig, Dresden and Krefeld. A fully costumed and orchestrated production of the mini-opera will showcase Smith, professional actor Kip Niven playing the role of Gad Beck, and over 100 singing members from SMC and the Heartland Men’s Chorus from Kansas City. Niven says he’s delighted to have the privilege and “profound honor” of joining the tour to Germany after his role in HMC’s well-received production. “I am confident that the weight of the message of this piece will have profound resonance in the land where the story had its beginning,” he says.

Stilwagner agrees. “It’s a piece that speaks to our humanity and a part of our history as gay men and women that not a lot of people are aware of,” he says. “I think it’s fantastic that we get the opportunity to ‘bring it home’ and experience this piece in the country where the story started.”

Liebe erträgt. Love endures.

SMC and HMC will also bring a strong repertoire of American jazz standards, gay pride anthems, and social justice pieces to German audiences. “Tired of the Silence,” a call to come out and engage in political action, references the life of gay rights pioneer Harvey Milk. “The Narrow Bridge” honors Tyler Clementi, a gay teen who took his own life after being shamed and bullied. And “Worthy,” from the web series The Hinterlands, speaks to the dignity and worth of all people.

Sie sind der Liebe wert. You are worthy of love.

The carefully chosen songs, Coleman says, “speak to who we are as a community here.”

On the road between Leipzig and Cologne, the Choruses will pay their respects at the infamous Buchenwald concentration camp, where they will sing “The Buchenwald Song” during a special ceremony. In addition, all proceeds from the performances in Germany will go to the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation, established to preserve and commemorate the history of three concentration camps in the Weimar region.

The once-in-a-lifetime trip, Coleman says, shows the dedication of chorus members willing to pay for the tour out of their own pockets. “It shows the conviction of the individual singers, to make their music be heard and be an effective voice for the things we believe in,” he says.

It won’t all be work. Beyond the incredible sightseeing opportunities, the singers will stay in two of Germany’s most gay-friendly cites, Cologne and Berlin. In Berlin, SMC and HMC will take part in the Christopher Street Day celebration, Europe’s largest gay pride event. Organizers expect 800,000 to one million people or more for the four-mile-long parade and rally. And after the parade, the choruses will perform by the Brandenburg Gate, the dramatic backdrop for the 1989 dismantling of the Berlin Wall.

“The remarkable transformation from a place where gay men were killed and imprisoned just for being who they were to one that hosts one of the most exuberant gay pride celebrations on Earth,” Stilwagner says, “is nothing short of stunning.”

Gad Beck, who was born in Berlin and died there two years ago, would have been 91 this June. But in the end, his story lives on. Love endures. Love tears down walls.

Liebe gewinn. Love wins.

Learn more at www.flyinghouse.org