land acknowledgement |
We acknowledge that the gatherings of the Queer Chorus of San Francisco take place on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramaytush Ohlone peoples, who are the original inhabitants and stewards of the San Francisco Peninsula. We have benefited from living and working in this place, which is their traditional homeland, and we believe our work of creating community should include the Ramaytush community.
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History
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The nation’s oldest self-identified LGBT mixed chorus, the Queer Chorus of San Francisco is dedicated to building and enriching the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender (LGBT) community through song and a love of music. The Chorus has performed around the world, and hundreds of times in San Francisco. Known as the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco until 2022, the Chorus has provided a place for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities to develop their talents, find good friends, and share their gifts with San Francisco’s diverse communities.
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The chorus was founded in 1980 by Bay Area musicians and community members, and first named the San Francisco Lesbian and Gay Men’s Community Chorus. Under the direction of conductor, singer and pianist Robin Kay, the Chorus participated in a number of historical gay and lesbian community events. Some of the highlights included the Gay Musical Celebration at Grace Cathedral in 1980, and the annual Gay Freedom Day Parade. The Chorus was a part of the nonprofit arts organization, Golden Gate Performing Arts, Inc. (GGPA), whose mission was to “support the growth and expression of performing artists in the [LGBT] community.”
Some words from our first concert program might best capture the spirit that moved the members of the chorus in its early years: “For the first time in the known history of the world we as homosexual men and women find ourselves in possession of a ‘blank check’ with which to write our own culture, to establish our own community. Yes, we can love one another proudly. Yes, we can build, and create, and establish. Yes, the world is a better place because we are here.”
The Chorus helped to found the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA) in 1981, and was renamed the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco in 1984. The chorus continued to serve its community by celebrating gay and lesbian culture with performances at events such as San Francisco’s annual Pride Concerts, Gay Games II in 1986, and Joan Baez’s Christmas Concert at the Warfield in 1987. LGCSF performed at many AIDS fundraisers throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, including “In the Memory of Friends” at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, and a cabaret show at the fabulous Venetian Room of the Fairmont Hotel, with Marga Gomez as emcee.
The 1990s saw many accomplishments and growth. Under the direction of Pat Parr, the chorus produced its first CD in 1994, “Together in Harmony,” and performed Carmina Burana with the Peninsula Ballet Company and full orchestra at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater in 1996. The Chorus received the Bob Cramer Award for Excellence at the Cable Car Awards in 1992, as well as several Best Concert Awards in past years. LGCSF was the first gay and lesbian group to win the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce Arts Excellence Award (1994).
The chorus has sought to contribute to the community by promoting the work of gay and lesbian composers and providing positive examples of LGBT culture. The Chorus produced a Lesbian and Gay Composers Concert in 1993. In 1994 the Chorus performed at the 13th Annual International Convention of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). It also participated in several GALA Choruses Festivals, with thousands of singers attending. In the Fall of 2002, chorus members travelled to Sydney, Australia for Gay Games VI, “Under New Skies.” They sang with the Gay and Lesbian Choruses of the World in the Opening Ceremonies, and in the sold-out “Sing Out” performance at the Sydney Opera House. The chorus was also honored to be a guest of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC) to perform at the historic Castro Theater for many Christmas Eve Holiday concerts.
Some words from our first concert program might best capture the spirit that moved the members of the chorus in its early years: “For the first time in the known history of the world we as homosexual men and women find ourselves in possession of a ‘blank check’ with which to write our own culture, to establish our own community. Yes, we can love one another proudly. Yes, we can build, and create, and establish. Yes, the world is a better place because we are here.”
The Chorus helped to found the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA) in 1981, and was renamed the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco in 1984. The chorus continued to serve its community by celebrating gay and lesbian culture with performances at events such as San Francisco’s annual Pride Concerts, Gay Games II in 1986, and Joan Baez’s Christmas Concert at the Warfield in 1987. LGCSF performed at many AIDS fundraisers throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, including “In the Memory of Friends” at the Palace of Fine Arts Theatre, and a cabaret show at the fabulous Venetian Room of the Fairmont Hotel, with Marga Gomez as emcee.
The 1990s saw many accomplishments and growth. Under the direction of Pat Parr, the chorus produced its first CD in 1994, “Together in Harmony,” and performed Carmina Burana with the Peninsula Ballet Company and full orchestra at the Palace of Fine Arts Theater in 1996. The Chorus received the Bob Cramer Award for Excellence at the Cable Car Awards in 1992, as well as several Best Concert Awards in past years. LGCSF was the first gay and lesbian group to win the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce Arts Excellence Award (1994).
The chorus has sought to contribute to the community by promoting the work of gay and lesbian composers and providing positive examples of LGBT culture. The Chorus produced a Lesbian and Gay Composers Concert in 1993. In 1994 the Chorus performed at the 13th Annual International Convention of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG). It also participated in several GALA Choruses Festivals, with thousands of singers attending. In the Fall of 2002, chorus members travelled to Sydney, Australia for Gay Games VI, “Under New Skies.” They sang with the Gay and Lesbian Choruses of the World in the Opening Ceremonies, and in the sold-out “Sing Out” performance at the Sydney Opera House. The chorus was also honored to be a guest of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC) to perform at the historic Castro Theater for many Christmas Eve Holiday concerts.
Artistic Directors
ROBIN KAY – 1980-1982
SHERRIN LLOYD - 1983
MATT O’GRADY – 1983-1985
RODGER PETTYJOHN – 1985-1987
PAT PARR - 1987-1997
TRENTE MORANT – 1997-1998
BILL GANZ – 1998–1999
MICHAEL CARLSON – 1999–2001
J. R. FAUST – 2001-2002
STEPHANIE LYNNE SMITH – 2002–2010
WILLIAM SAUERLAND – 2011-2017
MICHAEL REILLY - 2017-2022
MICHAEL KERSCHNER - 2023-present
SHERRIN LLOYD - 1983
MATT O’GRADY – 1983-1985
RODGER PETTYJOHN – 1985-1987
PAT PARR - 1987-1997
TRENTE MORANT – 1997-1998
BILL GANZ – 1998–1999
MICHAEL CARLSON – 1999–2001
J. R. FAUST – 2001-2002
STEPHANIE LYNNE SMITH – 2002–2010
WILLIAM SAUERLAND – 2011-2017
MICHAEL REILLY - 2017-2022
MICHAEL KERSCHNER - 2023-present