SDGMC Artistic Director Application 2021
On this private webpage, you will find materials relating to my application below:
A) Five programs and season outline, as downloadable pdfs.
B) Video and audio examples of performances in a range of styles; also video examples of media appearances.
C) Other relevant links.
A) FIVE PROGRAMS AND SEASON OUTLINE
Click on the links to download the show programs and season outline as follows:
1) Holiday Show 2012: An American Holiday
3) Big Gay Sing 2017: Welcome To New York
B) VIDEO AND AUDIO EXAMPLES
1) A New World 2019 (Jason Robert Brown)
This is my final performance with NYCGMC at Carnegie Hall in June 2019, the Act 1 finale. The sound is a passionate ‘f’ musical theater belt, and the entire 700-strong choir are singing at full tilt, with precision and passion, but having fun. This is the kind of freedom in the sound that makes me happy, that is attractive to audiences, and that I know I can deliver. T-shirts in black are NYCGMC, red is GMCLA, and we are joined by 8 other choirs from across the US.
2) What If Truth Is All We Have? 2019 Ann Hampton Callaway, arr. Beale
Here I direct NYCGMC lipsyncing to a studio recording of themselves. We are singing Ann Hampton Callaway’s ‘What If Truth Is All We Have?’ in Times Square. Video performances like this expand audience reach, and are a crucial element in any GMC’s performance output. I also play piano here. The song was part of 2019 commission ‘Quiet No More’.
3) Appearance on Mimi Chan’s Culture Chat Podcast 2019
This long interview with Mimi Chan is probably the most articulate and passionate example of me advocating verbally in a mission-based way for the work of my chorus. A relevant extract would be from 4 mins 15 to about 10 minutes, where i talk about the right, our Mexico City show, and the impact of what we do.
4) America The Beautiful (2010/2012)
I am including here two audio recordings of NYCGMC singing my simple a cappella arrangement of ‘America the Beautiful’, for use at outreach performances, football games etc. Both feature the same vocal take.
The first is simply NYCGMC at a pro studio in one take in February 2010.
The second uses the same recording, but layers ‘American’ hate-speech over the top of it, in the form of a recording by a ‘celebrant’ from the Westboro Baptist Church. This version appeared live in our ‘America the Beautiful’ show in June 2012. Be warned, the speech is an incisive example of deep cruelty and hate, caused tears initially in some singers, and could be triggering. The layering of the two was much talked about after the show. It is also a simple example of my own studio skills. I did this mix and mastered it myself, added harsh EQ to the hate-speech layer, and you’ll also hear that I sampled the hate-speech and reprised certain parts of it, placing it carefully over the choral layer.
5) Gentle Shepherd 2009 (Bill Gaither) 6) Tree Of Peace 2009 (Gwyneth Walker)
‘Tree of Peace’ is more extended ‘classical’ piece, by a woman composer, also sung live at the Cathedral of St John the Divine. After a long intro., the first choir entry is at 1 min, 2 secs. This performance speaks to my early Episcopalian church music roots.
NYCGMC sings a simple Holiday hymn live at Town Hall, in a sweet ‘pp’ sob. The recording quality is less than ideal, but I chose it here because of the clarity of dynamics, blend and diction. The song is controversial, originally the evangelical Gaither Vocal Band.
7) ‘The Man I Love’ from ‘The Normal Heart’ (2014)
This is an audio recording of the demo we did of 'Gershwin’s ‘The Man I Love’ for the Ryan Murphy movie ‘The Normal Heart’ (2014). In the movie, NYCGMC played themselves singing at an early ‘Gay Men’s Health Crisis’ fund-raiser.
8) We are the Ones (2014)
Now on to my SATB work internationally, and to my work as a workshop leader. This is a video of a very special moment that happened after a 5 day choral workshop I led in Australia. The context is important. In June 2014, I was invited as guest conductor to direct an all-Australia mixed ability LGBTQ+ festival choir of around 180 at ‘Festival Of Voices’, Hobart Tasmania, Australia. After 5 days, it culminated in a show, and the final song, which I co-wrote, was called ‘We Are The Ones’, inspired by President Obama’s 2008 Presidential acceptance speech. The audience were instructed to join in singing the song, and continue singing it for a minimum of 5 minutes as they went out into the world.
This video is not that performance, but what transpired afterwards. Afterwards, the LGBTIQ+ choir retired to the green room, a hotel ballroom you see in the video. The other choirs involved came too, including a children’s choir of 50, an a capella choir, and the ‘Festival chorus’ that sang oratorio movements.
Around 10 minutes later, after I had shaken hands at a brief reception, I returned to the green room myself, to find the entire group of choirs singing on and on without me. You’ll see people shouting, dancing, hugging and crying - the singing had truly taken on a life of its own. As you’ll see, I took out my phone, filmed, and went around the circle high-fiving people and singing myself.
I was proud and also deeply moved by the joy, the sense of community and the activist energy that my work had generated. I saw it would continue there without me. If I can generate this emotional and spiritual energy with any of my choirs, I will feel I have succeeded. This moment taught me it was possible.
9) NYCGMC and JetBlue Collaboration 2016 10) Jazz Blues Workshop, Out&Loud Canberra 2019
JetBlue became NYCGMC’s corporate sponsor, and as part of the deal, they recorded and filmed this video. It appeared on the cabin screens of over 2 million JetBlue passengers during 2016.
In Australia in 2019, to demonstrate my teaching approach at a different level, here is a jazz and blues improvising workshop for a group of less experienced LGBTIQ+ singers. You’ll see me warm up them up, hone the dynamics, and get the groove into their bodies.
12) The launch of the Global Alliance of Queer Choirs 2021
11) Interview for NYC TV station, to market ‘Quiet No More’ 2019
Click here to see our website.
C) OTHER RELEVANT LINKS
13) Custom Choral Arrangements
A selection of my extensive back catalogue of over 200 individual choral arrangements can be found on my custom arrangements page HERE
14) Published choral music, piano music and writing.
Compilations of my choral music, piano music, books and academic articles published by Oxford, Faber and ABRSM publishing can be found HERE