DGMC & Out Loud at Christ Church, June 14

This Sunday, June 14, members from the Denver Gay Men's Chorus & Out Loud: The Colorado Springs Men's Chorus will be presenting musical excerpts from their upcoming concert, "Songs of our Families" in the 10:15 a.m. worship service at Christ Church United Methodist (690 Colorado Blvd., at 7th Ave.) Please join us in worship to hear portions of a unique new musical work which challenges us to broaden our perception of "family values."

The Denver Gay Men's Chorus and Out Loud: The Colorado Springs Men's Chorus combine voices for the first time to perform a very special concert, "Songs of our Families." The centerpiece work is the Colorado premiere of This House Shall Stand: Songs of My Family -- a unique choral work which explores themes in the lives of GLBT families with soaring melodies and beautiful, touching lyrics.

Denver Performance at 3:00pm - June 21st Only

Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church

1980 Dahlia St

Colorado Springs Performance at 7:30pm - June 20th Only

First United Methodist Church

420 North Nevada Ave

A 45-minute song cycle for men's chorus and chamber orchestra, This House Shall Stand: Songs of My Family is a collection of actual stories about GLBT families from around the country set to music by Portland-based composer Robert Seeley and lyricist Robert Espindola. With the pressing issue of gay marriage rights in the forefront of the national political arena, the performance of this important musical work is more relevant now than ever. The "Songs of our Families" concert will also mark the first major performance of the Denver Gay Men's Chorus in the city of Colorado Springs.

''The inspiration came from stories from all over the country,'' shares composer Robert Seeley. ''Teenage kids to elderly folks -- it ran the gamut of family in the new millennium, how it can be defined. And we ran with it. Particularly moving was a girl whose father was gay, but who had kind of lost himself living in the closet so long. But he found a partner...and became the father she hoped he would become, through that happiness. He became a completely loving partner and individual.''

Advance tickets available online at www.rmarts.org, at Wild Flowers in Denver and Poor Richard's Bookstore in Colorado Springs.

Denver - Adults: $22 advance, $24 at door; Adults 55+: $20 advance, $22 at door; Students 13-2:1 $16 advance, $18 at door. Colorado Springs - Adults: $20 advance, $22 at door; Adults 55+: $18 advance, $20 at door; Students 13-21: $16 advance, $18 at door. Children 12 and under are always free.

DGMC @ Regis University this Sunday

The Denver Gay Men's Chorus Ambassadors small ensemble will be performing this Sunday, April 19, 4:30 p.m. at the Regis University Chapel. The Ambassadors will be opening a program that features guest speaker Judy Shepard, the mother of Matthew Shepard. The program is free and open to the public.

Montview Blvd Presbyterian: Transformed!

Here is a sneak peek of what our audiences will be viewing in person this Friday & Saturday nights at the Denver Gay Men's Chorus concert, "A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock N Roll." Our production committee has outdone itself with this unbelievable transformation of Montview Blvd Presbyterian Church into the fabulous Paradise Theatre!

DGMC @ Denver Public Library this Sunday!

Join the Denver Gay Men's Chorus this Sunday, March 22 at 2:oo p.m. as they perform selections from their upcoming spring concert, "A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock 'N Roll" at the main branch of the Denver Public Library (Broadway & 13th Avenue).

The 45-minute concert is FREE and open to the public!

DGMC @ Montview this Sunday!

The Denver Gay Men's Chorus will be singing in the 11:00 a.m. worship service at Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church this Sunday, March 8. Please join us at Montview this Sunday morning to hear the DGMC perform a rousing arrangement of the African American spiritual, "Sinner Man," as well as a setting of "Salaam Aleikum" from Ghana and "Ameni" from South Africa.



Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church is located at 1980 Dahlia St. in Denver.

RMAA and SmokeFree GLBT Collaboration

MEDIA RELEASE
March 3, 2009

Rocky Mountain Arts Association and SmokeFree GLBT Team Up to Reach Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender Smokers in Colorado


Rocky Mountain Arts Association (RMAA) and The GLBT Community Center of Colorado’s project, SmokeFree GLBT, are joining together for an innovative collaboration to educate Colorado’s gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) community about tobacco prevention and cessation.

SmokeFree GLBT staff will train over 200 RMAA chorus members about tobacco and its impact on the GLBT community. The choruses include the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus, Denver Women’s Chorus, Out Loud: The Colorado Springs Men's Chorus and Mosaic Youth Chorus. The training will include information about the high rate of smoking in the GLBT population and how tobacco companies target them, the impact of secondhand smoke, quit tips for smokers, and insight for friends and family members on how to talk to the smokers in their lives. Additionally, SmokeFree GLBT will offer RMAA a tobacco cessation class specifically designed for chorus members.

SmokeFree GLBT will have resource tables at all RMAA spring concerts and information about tobacco prevention and cessation in all RMAA spring programs. During the concerts, a RMAA chorus member who is a former smoker will share his story about quitting tobacco.

“We believe this project -- a GLBT tobacco prevention and cessation program working with GLBT choruses – is the first of its kind in the nation,” stated Cathy Busha, SmokeFree GLBT Project Director. “We are very excited about this creative partnership.”

Will Adams, Executive Director of RMAA, agrees. “This collaboration is a perfect fit with RMAA’s mission. The members of Rocky Mountain Arts Association provide educational, cultural and social enrichment for our audiences and ourselves. We actively strive to make a positive contribution to the entire community. Given the alarmingly high rates of tobacco use in the GLBT community, we are excited to partner with The Center to help build a healthy community both within RMAA for our members and for our audience.”

“From an artistic standpoint, singers shouldn’t smoke. The biggest effect of smoking on the singing voice is a drastic loss of lung capacity. We want our chorus members to perform at their full potential,” says RMAA Executive Artistic Director Ben Riggs.

SmokeFree GLBT is a statewide tobacco prevention and cessation project that is supported by the State Tobacco Education & Prevention Partnership (STEPP). Eliminating tobacco-related health disparities is a priority for STEPP’s Tobacco Disparities Initiative.

“Research shows that the GLBT community’s smoking rate is about twice that of the heterosexual/non-transgender population,” said Busha. “We believe this ground-breaking project will bring vital information and resources directly to the GLBT community, who is disproportionately impacted by tobacco. Our ultimate goal is to prevent and significantly reduce tobacco use by Colorado’s GLBT community.”

Rocky Mountain Arts Association builds community through music through four community choruses: the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus, Denver Women’s Chorus, Out Loud: The Colorado Springs Men's Chorus and Mosaic Youth Chorus.

The mission of The GLBT Community Center of Colorado is to engage, empower, enrich, and advance the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community of Colorado.

For more information:

Cathy Busha, SmokeFree GLBT Project Director
cbusha@glbtcolorado.org
303-733-7743 x102

SmokeFree GLBT website: http://www.glbtcolorado.org/renderContent.aspx?contentId=35

Rocky Mountain Arts Association: http://www.rmarts.org/

State Tobacco Education & Prevention Partnership Disparities Initiative: http://www.steppcolorado.com/ProjectArea2.aspx?Project=D