COME TOGETHER
On Easter evening, I gathered 9 of my chosen family for dinner and conversation around the table.
Someone soon pointed out that among the ten gay men sitting there, we had 2 guys in their twenties,
3 in their thirties, 2 in their forties, and one each representing the fifties, sixties and seventies.
And all were either singers in Seattle Men’s Chorus (SMC), audience members, or conductors.
(Yeah, I know. All men. But remember I had just spent the entire week in rehearsals and concerts with the
outstanding 180 women of Seattle Women’s Chorus. I just needed a little fellowship.)
I am so proud of Seattle’s LGBT community and their thousands of straight-but-not-narrow friends.
And I hope we will ALL join together to celebrate Pride this June.
We have two completely different, but both fascinating, concerts coming in June:
Captain Smartypants in AIR SMARTY and Seattle Men’s Chorus in SMC Unplugged, our first ever
all a cappella concert. SMC Unplugged is a rich tapestry of a cappella styles ranging
from Eastern harmonic overtone singing to Russian male chorus depth, from precision barbershopstyle singing to
Caribbean folk songs.
If you like cutting-edge theatre and the music of Eric Lane Barnes, don’t miss Captain Smartypants
in AIR SMARTY at the Columbia City Theater from May 29 - June 7.
My spies tell me it’s their best show yet.
I guarantee that you will hear choral sonorities you’ve never heard from SMC before.
Remember our most recent a cappella outings: “Tammy” and “Moon River” in the concert with
Debbie Reynolds, and “Lux Arumque” and “We Three Kings/Star of Wonder” at the Holiday concert?
Audience members routinely tell me that the times when SMC sings without accompaniment are their favorite moments.
I’m so pleased to also have the finest male a cappella jazz ensemble I know on the
program: m-pact. Many of you are already fans. If you’ll be hearing m-pact for the first time in the
SMC Unplugged concert, I can’t wait to hear your responses. They travel throughout the world doing
concerts and are considered to be among the finest exponents of contemporary a cappella singing.
You will find more detail about both performances in this issue of Flying House Magazine.
My friends in their twenties through their seventies plan on celebrating Pride together,
attending the concerts, marching in the Parade, and showing their support at rallies. I hope that each of you,
regardless of how old you are or who you love, will join us. Together, we’ve made a lot of progress this year
and it’s time to celebrate.
