BWW Interviews: Capital City Men's Chorus Talks IT GETS BETTER and Their 25th Anniversary Season

Capital City Men's Chorus, an outstanding staple of Austin's gay community, kicks off their 25th Anniversary Season tonight with a special Fall Benefit Concert. BroadwayWorld recently sat down with Jeffrey Jones-Ragona, the choir's Artistic Director, as well as members David Nielsen and Jimmy Hickey to discuss the choir's history, their recent involvement in the It Gets Better Project, and the camaraderie that comes from singing with 50 other voices.

BWW: Thank you all for taking the time out of your rehearsal to speak with me today. I wanted to start off by talking about the It Gets Better Project that you recently were involved in. I actually attended that concert and was very impressed and moved by it. How was it for the Capital City Men's Chorus to be involved in that?

DAVID NIELSEN: It was very exciting and we were very pleased that we were asked to be part of that. It was exciting to be working with other groups and other choruses that we haven't had any exposure to.

BWW: And how many people were on stage with you?

DAVID NIELSEN: I think the final count was 110 or something around there.

BWW: Wow! It really looked massive.

DAVID NIELSEN: They said it was the largest community chorus that they've had for the It Gets Better Project. Austin was the kick-off for their 2nd year of the tour. They did a tour last year of 6 or 8 cities and then they started again in Austin this year and will end in Houston this May.

BWW: So how much time did you guys actually have to rehearse with the other choruses that were involved?

JIMMY HICKEY: We started rehearsals in the late spring. Jeffrey, our Director, got some of the music so we could rehearse the two songs, "45 Degrees" and "You Have More Friends Than You Know." We muscled through it a few times just to get a head start for the actual rehearsals in September. When we got back from our summer break, we had already had that head start but we also added some new members, so some people were familiar with it but some people were new to it. Then we found out there was a different version of "45 Degrees" so we had to stop learning the one we'd been learning and had to start on the different version. But we had a good head start, and even though we were given a different version of "45 Degrees," we were still able to learn that fairly easily.

DAVID NIELSEN: Apparently the arranger of "45 Degrees" had put out a new arrangement for it that even the touring group wasn't even aware. When they came and we started rehearsing with them, we started singing the song, and they kind of looked at us like, "We've never heard this version before. Where did you get it? We like it, but we haven't heard it before." So we used that one, and it was the first time that version was used in the It Gets Better Project.

BWW: So what was it like to be performing in the It Gets Better Project and with the goal of outreach to LGBT youth in mind?

DAVID NIELSEN: For me, it was important for us to be there and lend our voices to kids who are going through bullying. For me, it's been over thirty years since I've been in that situation, but you still have those memories of when you were bullied. You can remember the person's name and face as clear as if it happened days ago. Those scars are lasting, but it was important for us to be there and say, "You can get through that."

BWW: Have you gotten any feedback from the audience?

DAVID NIELSEN: We got a lot of comments from the audience afterwards. There was an event immediately after the show, and there was a lot of positive feedback. People said they were very moved and that it touched them.

Jeffrey Jones-RAGONA: I have heard a couple things since the performance from people I've run into. We've received a lot of positive feedback. Everyone enjoyed it. I was more moved by it than I thought I would be. It's not that I doubted the importance or anything, but that part of my life is in the rather distant past, and I found myself quite moved by it and thought it was a terrific event. I'm glad we did it. It was very powerful. The LA crew loved it and said it was the first time that they had been able to do it the way they wanted to because all the choirs involved were so well prepared. It was so nice to be part of that.

BWW: I know you have the Fall Benefit Concert coming up, and back in the summer there was a lot of talk about creating an arc and story to your 25th Anniversary Season. How does the Fall Benefit Concert fit into that?

Jeffrey Jones-RAGONA: We're going to take a look back at what has been achieved in the past 25 years. CCMC had rather humble origins. The stage was first taken by 16 people I think, and that included the conductor and the pianist. Their first performance was in front of PFLAG [Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays], and I don't even know if they had, at the time, the idea that they'd continue. But they were encouraged to keep moving forward which they have, and here we are 25 years later and we're a very solid organization that can do almost anything we want to. The board has yet to fly me around in a Learjet, but I understand they're working on that.

DAVID NIELSEN: [Laughs] It's on our wish list.

Jeffrey Jones-RAGONA: We're doing well, but we've had our ups and downs that mirror the economy like all organizations do. But we've always managed to land on our feet. The CCMC has, knock on wood, never canceled an event or anything like that. These men have muscled through some incredible difficulties. In fact, they were at a low point for various reasons when I took over. They had been without an Artistic Director for about a month and had a performance within that period of time that they were able to put on themselves. They just keep going and show incredible tenacity. They want to do a good job and do the best they can, and they strongly believe in what this group is about. Those two things are necessary. I don't care how much money you have in the bank or how good your conductor is. If the people doing it aren't behind it absolutely, it's not going to work. These guys are always there and are always ready to do the best work they possibly can. But back to your question, we're going to take a look back at where we've been. Things were very different in 1989. I'm sure you don't remember that very well.

BWW: Let's see. 1989. I was in kindergarten. [Laughs]

Jeffrey Jones-RAGONA: [Laughs] Well David and I remember it well. Actually, if you think about the time, gay marriage wasn't on the radar. It was something that a few very far left activists talked about. The mainstream gay population didn't have it on their radar. Thousands of people were dying of AIDS and President Regan hadn't said a word about it. AIDS was an enormous thing in the news. The daily death toll was part of every newscast. Violence towards the gay community was a problem as it still sometimes is. It was a rather different planet and different time. Here we are in 2013 and a lot of things have improved, but there's still some work to do. So we're also going to take a look ahead at what our concerns are and where we need to go, and in the meantime the Capital City Men's Chorus will continue to be a fantastic representative of our community.

DAVID NIELSEN: That time that the chorus was formed was a pivotal time not just for the gay community but for Austin. A lot of other organizations that we've partnered with over the years--AIDS Services of Austin, Project Transitions, Care Communities--those all formed around the same time. They're all having their silver anniversary last year, this year, and next year.

BWW: That's amazing to hear. It's incredible that so many of those organizations are still around and doing the work they're doing.

Jeffrey Jones-RAGONA: It's nice that our focus has been able to change as well. When CCMC was first founded, it was an act of bravery for them to go up on stage. Of course, now we have to be really good, too, and they were back then. When I took the CCMC over in 1995, it was having some problems, but they were largely administrative. They were not artistic problems. I've never had to sell the idea of quality to these men.

JIMMY HICKEY: I've been living here in Austin for seven years, and in my hometown of Laredo, there are plenty of gay people, but the gay community is not organized at all. But in Austin, there's that sense of community, and still in this liberal dot of Texas you see a few reports of gay bashing here and there. It's sad, but because that's still going on, that means organizations like CCMC still have a mission.

Jeffrey Jones-RAGONA: Absolutely. I'm not interested in trying to change the minds of people whose minds are already made up. I don't need to change the minds of people who are our friends, and regarding our enemies, I could cure every case of cancer and they'll still hate us. But the fence-sitters, it's hard for people like that to tear us apart when they come to our concert, see a beautiful thing on stage, and see a bunch of faces on a nameless, faceless community. It's hard to hate something or someone after that. And it's nice to know that we make our community proud. We make people who might be shy a reason to stand up to say, "I am proud of my community and proud to be a part of it."

BWW: So back to the Fall Benefit Concert, what exactly on the bill for the concert?

DAVID NIELSEN: Well, Brent Barnes will be back again. He's a great friend of the chorus and a magnificent baritone, and we'll have a few other special guests as well.

BWW: And what sorts of songs are you preparing?

DAVID NIELSEN: It'll be a variety of music. We'll be in a very intimate space, so it'll be as intimate as it can be considering we have over 50 men in our chorus. Besides the performance, we'll have a silent auction and catered reception, so it'll be a full evening with food and wine, you know, the whole thing.

BWW: And what do you think attracts members to the chorus? Why did you join?

JIMMY HICKEY: I joined the chorus last year, and I strongly feel that joining CCMC was the best decision I made last year. That's how strongly I feel about it. I fell in love with this chorus, the people, and the music. As soon as I joined, I could immediately see a long-term future with the chorus. I see myself permanently involved with this. I've discovered some amazing songs that I've fallen in love with. And there have been some incredible performance opportunities like performing on the stage of The Long Center for the It Gets Better Project. And on top of that, making music with amazing new friends who are just as passionate is really special. It's like I found a new home.

DAVID NIELSEN: Every year, the board sends out surveys to members where we ask, "Why did you join, what's important to you?" just to gather feedback from the members, and we always hear the same theme that Jimmy mentioned. People come here for a performance outlet but they find a community of people who are not only gay but are alike in other ways. They like music, they like performing, and they want to socialize with other gay men in an environment that isn't a bar or a club. They feel this is their home. This is what they like to do, and they end up staying many years. I moved here in 1996, auditioned for the chorus that fall, and have been a member ever since.

BWW: Well the friendship and community certainly shows when you guys perform. Is there anything else you would like to share about the chorus?

JIMMY HICKEY: Just wherever you are, support your local gay men's chorus. If they're anything like us, they work their butts off to create something beautiful.

BWW: Well said. Thanks again for your time, and I wish you the best with your 25th Anniversary Season!

Capital City Men's Chorus kicks of their season tonight with a one night only benefit concert, but their season will continue with their Holiday Concert at St. Martins Lutheran Church (606 W. 15th Street) on December 7th at 7:30pm and December 8th at 3pm. CCMC's season concludes with the Silver Anniversary Celebration Concert at Stateside at the Paramount on May 3, 2014 at 7:30pm and May 4, 2014 at 4pm. For tickets, information, or to make a donation, please visit www.ccmcaustin.org