SFGMC Presents PASSION at Davies Symphony Hall This Week

Today, San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus (SFGMC) Artistic Director, Dr. Timothy Seelig, announced the program for the spring concert series, Passion at Davies Symphony Hall (201 Van Ness, San Francisco), tonight, April 1 and Thursday, April 2, 2015 at 8 p.m.

Passion will present a selection of extraordinary new works, taking audiences on a voyage across three centuries, sharing stories of passion as only music can express. Starring the 275 men of the Chorus, Passion includes the San Francisco premiere of Jake Heggie's choral opera For a Look or a Touch, and the world premieres of #twitterlieder: 15 Tweets in 3 Acts, by composer James Eakin and librettist Charles Silvestri and My Friend, My Lover: Five Walt Whitman Songs by Steve Huffines.

Tickets for Passion range in price from $25 - 90 and will be available on February 19th by visiting www.SFGMC.org or by calling City Box Office at (415) 392-4400. Mini-subscriptions for SFGMC's final two shows of Season 37 are available now.

"Passion is more than a concert; it's a celebration of life," says San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus Artistic Director, Dr. Tim Seelig. "The music captures the passions that define us and bring us together."

In collaboration with the San Francisco Opera, American Conservatory Theater and the Contemporary Jewish Museum, Passion features the Bay Area premiere of the choral opera, For a Look or a Touch, by Jake Heggie. Commissioned by Music of Remembrance, For a Look or a Touch examines the often-overlooked persecution of gays in Germany during the Holocaust, at a time of moral and historical importance. Heggie's work has touched audiences from Seattle to Berlin with its true love story. With special guest stars, operatic baritone Morgan Smith (San Francisco Opera's Moby-Dick) and actor Kip Niven, this timeless love story will also be accompanied by a chamber orchestra.

In March, the Chorus will present a series of community outreach concerts and lectures throughout the Bay Area, bringing the message of Heggie's For a Look or a Touch, featuring former SF Opera Adler Fellow Hadleigh Adams. These performances are instrumental in furthering the Chorus' mission of providing extraordinary musical experiences that inspire community, activism and compassion. Appearances include Santa Clara University (March 21), Napa Valley Opera House (March 22), Grace Cathedral (March 24) and the Contemporary Jewish Museum (March 29). Details can be found at www.SFGMC.org.

The Chorus explores passion in the digital age with the world premiere of James Eakin and librettist Charles Anthony Silvestri's #twitterlieder: 15 Acts in 3 Tweets. #twitterlieder chronicles an entire life though a quintessentially 21st Century communication style- tweets. Each song a journey, in 140 characters in less. Finally, the world premiere of Steve Huffines' My Friend, My Lover: Five Walt Whitman Songs draws from Whitman's brilliant and subversive works of the 1800s, revealing a passion that dared not to be expressed.

"Passion" is a gripping musical event that will give each listener a new lease on love.

For nearly 40 years, the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus has courageously served as the international standard bearer for a powerful and accomplished mix of high-caliber performance, human rights, community activism, empowerment and inclusiveness, establishing it as an icon among LGBT organizations. Founded in 1978, it was the first organization of its kind and is credited with starting the LGBT choral movement, galvanizing and changing the course of LGBT history. It continues to rally and inspire other arts-based community organizations around the world. Under the leadership of Artistic Director and Conductor Dr. Timothy Seelig, SFGMC has in recent seasons established a heightened level of performance standards receiving audience and choral acclaim, increased its touring and recording profile and broadened its impact and reputation in the community while maintaining its signature blend of humor, personality and high-voltage performances. For more information, visit www.sfgmc.org and @sfgmc (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram).

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