Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles to Launch 35th Season with HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR, 12/14-15

It isn't the Holidays until Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA) presents its annual musical extravaganza, "Holiday Spectacular: Festival of Carols!" This year's presentation will kick off the Chorus's 35th Season when it returns to the Alex Theatre (216 N. Brand Boulevard) in Glendale, CA on December 14th and 15th, 2013."Holiday Spectacular" is the annual West Coast spectacle that helps ring in the joyous Christmas season! Full of color and theatrical performances, special guests and the powerful 240-voice Chorus, the show has become a holiday tradition for families throughout Los Angeles.

This year's performance will be conducted by GMCLA's newly-installed Artistic Director, Dr. Joseph Nadeau, who comes to the Chorus following 15 years as the artistic director of Heartland Men's Chorus in Kansas City. The Chorus's very own youth performing ensemble, Outside Voices, which was formed in 2012 and which consists of young LGBTQIA people aged 14-24 who live in the Los Angeles area, will perform alongside the Chorus in some of GMCLA's most beloved performance numbers.

From the all-too-familiar holiday songs Do You Hear What I Hear? to Carol of the Bells, each will be performed with a unique GMCLA twist. The ensembles will also perform Variations of Jingle Bells by Mark Hayes, a show-stopping production of Sparklejollytwinklejingley (from the musical Elf) and selections from Benjamin Britten's Ceremony of Carols, which is significant for the Chorus, whose original name was the "Benjamin Britten Singers."

"Though the original name of the Chorus did not last, we are choosing to perform selections from Britten to celebrate his 100th birthday and as a nod to GMCLA history," said Nadeau. "I'm excited to be kicking off GMCLA's 35th Season and my tenure with the Chorus in this holiday performance. It means a lot to revisit the Chorus's history while also being a part of its future."

Wells Fargo has returned for its second year as GMCLA's 35th Season Sponsor. Beginning with "Holiday Spectacular: A Festival of Carols," the season will also present GMCLA's spring show, "God Save the Queen(s) - A Not-So-Proper British Invitation," at The Ricardo Montalban Theatre in Hollywood on Saturday, March 29, 2014 and Sunday, March 30, 2014, and on July 19, 2014 and July 20, 2014, GMCLA will present its finale performances of its "35th Anniversary Concert" at the Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles.

"We have an amazing lineup of performances for our 35th Season," said Chris Verdugo, Executive Director of GMCLA. "'Holiday Spectacular' will be a beautiful, festive kickoff for both the Chorus and for the holiday season! We're excited to bring our subscribers and our audience members the quality of GMCLA choral performances that they're accustomed to while also adding some unique twists, such as the more than 500 voices that will fill Disney Concert Hall in our '35th Anniversary Concert' in July, 2014!"

GMCLA's 35th Season program also includes the it gets better Tour, wherein chorus members will join local communities in Texas, Utah, Ohio, Wisconsin and Nebraska over the course of nine months to get involved in workshops, rehearsals and multimedia theatrical performances in rural parts of the U.S. to bring visibility to LGBT rights and issues; GMCLA's community outreach programs supporting L.A. youth through Outside Voices (an LGBT youth chorus) and the Alive Music Project (AMP), and the Chorus's own recognition event, The Voice Awards, to be held in April, 2014.

For more information about GMCLA, or to become a subscriber, or to purchase tickets to "Holiday Spectacular: A Festival of Carols," which range from $20 to $75, please visit www.gmcla.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.