Dominic Gregorio Appointed Interim Artistic Director Of GMCLA

It was announced today that Dominic Gregorio has been appointed Interim Artistic Director of GMCLA, following the end of Dr. Bruce Mayhall's contract with the Chorus.

Dominic, born and raised in Ontario, Canada, is currently completing his Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of Southern California. Previously, Dominic served as the Assistant Conductor of the Taipei Philharmonic Foundation Choirs and as the Artistic Director of Singing Out, Toronto's Lesbian and Gay Choir. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Presser Foundation Music Award, the G. Nixon Award for Leadership, the B.Carrow Award for Teaching and the 2007 Edward Johnson Foundation Music Award. Dominic joined GMCLA in 2007 as Assistant Conductor.

“We're delighted that Dominic has agreed to lead the Chorus through our most innovative season to date, and to provide continuity as we search for a new Artistic Director”, said Hywel Sims, Executive Director of GMCLA, who will oversee the recruitment process for a new artistic leader.

Tim Morrison, Chair of the GMCLA Board of Directors said, “We are deeply grateful to Bruce Mayhall for providing his artistry to the men and audiences of GMCLA over these past eight years. Bruce has brought the Chorus to a new level of vocal sophistication”.

Incorporated in 1979, during the emergence of the gay civil rights movement, Gay Men's
Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA) is committed to advancing social change through music. GMCLA works to create equality for all by making music that is excellent, innovative and reflective of the many cultures that together make Los Angeles great.

Using our unique experiences as gay men, we make music that reaches all people with a message of unity that celebrates difference, rather than condemning it. GMCLA's membership comprises several generations, with members in their 20s and 30s taking the lead in speaking to and working with students. It continues to play an active role in addressing the challenges our community faces as we strive to secure the rights afforded to all others.

Over more than 30 years, the Chorus has built an international reputation for musical excellence while remaining deeply rooted in servIce To the Los Angeles community. Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as "one of the last important links to a glorious tradition in music," GMCLA has more than 226 singers,  5 professional and artistic staff, tours nationally and internationally, has released fourteen compact discs, commissioned more than 300 new works and arrangements, and appeared frequently on national television. The Chorus' members donate more than 50,000 volunteer hours annually to make GMCLA's mission of musical excellence and community partnership a reality.

GMCLA performed at the first Gay Rights March on Washington, D.C. and the first national lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) concert on the Mall in Washington, D.C. GMCLA was the first gay men's chorus to tour central Europe, in 1991, and, in 1999, it was the first openly gay chorus to be broadcast over Russian television. In 2006, GMCLA toured South America where, in Rio, GMCLA helped start the first LGBT Chorus in the region. GMCLA was also the first gay men's chorus to perform for a sitting President of the United States, Bill Clinton, and, invited by the Association of Choral Directors of America, GMCLA performed the final concert at the 2008 ACDA Western Division conference.

Each year, the Chorus presents 13 subscription concert performances and more than 20 free shows. GMCLA is seen live by 15,000 people per year. GMCLA performs in many settings to help change attitudes towards gay people, including the concert hall, theater, and schools, working collaboratively wherever possible to increase the impact of its work. To help carry out its mission of education, bringing its message of understanding and inclusion to as many people as possible, GMCLA launched a Youth Outreach Program, AMP (A-LIVE Music Project), in 2007, bringing its outstanding music to hundreds of high school students in the greater Los Angeles area each year.

For more details about GMCLA and its recently-announced 31st Season, visit GMCLA.ORG.

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