Interview: GMCLA Executive Director & Producer Lou Spisto on the Los Angeles Premiere of Disney PRIDE in Concert

As Gay Pride celebrations continue during the month of June, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA) is presenting the Los Angeles Premiere of Disney PRIDE in Concert at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. In Disney Concerts’ first-ever choral production, Disney’s beloved songs will be reimagined in a celebration of Pride featuring 200 Chorus members performing nearly 50 classic Disney songs, with a 25-piece orchestra and stunning video projections.

I decided to speak with Lou Spisto, Executive Director & Producer of GMCLA about the origination of the concert, how the Disney songs were chosen, and how the subjects of inclusion and acceptance will be represented, reflecting the event’s theme.

Hi Lou. It’s great to hear that Disney Concerts’ first-ever choral production is being appropriately presented at Walk Disney Concert Hall. How and where did the Disney Pride concert event originate?

Two years ago, the Disney Concerts division announced they were creating a show with Boston GMC. I called them immediately and we began the discussion. We wanted it for Walt Disney Concert Hall and for this year’s June Pride, and we wanted it to coincide with the 100th anniversary celebration of Disney. It all fell into place and worked out beautifully.

GMCLA Executive Director & Producer Lou Spisto

What makes this concert a true Disney spectacular production for the entire family?

It’s an enormous multimedia project — our 200 singers perform nearly 50 beloved and iconic songs from over 20 classic and modern Disney films and the Parks, plus a 25-member orchestra and a giant screen showcasing the films and visual art of Disney. These songs are for everyone — all ages, backgrounds and walks of life.

Are you hoping audience members, especially little ones, will attend dressed as their favorite Disney character?

We are encouraging folks to dress up if they so choose!  

How will scenes from Disney movies be shown to accompany the GMCLA choral performance?

Yes, scenes from the films will be featured throughout to accompany the songs. The films are projected on a large screen above the Chorus and orchestra. It’s visually stunning and the Chorus is the centerpiece, for sure, but the visuals bring it to life in a spectacular and familiar way.

GMCLA performs at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Photo by Gregory Zabilski

With such a variety of material from which to choose, how were the almost 50 songs selected to be part of the production?ow were the song

The songs were chosen for their place in the Disney cannon — all the big hits are there — but also the songs that resonate with our community, the ones that have the heart that we do.

To honor Disney (and Gay) Pride, how were the songs’ lyrics adapted to promote the theme?

Actually, only one song has a lyric adapted. The songs and the lyrics are just so universal. It’s the fact that we are performing them that is profound. And when our amazing soloists from within the Chorus perform songs like Part of Your World, they are completely new experiences for the listener, I think. Throughout the show our members will tell their personal stories in sections that relate to the music, and this makes it unique to our community and GMCLA. But at the end of the day, Disney’s music and storytelling are absolutely universal.

The GMCLA is always such an entertaining group to watch perform Not only do they sound fantastic, their individuality as performers always shines through. Who are the soloists and how were they selected for the Disney songs?

For this show, the soloists are all members of the Chorus. It was designed to showcase the Chorus talent, which we do regularly at our concerts. Our Music Director, Ernest H. Harrison, chose the soloists. We had about a hundred of our members audition for a dozen solos for this show, so it was very competitive! 

Disneyland's iconic music box front of It's a Small World. Photo courtesy of Disneyland.

Along with the music of iconic Disney films, in what ways will the music from Disney parks be featured?

There’s an entire section in the concert titled Magic and Pixie Dust with songs from the Parks, such as The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room, It’s A Small World and Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life for Me), plus others. It’s a great selection of songs and a lot of fun!

How do you see the subjects of inclusion and acceptance represented, reflecting the event’s Pride theme?

Our audiences will get to know some of our members’ amazing life stories and journeys, and I think this will be profound. There’s a lot of real talk woven in with the magic! We have sections titled Black Lives Matter, Journey and It Gets Better. There’s a lot of art, love and honesty on the stage.

Anything else you would like to share about the event or GMCLA?

What was also amazing about this Disney project was that, this spring, the Chorus was given permission from Disney to take a shortened version of this concert into high schools as part of our ongoing Alive Music Project. We reached several thousand kids from five schools and, as you can imagine, they absolutely loved it and they loved the Chorus!

Thanks again, Lou. It’s going to be a great celebration at the Walt Disney Concert Hall this weekend!

Disney PRIDE in Concert will have a limited engagement of two concerts only on Saturday, June 24, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. and Sunday, June 25, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Downtown Los Angeles, 111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012. Tickets prices range from $50 to $130 and are available online at GMCLA.org/disneypride or musiccenter.org; by phone at 323.850.2000 or 424.453.3987; or at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office (Tuesday – Sunday, 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.). This family-friendly song fest is sure to please Disney fans of all ages, so order your tickets soon before both concerts sell out!

About Disney Concerts

Disney Concerts is the concert production and licensing division of Disney Music Group, the music arm of The Walt Disney Company.  Disney Concerts produces concerts and tours, and licenses Disney music and visual content to symphony orchestras, choruses and presenters on a worldwide basis.  Disney Concerts' concert packages include a variety of formats, such as "live to picture" film concerts and themed instrumental and vocal compilation concerts and range from instrumental-only symphonic performances to multimedia productions featuring live vocalists and choir.  Current titles include the Star Wars Film Concert Series, Toy Story, Aladdin, Disney Princess - The Concert, Coco, The Lion King, Up, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas and The Muppet Christmas Carol.

For more information about GMCLA visit GMCLA.org, facebook.com/gaymenschorusla, instagram.com/gaymenschorusla, youtube.com/gmclavideo

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