Silicon Valley Gay Men's Chorus Highlights Queer Broadway Composers + Lyricists With BLOOM

This year marks Silicon Valley Gay Men's Chorus' (SVGMC) 40TH RUBYVERSARY SEASON. As part of their milestone anniversary, on April 1st and 2nd, SVGMC is celebrating queer Broadway composers and lyricists at their spring concert, BLOOM.

"Broadway-themed concerts have been a popular mainstay since our founding in 1983. So of course we had to create one for this landmark occasion," said SVGMC artistic director Corey Liggans Miller. "But in selecting the final set list, a lot of thought went into choosing music and arrangements that not just theatre lovers enjoy. Though the heart of this show is filled with Broadway music, the performances are rooted in the choral arts, helping to make the songs more accessible."

"It 'hits different,' as the kids say, to hear a song originally written for a cisgender woman, for example, performed by a cisgender man," adds SVGMC marketing director and singer, Wilson Alexander Aguilar. "And as a performer, having the opportunity to sing a song that I've only ever sung in the car while listening to my favorite musical, it's transformative. Words cannot really explain how great it feels to sing and hear a song in this light."

But this is not your standard concert. Audience members can expect some Fosse-inspired dancing, "choralography," and a few surprises here and there. Some of the musicians taking center stage in the production include Howard Ashman, Jerry Herman, Elton John, Andrew Lippa, Benj Pasek, and Stephen Sondheim to name a few.

Founded in 1983, SVGMC sang its first, full-length performance on June 16, 1984, as part of San Jose's Gay Pride Celebration. SVGMC's mission is to inspire and unite the diverse LGBTQIA2S+ community and its allies through musical excellence and pride.