There’s more to the Gay Men’s Chorus of Honolulu than singing and performing.
february 2016 Volume 8 Issue 7
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5 feature topic Brotherhood: The Gay Men’s
Chorus of Honolulu
9 don farmer Fortune Favors the Bold 14 jaime malapit
Held Together by a Thread
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20 steve barnes
Honest Appraisal
24 torano harris A Certain Joy
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Brotherhood By : mickey weems ILLUSTRATION BY : ABSTRACT
Our ability to move and vocalize in sync together with others feels pleasing when we do it. Being able to synchronize our voices and bodies brings us joy when we hit the dance floor at the club or sing along with our favorite songs. That same ability can be refined into forms that are breathtaking to witness.
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People flock to see pro football and basketball games, military parades, gay parades, and Janet Jackson with her backup dancers. The difference between everyday people and professionals comes down to talent and effort. There is a portion of humanity that is in between everyday and professional, such as school band or orchestra, hula halau, church choirs, sorority/fraternity step shows, country line dancers, and high school sports teams. Membership in these activities creates a different kind of bond in that participants are not involved in earning a paycheck. People who come together and work hard simply for the love of performance generate their own kind of joy.
visit: www.gmcofh.org
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For this month’s issue, we interviewed four members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Honolulu. The chorus is open to any man, be he gay, straight or transgender. Singing ability is not a must, and the menonly restriction does not mean that women cannot participate in other ways. This creates an opportunity for members to do what humans naturally do: move and vocalize in sync, then refine that ability to a degree that makes for a good performance. It also feels really good to them. The chorus has been going for four years and does much more than sing – they put on a full-spectrum show that features props, costumes, and choreography. Twice a year, they put together a musical extravaganza. All that effort for two events! So why do these 30-plus people put in so much heart and soul for six months, then start anew? Torano Harris likened it to the supernatural: “The blending of our voices sometimes seems magical, whether it’s the harmonies or the tone of
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The chorus is more than just a bunch of guys performing together. blending our male voices.” Don Farmer elaborated on that point made by Harris: “Some of the guys have never performed on a stage in a concert, and just getting past those fears can be a big obstacle. But then the night would come, and it was like... magic.” Jaime Malapit said it put him into a different zone: “When I’m at chorus, I don’t worry about the bills, I don’t worry about anything. Things just sort of melt away.” And Steve Barnes traced it to the need to connect: “Stepping out of your front door and becoming a part of something bigger than yourself should be the goal of every human being. Members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Honolulu have a common desire to share their passion with someone other than their own reflection.” But the chorus is more than just a bunch of guys performing together, and this is key to its magic: It is a gay men’s chorus, which ironically makes orientation a nonissue because inclusion and tolerance are part of the package. The bond that is formed during practice and performance is made even stronger by the boldness of their name – reflecting a commitment to each other and to the LGBT community they serve. The 30-plus members are not like a church choir – they share no common creed. They are not like a sports team – they need no opponents. Their diversity in religion, ethnicity, politics, social standing, and age is their strength. They all step onto a level playing field for the good of each other, and that gives them power. 8 | fe b 2016 - E X PRESSION808.C OM
don
Fortune Favors the
Bold mickey weems photos : jtl location: ewa hotel waikiki By :
Don Farmer, the vice president of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Honolulu, is so many things, including Mrs. Claus flirting with a shirtless hunk. This happened in the chorus’ very first holiday concert in 2012, which was performed in the community theater attached to Saint Andrew’s Cathedral in downtown Honolulu. “In my Mrs. Claus number, ‘Surabaya Santa,’ I strip down to a sexy drag queen,” all the while singing to Santa who was basically a well-built guy in a Santa hat. “My boss brought her conservative father to our choir concert, not knowing that it was a gay men’s concert.” Farmer and his boss had come up with a plan to put her father, who would already be uncomfortable sitting through a gay cavalcade of song, on the spot: “I knew they were on the front row. So I was sure to run down to him in the middle of my solo. I grabbed his hand and tactfully thrust my breast in his face, then ran back up on stage.” His boss loved both the drag queen ambush on her father and the production of the chorus’ first holiday concert. “She’s met and seen many musicians and was
impressed with how much we did in the three months time we had, and that the fun she witnessed was sincere. If we could do this in this short amount of time, just imagine where it could go.” Becoming Mrs. Claus for that holiday concert is one of many ways that he chooses to express himself. “I think there’s a connection between all forms of art,” he said, and he should know. His artwork and photographs have been featured in The Advocate, Out, and USA Today. He has created raku sculpture, sung with the performance group Zamar, and continued his love of the stage by staging, producing, and performing in eight concerts with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Honolulu since it was founded in 2012.
Mormon Town Hailing from La‘ie, or as he called it, “Mormon Town,” Farmer grew up next to the Polynesian Cultural Center and Brigham Young University-Hawai‘i (BYU). “It was a magical childhood,” he recalled, full of adventures in empty classrooms on campus and in banana fields. Farmer grew up sing-
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My heart loved the arts, my mind told me to make money, my body desired men, and my spirit was taught to believe otherwise.
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ing and dancing with his parents, uncle, and the BYU Brass Band. But the magic came to an end when his parents no longer got along, a disturbing development for a child whose faith taught him that families could stay together forever. “I was a member of the Honolulu Boy Choir for two years before my parents had a messy divorce when I was 11. My sister and I ping-ponged across the mainland. We ended up in Utah when my mother gained final custody.” Despite the instability in his young life, he survived through it all because of his faith: “The only thing that was constant through this hardship was my belief in the word of God, my belief in Mormonism. I somehow knew that if anyone could fix all this turmoil, God could.” Problems with a disintegrating family were followed by a crisis of identity. “By the time I was in college, I had no idea who I was. My heart loved the arts, my mind told me to make money, my body desired men, and my spirit was taught to believe otherwise.”
Coexistence After coming out at 18, Farmer had an experience that transformed him. “I was supported by my church leaders and friends, in Utah no less!” He and his college theater professors spent a month on the Big Island at a resort in Puna. “I was allowed to co-exist with both my faith and sexuality. ‘If marrying a man will bring you happiness in this life, and that’s what you want – do it. If you have faith in our Heavenly Father, the latter-day gospel, and the prophet Joseph Smith – if that will bring you the happiness you desire – do it. But you must stop the civil war inside of you,’ I was told.” This was just the boost he needed. “I was able to come out to my family and say, ‘I’m still the upstanding Mormon young man
you’ve known. I’m still a full tithe payer, attend all my church services, perform my duties, and I also happen to have deep sexual attraction towards men.’” Farmer realized that this experience was not typical. “This is quite the opposite story of most of my gay Mormon brothers and sisters. Usually they have stories of hate and violence, being outcast, excommunicated, shunned, and more.” But the future Mrs. Claus did not stop there – he channeled his artistic energy into tastefully flouting the rules of acceptable Mormon behavior, in the face of his conservative church. “I took pictures of faith and gay love coexisting. I was friends with two returned male missionaries that were in a relationship together. One photo was of them reading the “Book of Mormon” together in bed while one was undoing the other’s belt. Another image was of them brushing their teeth together in their garments. This was a very taboo thing – taking pictures of the garments that Mormons wear under their clothes, a symbol of their temple covenant. And another was of them almost kissing, with the missionary name tag in clear view.” Farmer strove for authenticity. “These were real Mormon men who loved their faith and each other. The fact that I was still an active, full-time member taking pictures of Mormon men gave power to my art.” His photos created quite the ruckus. “There was talk of me being excommunicated. But because of my faithful record – and sincere desire to question and understand my spiritual journey – I am still technically a member. I’m no longer an active member since 2007 and have been living in sin with my boyfriend for quite some time now, but I’m still on the membership list. It’s very difficult to be removed from that list – I’ve tried.”
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Don and Kalani In 2007, Farmer returned to the islands. “I always wanted to come back home,” he said, and when given a choice between a lowerpaying job in Hawai‘i or a higher-paying one in Nebraska, he chose Hawai‘i. But something was missing: “I was in need of something miraculous.” And then he heard about the Gay Men’s Chorus of Honolulu. His fiancé (but not at that time), Carlton Kalani Handley, encouraged Farmer to join. “Kalani convinced me to audition for the startup of the chorus. He got a Facebook invite and thought it would be a great way for me to use my music creativity, be involved in the community, and do something together. I agreed, but only if he auditioned too.” Farmer feels that being in the chorus together strengthens their bond with each other. Farmer quickly rose up the ranks: “I became the tenor 2 section leader, then baritone section leader, and an honorary member of the board. For the last two years I have been vice president, performance director, and choreographer.” Handley became Farmer’s fiancé last June, when Farmer proposed to him onstage during the Pride concert.
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Magic Farmer and Handley have witnessed little miracles during their time with the chorus: “We had a young man have the courage to come out to his family because of the good the chorus was doing for others. Shane [Ortega], a transgender man, found an outlet to sing and perform – something he rarely gets to do in the military – it helped him feel normal around other guys that he could be himself with. The chorus was there for one of its members when his partner of almost 30 years passed away. I’ve seen men find boyfriends, love, friendship, and family during the last three years.” This is not to say that things always run smoothly. “Some of the guys have never performed on a stage in a concert, and just getting past those fears can be a big obstacle. But then the night would come, and it was like... magic. Kalani and I felt this power, singing side by side, tears welling in our eyes. Life is a roller-coaster with highs and lows, but it’s much more fun when you’ve got someone else holding your hand and enjoying the ride.”
A Matter of Faith “It’s funny how the world works,” Farmer said, “when you’re truly in need of an answer, whether it’s the Lord, life, your family, or maybe even the universe. You may not always believe, but there’s someone listening! And you’re granted your deepest wishes. Maybe it’s the power of prayer, original thought or inquisitiveness, but ‘Ask and ye shall receive.’”
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Held Together by a Thread
Sometimes the strongest bonds are formed by the most delicate of things. By its very nature, a song is a fragile entity. It winks in and out of existence, temporarily resurrected by whoever sings it, then fades into a memory when the singing stops. Perhaps it is the impermanence of songs that bonds the Gay Men’s Chorus of Honolulu together. The chorus must have commitment from its members to sustain something as fragile as music, to hone their skills so that when they sing before an audience, the result is beautiful. But there is more to the bond than just shared commitment for an evening’s entertainment, and chorus member Jaime Malapit may have put his finger on it.
to define. There are times when we are singing a song, and we are in the zone, when all our voices melt perfectly together and the harmony is so sweet; we take that last breath and hit that last note, the song comes to an end, and suddenly, there is this energy that fills the room.”
The Zone
The energy generates a bond that is renewed with every practice and celebrated with every performance. “When 30 voices become one voice, the feeling goes so deep inside that I guess ‘spiritual’ would be the best way to describe it,” he added.
“When I’m at chorus, I don’t worry about the bills,” he said. “I don’t worry about anything. Things just sort of melt away.” When asked if the feeling of melting away was a spiritual one, he struggled to find the right words. “It really is a hard feeling
There are many ways in which we can get away from the wicked world – vacation, movies, television shows, sports, religion – that allow us a means for escaping the drudgery of daily living. But few of them allow us to meet with ordinary
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people for the sole purpose of creating something extraordinary.
“I Knew I Belonged Here.” Malapit was born and raised in Honolulu. He moved to Los Angeles in 1997 to begin his career in hair care, then to San Francisco until family concerns compelled him to return to the island of his birth. “I moved back to Hawai‘i in 2001 to be closer to my family after my father passed away,” he said. “I opened my own business, Citizen Salon in 2014.” Malapit has been with the chorus since September 2015, and he brought musical experience with him from years past. “My musical background started when I was in elementary school where I sang with the chorus.” When asked about current musical experience, he referred to that great forum for public performance open to professionals and inebriated amateurs: “I also have an extensive background in karaoke.” His description of joining the chorus is one of love at first sight, or in Malapit’s case, love at first song: “Originally I was lured to the Gay Men’s Chorus of Honolulu by one of my best friends who recently joined. He insisted that I try out, so I decided to sit in on a rehearsal before my audition.” It did not take long for Malapit to be wooed – the first song at that rehearsal was “Seasons of Love” from “Rent,” a musical that strikes a chord in the hearts of many LGBT people. “This song had so much meaning to me as a teenager that once the medley of men’s voices started to harmonize, I actually began to tear up. This was the first moment of many where I realized I had to be a part of this group.” That fragile song, coming from the voices of gay men who loved bringing it to life, created something strong that Malapit found irresistible. “There was a thread that wove each person in that room together through their voices. In that song it was clear to me that each person sang from a deeper personal place. Call it a place of liberation, of comradery, or of brotherhood – whatever it was, I knew I belonged there.”
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Refuge From Gay-On-Gay Negativity Malapit finds the world of the chorus to be a friendlier place than the typical gay scene he encounters all too often. He traced the negativity found in gay men’s interactions to the negativity they face when growing up: “As gay men, it may be a cultural thing that we are predisposed to have our guards up and ready to be defensive because many of us have been teased, bullied, or harassed for who we are.” But that is not the only source of negativity in the LGBT community. “Men in general can tend to be overly competitive. Some gay men can be judgmental and vicious toward another. Whether it’s in a club, bar, or the salon industry that I work in, it can seem like a psychological turf war where our weapons are to cut each other down instead of building each other up.”
Hearth Outside of the chorus, Malapit finds sanctuary at home with his partner Gene Coley, a Georgia native who was deployed by the U.S Navy to Hawai‘i and decided to stay. They met online and have been together for nine years. “I kissed a lot of fish before I found my king,” said Malapit. “He is the kind of man that knows no stranger… He flies airplanes for Hawaiian Airlines and builds beautiful modern heirloom furniture. He cooks me dinner when he is not on a trip and says ‘Bless you’ every time I sneeze. He lets me be 100 percent of who I am and loves me for every bit of it, good or bad.”
Extending the Thread Malapit feels that the Gay Men’s Chorus of Honolulu should share the joy with more people. “I would like to see the chorus grow by expanding our visibility in Hawai‘i through social and community events.” He is troubled by the lack of awareness that the chorus even
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exists. “After talking to so many of my friends, family, and clients – only a handful even knew there was a gay men’s chorus in Hawai‘i.” But he takes this as an opportunity for growth. “In a way, it’s a good thing because it just means that there are many more people out there we can reach out and sing to. Ultimately, I would like to see the chorus reach as many audiences as it possibly can.”
The Ties That Bind So often we invest our time in things that isolate us such as video games and television series bingeing. We tell ourselves there are not enough hours in the day, yet we squander precious time in solitary amusements that leave us unconnected to the people flowing about us every day. Malapit has found something that puts his spare time to good use, not just for himself, but for others as well. Preparing for the 2015 holiday concert brought this home for him: “Usually for a stylist, the holidays are a time of work. Rarely do we get the time to enjoy what the holidays are about. Extended hours, last minute double bookings – these all lead to a very exhausting season. I find myself working over six days a week, so I did not think I could afford the time to do anything else but work, let alone join a chorus. Practice doesn’t just end at practice – you have to commit so much of your own down time refining what you learn in rehearsal: I scrambled to find any time I could muster up. I downloaded the music onto my phone. I sang in the car on my way to work. I practiced in between clients. Even in the faded minutes before bed, I would fall asleep with my headphones on while the songs were on repeat, hoping that subliminally the songs would enter my brain through osmosis… I gave every free moment to work on my music for the performance. “This past holiday season was the best I’ve had in many years because of the chorus. I got to meet new friends, sing in the Hawai‘i Theatre, and most gratifying of all, I got to sing to the sick at The Queen’s Medical Center. I’ve discovered that when you find something you love to do, whatever you give out, you get much more in return.”
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We take that last breath and hit that last note, the song comes to an end, and suddenly, there is this energy that fills the room.
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Honest
Appraisal Steve Barnes is all about living in the here-and-now. Facing harsh reality without flinching can make any man bitter, but not Barnes – he is upbeat, even enthusiastic about his life. “I live in the real world,” he said. “I do not pretend to be something that I am not. Hopes and dreams are only fantasy if not accompanied by action that takes you in the direction of where you eventually want to be.” With his frank, but optimistic outlook on the world, it is fitting that he is involved in assessing real-life financial possibilities for his clients.
Truth Be Told Perhaps it is his penchant for reality that kept him from confusing money with happiness when he achieved his career goals. Were this not true, he never would have left the mainland. “I am 49, and I moved to Hawai‘i from Los Angeles over nine years ago in pursuit of happiness. I was extremely successful within the financial sector back in LA, but I just wasn’t happy. I guess I gave into the classic American Judeo-Christian school of thought that if you worked hard and did what you were supposed to do by following God and being a good citizen, true happiness would be the result. Well, I did exactly that, but I was not happy. I had the house, the cars, money in the bank, and nice vacations with a blond, blue-eyed stud of a boyfriend. But when it was just me looking at the man in the mirror, I just felt sad. I needed a ‘reset.’ Hawai‘i was my reset.”
He also keeps it real when it comes to being gay. “I grew up very involved with church and kept my sexuality secret from all but my very closest friends. Then I fell in love with a young man.” Hiding the relationship was unthinkable for the couple. “In an effort to live a more transparent life, we came out to our pastor. We were promptly asked to leave the church if our relationship was going to continue.” No doubt, the pastor thought that he should set Barnes straight, so to speak. He may have even thought that he was speaking to the couple with love – after all, he gave them a chance to change their minds. That, of course, was the problem. If they had done what the pastor demanded, it would not have been a change of mind, but rather a denial of who they really were. Barnes and his man definitely kept it real in their straight-no-chaser response to the abusive love offered them by their preacher: “We politely told him to f*ck off, and I left, never to return to any kind of organized church. I was 35 and that is when I had the clarity of mind to just be me, truly me, and come out to all. Five years later, I moved to Hawai‘i.” Despite that unfortunate encounter, Barnes’ reality still includes a spiritual dimension. “I do consider myself open to the spiritual side of life, but in no way am I religious. I am actually anti-religious at the moment, as it tends to be the excuse used by too many people to justify causing so much pain in the lives of so many others.” EX PRESSION808.COM - fe b 2016 | 21
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Mexican Musical Roots From His Abuelo Barnes traces his love of music to his grandfather. “He loved to play the Spanish guitar and sing beautiful classics of his Mexican culture. I used to just sit at his feet as a boy and listen for hours.” Making music was also a means for him to socialize: “I learned how to play an instrument so I could be in the marching band with all the other boys. I did sing at church, but it was mostly old ladies – and I had no interest in hanging with them.”
Catching Chorus Fever Considering his break from organized religion, Barnes would not have been comfortable in a church chorus. He had to be in a group that appreciated him as a gay man as well as a performer. “I desired to sing with other like-minded men, who were not afraid to stand up and share their passion to sing and passion to be known,” he said. The Gay Men’s Chorus of Honolulu was a good fit. As with many other guys who joined, all it took was seeing the chorus in one of its seasonal performances. In Barnes’ case, it was the first Christmas concert ever, so he caught that train pretty much as it was still just leaving the station. “I attended the chorus’ first holiday concert in December 2012. I auditioned three weeks later in January 2013, and was quickly asked to be a part of this new singing group.” The decision has been a rewarding one: “I have so enjoyed singing with this great group of guys. I have made significant friendships that will last for many years to come. We share a common passion to express ourselves. Our joy is contagious!” Besides his voice, Barnes feels he gives the chorus an emotional boost. “I feel I bring an added amount of joy and optimism for what’s to come. By that I mean a desire to make this group more than a social organization, and a determination to create something extraordinary that touches many lives through musical performance. I believe both my optimism and my life are framed perfectly by musical performance.” And his enthusiasm for the chorus is too great to keep to himself: “I
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love encouraging others to sing from their hearts. The fact that new members even show up is so encouraging to me. We want to embrace all who want to be embraced.” Barnes said that the chorus will be embracing diversity by singing more songs with lyrics that are not in English: “We are focusing on learning a few more Hawaiian classics this season.” But true to his Mexican musical roots via his grandfather, “I would love to sing a song in Spanish,” he added.
No One Gets Left Out Barnes is proof that being a realist does mean being judgmental: “All who want to be involved in the chorus can be involved. Not everyone can sing, but everyone has to be responsible for allowing others to know them. Most people would be shy when they take a leap of faith by joining an established group of singers – The thought of public performance is terrifying to most. Stepping out of your front door and becoming a part of something bigger than yourself should be the goal of every human being. Members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Honolulu have a common desire to share their passion with someone other than their own reflection.” He has seen for himself the power that can be generated when people sing together, and recalled instances when somebody who was not very good was able to improve – simply by blending his voice with others. The yearning to participate is best when it is matched by willingness to improve, regardless of talent: “I’m not going to anyone’s home and dragging them out in order to get them involved. But if they make the effort to show up, we will make the effort to find a place for them.”
A Better Reality For Barnes, the chorus is not a refuge from the world, but rather a place where he can change the world for the better. “Leave the world behind? Why would I want to do that? I choose to live in reality! Life is what we make it. Some create chaos and others peace. I choose peace. I choose zero stress. The chorus is peaceful for me.”
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I have made significant friendships that will last for many years to come.
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to rano mickey weems photos : jtl location: pagoda hotel By :
A Certain “They are very loud and proud.” Those qualities of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Honolulu attracted and repelled Torano Harris. He was not sure he was ready for a group that was so unabashedly gay. Impermanence Torano was born in Hawai‘i, but he left when he was 8 years old to live with his paternal grandmother in Virginia. Reconciliation with his parents has been difficult; he never got to know his Japanese heritage from his mother, and he only sporadically saw his father. When Harris was in Virginia, he was a member of an African American Pentecostal Holiness Church, a denomination famous
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for intense expressions of devotion in prayer, preaching, and music. As is the case with many Christian denominations, the good that LGBT congregants receive in many Pentecostal Holiness churches may be outweighed by intolerance for the so-called gay lifestyle. “Growing up in a predominantly black neighborhood in Virginia and being involved with the church was not a good situation for a gay guy to be in. For a long time, I wrestled with my sexuality while being involved with my church because I was told that it was a sin, and that I would go to hell for being gay. I had a girlfriend during this time, and she was very religious as well.” Religion was supposed to cure him of his gayness: “I figured that at some point I would not be gay anymore. It would be taken away from me through intense prayer and getting heavily involved in the workings of the church. But I couldn’t fight the feelings I had for men, and eventually I started to attend church less and less until I stopped going. I do want to go back to church at some point, and I feel it will happen someday.”
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At the age of 23, Harris joined the U.S. Navy, a career move he stayed with for 14 years despite being ratted out for being gay by a roommate in 1997. “I then switched to the Hawai‘i Army National Guard, which I am currently still in. I’ve been in the military now for over 20 years,” proof that we have seen the end of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, when people who revealed themselves as gay (and more recently as transgender) could get kicked out.
Finding Home Despite this and the rocky circumstances that led to him being shipped off to Virginia to live with his grandmother and leaving his church, Harris was upbeat during the interview. He radiated a sense of happiness, in large part because his boyfriend Losefo Thompson sat there with us. “We met on Instagram,” recalled Harris. “I commented on one of his pictures, and then I private messaged him. From there, we had conversations that eventually morphed into text messages, Snapchats, and FaceTime sessions.” Three months as a couple and they gave off such a strong vibe of affection for each other, I thought they had been together much longer. Like Harris, Thompson had to escape
the constrictions of a church – in his case, Roman Catholic – that did not approve of his orientation. Ironic, since if they had been a straight couple, Thompson’s Catholicism might have caused problems with Harris’ Pentecostalism.
Music: From Kool and the Gang to K Pop Harris traces his musical roots to his father and his earlier faith. “My father was a part of a cover band in Hawai‘i called ‘Windjammer’ back in the ‘70s. His band mainly covered songs by Kool & The Gang, The Commodores, and Earth Wind and Fire. I grew up listening to Earth Wind and Fire – they are still one of my favorite bands today. I was heavily influenced by gospel music during my teenage years because at that time, I was attending St. John’s Church of God In Christ.” Once he took off on his own, his musical tastes diversified. “All throughout high school, gospel and the ‘80s were my music loves. Once I got to college, I began to listen to more R&B music with artists like Brandy, En Vogue and Usher becoming my favorites. Eventually, college also opened me up to classical music and rock alternative – ‘90s grunge was becoming all the rage back then. After, I joined the military and the world of country music was introduced to me. When I deployed to Afghanistan, I began to listen to Korean pop, of all things! Today, I truly love all kinds of music.” Music helps Harris deal with the vicissitudes of life. “Singing is therapeutic to me because it makes me feel good, especially if I’m singing songs from artists that I love. Sometimes singing makes me feel like I’m performing with the artist I’m singing with.”
Coming Out (as Unabashed) Harris moved back to Hawai‘i when he was stationed at Pearl Harbor in 1999, and he brought his love of singing with him. “I’ve been a part of choruses throughout my life: show choir in high school, gospel choir in college, a singing group in Hawai‘i. I’ve always liked to sing and perform, and I like being a part of a group.” But the Gay Men’s Chorus had something more: “What attracted me to the chorus was the fact that it was an all-male chorus. It was the avenue for me to sing with a group and have the opportunity to perform in public.” He committed to trying out for the chorus. “My audition wasn’t too bad. I sang ‘All Of Me’ by John Legend. Afterwards, the audition
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The chorus is a place where we can leave the world behind.
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committee places an auditionee – is that a word? – in a singing section. They wanted to put me in the 2nd tenor section, but I wanted to be in the baritone section… I won! After I auditioned, the committee asked me why I wanted to be in the chorus. I told them that I like to perform and to be a part of a group.” Then he ratted on himself: “I also told them that I did have some reservations at first about being in the group, mainly because the Gay Men’s Chorus of Honolulu is so ‘out there,’ very unabashed. I am in the military and, even though everyone that knows me knows that I am gay, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to be a part of such an out-and-proud organization. But I have since then come to terms with being in the group and am happy to be a part of it.” Harris is modest about what he brings to the chorus. “I honestly don’t think I bring anything special. I just bring a voice, and there is strength in numbers, right?” His commitment to the group was rewarded once he hit the stage. “The first concert for me was pretty amazing. The crowd was outstanding! They were so into us and that made us not feel so nervous and encouraged us to have fun. Well, me at least.” Pleasing the crowd, however, is not the only thing he loves about the chorus: “Singing gives me a certain joy. When I sing with the chorus, it’s nice, especially when we sing a cappella songs. The blending of our voices sometimes seems magical,
whether it’s the harmonies or the tone of blending our male voices. It’s very warm.”
A Different Bond The military is another place where people form strong bonds with each other while performing tasks together. But Harris made a distinction between the two: “I think the bond is different in the chorus than in the military because in the chorus, we are bonded together by something that we all love to do. We all love singing. In the military though, everyone isn’t there because they love it. There are some that join the military for love of country, tradition, or to not go to jail – yes, that still happens! But with the chorus, we’re not paid to be there. It’s voluntary, a place where we can be with other kindred spirits.”
The Future Harris is happy with the direction of the group. “I like where the chorus is already going, and that is to be like a show choir. I’d like us to do a ‘Music Through the Years’ segment where we sing songs by decades such as Motown, disco, the ‘80s, et cetera.” Would he say that the chorus is a refuge from the problems of everyday life? “The chorus is a place where we all can get together and enjoy singing. For most of us, singing does provide a sort of escape from the cares of our individual worlds, so I agree that the chorus is a place where we can leave the world behind.”
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