GABE SALAZAR, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Gabe Salazar is an enthusiastic and experienced conductor, tenor, and music educator skilled in fostering the artistic development of musicians from all backgrounds of life. Gabe brings to GMCSF 15 years of professional experience as a choral conductor and as a performer. Gabe completed his Master of Music degree in Voice at Lee University with further studies at California State University, Fullerton. His professional career has included serving as the Director of Music for United Methodist Church of Thousand Oaks in Thousand Oaks, California; the Director of New Life Singers and a member of the Voice Faculty at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, AZ; performing as a staff singer for the Chicago Symphony Chorus as well as the Pacific Chorale in Costa Mesa, California; and as Choral Director at the Champs Charter High School of the Arts in Los Angeles; and Osceola County School of the Arts in Kissimmee, Florida. During his last position, the choral program doubled in size in one year and won numerous awards at festivals and competitions.
In March 2019, Gabe made his Carnegie Hall conducting debut with his Chamber Singers. The group won a prestigious competition to headline a concert in the worldrenowned Isaac Stern Auditorium. Gabe is thrilled to be the new artistic director for GMCSF and looks forward to building the ensemble’s future with the members, volunteers, and staff.
THE GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA
THE ARTISTS
ANTHONY CABRERA, ASSISTANT CONDUCTOR
Anthony Cabrera is the former Artistic Director of the Miami Gay Men’s Chorus, serving them for 14 years. Under his leadership, the chorus has introduced groundbreaking choral works for men’s voices (Through the Glass Darkly 2010, Alexander’s House 2013, and I Am Harvey Milk 2016), dealing with issues integral to the story and history of the LGBTQ+ community. The chorus also saw the development and expansion of the MGMC South Florida Choral Festival, which, for five years, featured over three hundred singers representing a broad spectrum of communities in South Florida.
Cabrera is the Assistant Director of Music Ministries at Coral Gables Congregational United Church of Christ (UCC), where he is also the Minister of Liturgical Arts. He is a singer with the Chancel Choir and CGCC’s professional vocal ensemble in residence. He is the Choral Director at the Young Women’s Preparatory Academy—Miami Dade County Public Schools’ single-gender public preparatory academy for girls. He also teaches Humanities, AP Music Theory, and AP Human Geography and is the school’s Director of Student Activities.
SHOSHANA BEAN
“No matter what song Shoshana Bean is given to sing, she will sing it in a way even the songwriter never dreamed it could be sung, and she will tell the audience a story they never knew they needed so badly. She is one of those people that you watch and say, “I’m glad this person is famous, for the world needs their gifts.” – Broadway World, August 2019.
Tony and Grammy Award Nominee, Billboard Chart
Topping Recording Artist, Shoshana Bean was most recently seen starring opposite Billy Crystal in Broadway’s Mr. Saturday Night. Tony-nominated for her role as Susan Young, she has previously starred on Broadway as Elphaba in Wicked and Jenna in Waitress. Her six independent studio albums and EPs have landed her on top of the iTunes and Billboard charts, including the peak position of #1 on the Billboard Jazz Chart. She has sold out concerts around the globe and lent her voice to countless films and television shows, a few of which include: Sing, Sing 2, Enchanted, Jersey Boys, Glee, and Galavant.
Shoshana made her Broadway debut in the original cast of Hairspray, appeared OffBroadway in the 2000 revival of Godspell, and in Songs for a New World at City Center Encores. She won an IRNE Award for her performance as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl and earned a Jeff Award nomination for her portrayal of CeeCee Bloom in the preBroadway musical production of Beaches. In addition, she has appeared in Bloodline, Bill and Ted Face The Music, and recently filmed a solo concert special for PBS.
THE GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA THE ARTISTS
TROPICAL WAVE
Under the Direction of Assistant Conductor, Anthony Cabrera
Tropical Wave is an outreach ensemble of GMCSF, designed for special service performances, when a venue has limited space for the entire chorus. They are also frequently showcased in our mainstage concerts.
Tenor 1
Mark Blackburn, David Pfeffer, Jonathan Sanz
Baritone
John Chaffin, Paul Guariglia, Charles Robinson, Eric Strom, Stegar Thompson
TONIGHT’S SOLOISTS
Bob Beaulieu
John Chaffin
Jeff Goodman Rafael Gragert
GMCSF DANCERS
Alan McKnight
Andrew Stephens
Bert Cohen
Carter Poust
David Gray
Tenor 2 Jose Blanco, Rick Heal, Francois Ratzel, Jason Rawls, Don Thompson
Bass
Felix Fidelibus (not pictured), Richard Fulks, John Lewis, Rick Vaughan (not pictured)
David Gray Sean Gac-Guerrier John Ison A.J. Mendini
Steven Patterson
David Pfeffer
Andrew Stephens Eric Strom
David R. Littlefield Eric Strom Francois Ratzel
Gregory Johnson John Ison
Reynaldo Araque
Scott Hindley
Stan Bunch Terry Hirsh
Tim Yarbrough
THE GAY MEN’S
CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA
THE ARTISTS
BOSFL.ORG J O I N U S ! Pool Partie s • Special Event s • Dinners Theate r • Movie s • Bowlin g • Excursions Stonewall Pride SOCIAL GATHERINGS WITH A CHARITABLE PURPOSE Thanks to all our members and supporters” THANKS TO ALL OUR MEMBERS & SUPPORTERS! To date, BOSFL has proudly donated over $150,000 to other local GLBTQ non-profit organizations TheBearsOfSouthFlorida B E A R S O F S O UTH F LO R I DA 20TH ANNIVERSARY
ACT I ACT II
Gloria
O Come All Ye Faithful
Guest Conductor: Dr. Jack Killen
In memory of Alex Crotts who now sings with choirs of angels. Love, your friends Noel Soloists: Andrew Stephens & Eric Strom
Do You Hear What I Hear Soloists: David Gray & John Chaffin Sponsored by the GMCSF Baritone Section
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Rest in Peace. I love you my dear brother. Love, Ian
The Hallelujah Chorus Nuns: The GMCSF Dancers
Randol Alan Bass
John Francis Wade Arr. Dan Forrest
Todd Smith Arr. Brad Holmes
Words & Music by Noel Regney and Gloria Shayne Arr. Craig Courtney
Traditional Arr. David Maddux
G.F. Handel Arr. F. Heath
Phillips Brooks Arr. Dan Forrest
Ocho Kandelikas
Soloists: Jeff Goodwin Sponsored by David Burba and Larry Small
O Little Town of Bethlehem Coventry Carol Tropical Wave
Words & Music by Fllory Jagoda Arr. J.A. Kawarsky
Traditional Christmas Hymn | Words by Robert Croo Arr. Noah Reese
Sponsored by John Chaffin, and dedicated to my fellow members of Tropical Wave
We Need A Little Christmas
Guests: Members of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus Sponsored by Gabe Salazar in honor of our the newest members of our chorus family who are joining us from the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus.
INTERMISSION
Ave Maria
Soloists: Steven Patterson, David Pfeffer, Bob Beaulieu
For the mothers who nurture, protect, and love us; especially three special ones: Kathia Fernandez, Stephanie Sanz, and Nidia Fernandez. Love, Jonathan Sanz
Words & Music by Jerry Herman Arr. Mark Hayes Franz Biebl Gary Fry
A World of Joy Soloists: A.J. Mendini Dedicated to our brothers & sisters in Colorado Springs: The GMCSF Bass Section
SparkleJollyTwinkleJingley
Soloists: John Ison
The Work of Christmas
Tropical Wave
Go Where I Send Thee Tropical Wave
Music by Matthew Sklar | Lyrics by Chad Beguelin Arr. Andy Beck
Howard Thurman Arr. Dan Forrest
Gospel Spiritual Arr. Paul Caldwell & Sean Ivory
Sponsored by the members of Tropical Wave, in honor of Anthony Cabrera and Christopher Toth
What Christmas Means to Me
Soloists: Rafael Gragert Merry Christmas to my Tom and Bob in Heaven. Love, Roger Snyder
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Soloists: Sean Gac-Guerrier
Sponsored by Tony Minella in loving memory of Harry Silent Night
Words & Music by George Gordy, Anna Gordy Gaye, and Allen Story Arr. Tim Sarsany
Words & Music by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane Arr. Mark Hayes
In honor of my chorus families in the PGMC and the GMCSF. May your moments of silence always be filled with love. - Marcus Saitschenko ENCORE: And Suddenly To Kevin: your love is my gift from God. Mark
Franz Gruber Arr. Dan Forrest Michael Engelhardt
Please be advised that any last-minute changes to the concert program are at the discretion of the Artistic Director.
THE GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA December 16, 2022 | Sunshine Cathedral
ACT I ACT II
Gloria
O Come All Ye Faithful
Guest Conductor: Dr. Jack Killen
In memory of Alex Crotts who now sings with choirs of angels. Love, your friends Noel Soloists: Andrew Stephens & Eric Strom
Do You Hear What I Hear
Soloists: David Gray & John Chaffin Sponsored by the GMCSF Baritone Section
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Rest in Peace. I love you my dear brother. Love, Ian
The Hallelujah Chorus Nuns: The GMCSF Dancers
All I Want for Christmas is You Shoshana Bean
The Christmas Song Shoshana Bean
Ocho Kandelikas
Soloists: Jeff Goodwin Sponsored by David Burba and Larry Small
Coventry Carol Tropical Wave
Randol Alan Bass
John Francis Wade Arr. Dan Forrest Todd Smith Arr. Brad Holmes
Words & Music by Noel Regney and Gloria Shayne Arr. Craig Courtney
Traditional Arr. David Maddux
G.F. Handel Arr. F. Heath
Words and Music by Mariah Carey & Walter Afanasieff Arr. Erin Billings & David Cook
Words and Music by Mel Torme & Robert Wells Arr. Erin Billings & David Cook
Traditional Christmas Hymn | Words by Robert Croo Arr. Noah Reese
Sponsored by John Chaffin, and dedicated to my fellow members of Tropical Wave
We Need A Little Christmas
Guests: Members of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus Sponsored by Gabe Salazar in honor of our the newest members of our chorus family who are joining us from the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus.
Words & Music by Fllory Jagoda Arr. J.A. Kawarsky Words & Music by Jerry Herman Arr. Mark Hayes
INTERMISSION
Ave Maria
Soloists: Steven Patterson, David Pfeffer, Bob Beaulieu
For the mothers who nurture, protect, and love us; especially three special ones: Kathia Fernandez, Stephanie Sanz, and Nidia Fernandez. Love, Jonathan Sanz
A World of Joy Featuring Shoshana Bean
Dedicated to our brothers & sisters in Colorado Springs: The GMCSF Bass Section
SparkleJollyTwinkleJingley Soloists: John Ison
Go Where I Send Thee
Tropical Wave
Music by Matthew Sklar | Lyrics by Chad Beguelin Arr. Andy Beck
Gospel Spiritual Arr. Paul Caldwell & Sean Ivory
Sponsored by the members of Tropical Wave, in honor of Anthony Cabrera and Christopher Toth
What Christmas Means to Me
Soloists: Rafael Gragert Merry Christmas to my Tom and Bob in Heaven. Love, Roger Snyder
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Soloists: Sean Gac-Guerrier
Sponsored by Tony Minella in loving memory of Harry
Light of The World Shoshana Bean
O Holy Night Shoshana Bean
Words & Music by George Gordy, Anna Gordy Gaye, and Allen Story Arr. Tim Sarsany
Words & Music by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane Arr. Mark Hayes
Words and Music by Lauren Daigle, Paul Mabury & Paul Duncan Arr. Erin Billings & David Cook Words by John Sullivan Dwight Music by Adolphe Charles Adam Arr. Erin Billings & David Cook
Program continued on next page.
THE GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA December 18, 2022 | Hard Rock Live
Franz Biebl Gary Fry
ACT II
Silent Night
In honor of my chorus families in the PGMC and the GMCSF. May your moments of silence always be filled with love. - Marcus Saitschenko
ENCORE:
And Suddenly
Featuring Shoshana Bean
To Kevin: your love is my gift from God. Mark
Please be advised that any last-minute changes to the concert program are at the discretion of the Artistic Director.
PROGRAM NOTES
ACT ONE GLORIA
WRITTEN
BY JIM LOPRESTI
It has become a tradition for GMCSF to choose a set of liturgical texts that celebrates the Christmas narrative. On some occasions, GMCSF has performed the “Magnificat,” the Virgin Mary’s song to her cousin Elizabeth telling of the announcement from the Angel Gabriel that she is to give birth to the Messiah. Tonight it is Randol Bass’ “Gloria,” a liturgical expansion of the hymn reportedly sung by the angels to announce the birth of Jesus. The composer has achieved an impressive array of performances and commissions by prestigious ensembles throughout the United States: the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Boston Pops Orchestra. His “Gloria’’ was premiered at Carnegie Hall in 1990 by the New York Pops Orchestra under Skitch Henderson.
O COME ALL YE FAITHFUL (Adeste Fideles)
Like many other beloved Christmas Carols, the origins of the music and the words of “O Come All Ye Faithful” are shrouded in mystery. Over the years, various musicologists connected the melody to 17th-century English church musician John Reading, G.F. Handel, and others. Most now agree, however, that the music and text are both the work of an 18th-century English Catholic layman, John Francis Wade, who fled from religious persecution in his native England. The current English translation was written by Frederick Oakeley and published in 1852, shortly after the author left the Anglican Church to become a Roman Catholic. Dan Forrest’s arrangements of two classic Christmas Carols were introduced to our audiences last year. This is the first of four pieces he either composed or arranged to perform tonight.
NOEL
James Todd Smith’s family home in Detroit burned to the ground when he was five. Subsequently, his father felt a missionary call to move his family from Michigan to Sub-Saharan West Africa. The previous generation of the Smith family had been American missionaries in Africa. Smith’s grandparents built the West African home the new Smith family would occupy for the next eight years. Smith gives credit for his music career to that missionary upbringing. “I’ve been singing in front of people since I was three,” he said. “My parents are missionaries. When we came back to the United States, we had to visit each church that sponsored us. That was a good training ground.” Back in the US, he and his sister formed “Selah,” a Contemporary Christian music group that is now as comfortable singing in West African Kituba as in English, and they are just as at ease in the rhythms of the Congo.
Translation: “Noel, Noel. Jesus has come to live with us. If you want to know the child, you have to come [and] kneel.”
DO YOU HEAR WHAT I HEAR
In October 1962, at a time of increasing anxiety over the Cuban missile crisis, the singer-songwriter couple Gloria Shayne and Noel Regney wrote Do You Hear What I Hear. Regney had earlier been invited to compose a Christmas song by a recording company but was hesitant to take on the task, given his disdain for the rampant commercialism of the season. Then, inspired by watching couples pushing baby carriages in Central Park that autumn, the couple realized they had something important to convey in a piece written for the Holiday. Conflating the Angels’ announcement to the Shepherds in the nativity story, the song starts from the message spoken by a “little lamb” to a shepherd boy. It climaxes in the message of “the mighty king,” a reference to one of the majestic visitors from the East, who strongly exhorted, “Pray for peace, people everywhere.”
THE HALLELUJAH CHORUS (from THE MESSIAH)
Handel composed his towering masterwork of 53 movements in less than one month in the late summer of 1741. Well received at its Dublin premiere the following year, it was not so warmly applauded in London almost exactly one year after. Handel avoided using the name Messiah and referred to the composition as the New Sacred Oratorio, lest he offend the sensibilities of polite London society by bringing such sacred a subject to the secular concert hall. It has become the custom of standing during the performance of the Hallelujah Chorus (movement 44), supposedly because King George II rose to show his delight at the composition. However, there is no evidence that the King ever attended a performance of the Messiah. The first reference to the custom of standing appeared in a letter in 1756. While modern audiences are used to hearing the great oratorio performed by huge choruses, the premier used a choral force of 16 boys and 16 men. GMCSF has its take on the season’s “must-hear’’ classical work.
THE GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA
Franz Gruber Arr. Dan Forrest
Michael Engelhardt
December 18, 2022 | Hard Rock Live
GOD REST YE MERRY, GENTLEMEN
“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” was first published in 1833 when it appeared in Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern, a collection of seasonal carols gathered by William B. Sandys. Although the author is unknown, the lyrics are reputed to date back to the 15th century. It is believed that this carol was sung to the gentry by town watchmen seeking to earn additional money during the Christmas season. Good King Wenceslas.
O LITTLE TOWN OF BETHLEHEM
Near Christmas Day in 1868, Phillips Brooks, Rector of Philadelphia’s Trinity Episcopal Church, asked organist Lewis Redner to write a melody he had written for the Christmas Sunday school service. In the 1924 text, Studies of Familiar Hymns, Redner reported that the simple music was written in great haste and under tremendous pressure. “We were to practice on the following Sunday. Mr. Brooks came to me on Friday and said, ``Redner, have you ground out that music yet to ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ ? I replied, “No,” but he should have it by Sunday. On the Saturday night before, my brain was all confused about the tune. I thought more about my Sunday school lesson than I did about the music. But I was roused from sleep late in the night hearing an angel-strain whispering in my ear, and seizing a piece of music paper, I jotted down the treble of the tune as we now have it, and on Sunday morning before going to church, I filled in the harmony. Neither Mr. Brooks nor I ever thought the carol or the music would live beyond that Christmas of 1868.” Fortunately, their predictions were very wrong.
OCHO KANDELIKAS
The history of Jews settling in Spain is long and complex. In 305, a synod of bishops in Toledo passed an edict prohibiting Jews and non-Jews from eating together. That was the recorded beginning of majority rule that made life increasingly difficult for the Jewish Diaspora on the far Western edges of the known world. These Sephardic (Hebrew word for Spain) Jews were forced to depart from Spain and Portugal in the late 15th-century era of the Inquisition. The exiles had a unique culture and rich traditions as they traversed Europe. They spoke Ladino, a language still in use into the 20th century. Flory Papo was a Sephardic Jew born in 1923 in Sarajevo to a musical family steeped in the Ladino language and Jewish tradition. During the German occupation, her stepfather helped Flory escape. After the liberation of Italy, she crossed the Adriatic and eventually met American soldier Harry Jagoda in Bari. They married and made a new life in the States. Nostalgic for home, Flory composed her Hanukkah song “Ocho Kandelikas” in her rooted language, now in danger of extinction. The Song recalls a child’s joy in the winter Festival of Lights, counting the candles and delighting in the pastries made of almonds and honey. In 2002, Jagoda was honored by the National Endowment for the Arts for preserving Sephardic music.
Translation: It’s here, beautiful Hanukkah; eight little candles for me, oh... One little candle, two little candles, three little candles, four little candles, five little candles, six little candles, seven little candles, eight little candles for me.
I’ll throw plenty of parties, full of joy and pleasure, I’ll throw plenty of parties, full of joy and pleasure, oh...One little candle, two little candles, three little candles, four little candles, five little candles, six little candles, seven little candles, eight little candles for me.
I’ll eat little pastries, with almonds and honey, I’ll eat little pastries, with almonds and honey, oh… One little candle, two little candles, three little candles, four little candles, five little candles, six little candles, seven little candles, eight little candles for me.
COVENTRY CAROL
This carol was performed as part of the 16th century Mystery Play entitled The Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors, a reference to the guild of artisans that produced it in the English Midlands community of Coventry. The play depicts the events surrounding the arrival of the Magi in Bethlehem, told in the Gospel of Matthew. These worshiping visitors from the East informed King Herod of their quest. Learning that they were seeking a child who would be the future “King of the Jews,” he is determined to kill this potential rival for his power. As a result, the Holy Family flees to Egypt while Herod orders the execution of all boys under two years old in Bethlehem. Early Christians designated December 29 the Feast of the Holy Innocents. Prayers for the Mass on the feast day laud the children as “timeless benefactors in the Faith who proclaimed Christ ‘not in speech, but by death alone.’” The carol is a lullaby sung by the mothers of doomed children. The play’s author and carol are unknown; Robert Croo wrote the oldest text down in 1534, and the most senior known melody setting dates from 1591.
WE NEED A LITTLE CHRISTMAS
Just two months ago, Dame Angela Lansbury passed, ending an iconic career of remarkable depth and influence in film, television, and on the stages of Broadway and London’s West End. In her Tony Award-winning title role in Jerry Herman’s highly praised Broadway Musical Mame (1966), she faced her loss of fortune in the crash of 1929 in her characteristic “take-charge” way. Seizing the moment, she boldly claimed, “we need a little Christmas now.” Interestingly, in the original lyrics, young Patrick voices his surprise since it is not yet Yuletide: “But, Auntie Mame, it’s one week past Thanksgiving Day now!” That seems quaint to modern shoppers on Amazon. Her role in Mame lifted her to the rank of Superstardom. In the 1960s, the New York Times referred to Lansbury as the “First Lady of Musical Theatre.” And for his part, Jerry Herman was inducted into The American Theater Hall of Fame not only for Mame and Angela Lansbury but for Hello Dolly and Carol Channing. Two Broadway hits and two Grande Dames.
THE GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA
PROGRAM NOTES WRITTEN BY JIM LOPRESTI
ACT 2
AVE MARIA
Bavarian church musician and choral music educator Franz Biebl’s best-known work stayed where it was crafted in 1959 until the Cornell University Glee Club brought it to America in 1970. A decade later, San Francisco’s highly acclaimed male vocal ensemble Chanticleer included the work in its standard repertoire. That began its rise to prominence first among male choruses, then in arrangements for mixed choirs, and finally arranged without text for instrumental ensembles. Instead, the motet combines two prayer texts from the long tradition of devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Portions of the Angelus prayer that recall the annunciation to the Virgin that she would conceive a child by the Holy Spirit are sung in Gregorian Chant as verses. At the same time, sections of the Ave Maria are performed in lush 8-part harmonies as the hymn’s chorus.
A WORLD OF JOY Emmy Award-winning composer Gary Fry has long collaborated with some of America’s most prominent orchestras and choruses. His works have graced the concert stage in Chicago, where he arranged and composed the Chicago Symphony’s annual Holiday Yule concert for nearly 20 years. In addition, he has been an artistic consultant for the Dallas Symphony’s annual Christmas Celebration concerts. He is currently the composer and arranger for the holiday programs of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra. These, and many other symphonies and choruses across the country, have commissioned over 100 Holiday Season works by Fry. In 2018, GMCSF joined that prestigious group, commissioning Fry to voice a male choral arrangement of his Song in Our Hearts, initially written for the Chicago Symphony Chorus.
THE WORK OF CHRISTMAS
What happens after the twelfth day of Christmas, the Feast of the Epiphany, on January 6? That was a question few have posed save African American theologian, philosopher, mystic, and educator Howard Thurman (1899–1981), who grounded all his work in the deep conviction that “life is alive” with creative intelligence. He played a leading role among the warriors for social justice. And he was one of the principal architects of the modern, nonviolent civil rights movement and a key mentor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. King received his Ph.D. at Boston University, where Thurman served as chaplain. So, what does Thurman say is the “Work of Christmas” in his posthumously published poem? It is “to find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among the people, to make music in the heart.” As you will hear tonight, Dan Forrest challenged that last directive in work commissioned initially by Myers Park United Methodist Church in Charlotte, NC. Today’s faith community pledges: “We will work towards restorative justice so that all people have access to wealth, health, wellbeing, justice, and opportunity.”
GO WHERE I SEND THEE
The origins of “Go Where I Send Thee” are difficult to trace. Still, large portions of the music and the lyrics predate the Gospel adaptation by early African American communities. All have contributed to today’s beloved Christmas carol in its distinctive Gospel style. It is likely that the English folk song “The Twelve Apostles” is a direct source, but there are reasons to trace the carol’s origins back to a 16th Century Yiddish Passover song. After extensive research through archives of recordings in the Library of Congress, a PRX-syndicated radio program produced in 2017 concluded: The song’s story “offers insight into the making of American culture, asking: How did an old-world folk song become something distinctly American? And how do we reconcile contemporary notions of American folk music traditions with the legacy of Jim Crow?”
WHAT CHRISTMAS MEANS TO ME
Before the Great Depression, Christmas music was mainly about Biblical themes and liturgical texts. But in the 1930s, an ever-increasing amount of American holiday seasonal music no longer explicitly referenced the nativity, or shepherds and angels, featuring secular Western seasonal themes and customs instead. Of course, the newer holiday music genre often conjured Santa and his crew for children. Still, sentimental ballad-type songs by famous crooners also crowded the airwaves and movie theaters. Holiday value-themed music espousing family, kindness to others, generosity, and the like were winning topics to write about. As were Holiday themed love songs. The Gordy and Story version of “What Christmas Means to Me” is among the most covered of those love songs starting with Stevie Wonder and continuing to this day with John Legend and Pentatonix.
SILENT NIGHT
The carol was first performed in the Church of St. Nicholas in Oberndorf, Austria, on December 24, 1818. Mohr had composed the words two years earlier, but on Christmas Eve, he brought them to Gruber and asked him to compose a melody and guitar accompaniment for the church service. In his written account regarding the composition of the carols, Gruber does not mention the specific inspiration for creating the song. It is commonly supposed that the church organ was no longer working; hence Mohr and Gruber created music for guitar accompaniment. Some believe that Mohr wanted a new Christmas carol that he could play on his guitar. Austria’s Silent Night Society says that “many romantic stories and legends” add anecdotal details to the known facts.
HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS
Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin’s famous Christmas song was written to be sung by Esther Smith (Judy Garland) to
THE GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA
PROGRAM
WRITTEN BY JIM LOPRESTI
NOTES
her daughter Tootie (Margaret O’Brien) in the 1944 film Meet Me in St. Louis. Martin’s original lyrics were a bit more melancholy than the version most hear today on Frank Sinatra’s 1957 album, A Jolly Christmas. In a poignant scene from the film, Esther seeks to comfort Tootie, who is upset by a planned move away from beloved St. Louis to distant New York. Esther was supposed to sing to her daughter: “Have yourself a merry little Christmas/It may be your last… Faithful friends who are dear to us/Will be near to us no more. We’ll have to muddle through somehow.” Judy Garland protested, and Martin relented. He adjusted the lyrics. In 1957 the phrase “until then, we’ll have to muddle through somehow” was replaced at Sinatra’s request with “…hang a shining star upon the highest bow.”
SPARKLEJOLLYTWINKLEJINGLY
On one Christmas Eve, a baby boy at a New York orphanage crawls undetected into Santa’s sack. He is unwittingly transported on the globe-trotting sleigh, not to be discovered until everyone returns to the North Pole. The elves name him Buddy after the brand label on his diaper, and Papa Elf adopts and raises him. The film Elf tells the charming story of the madcap adventures that lead to his new life back among his human family, who, up until Buddy’s arrival, has made it on Santa’s naughty list. Buddy helps them, and much of New York, remember the “true meaning of Christmas.” According to critic Roger Ebert, the 2003 film is “wickedly funny” and “it charms the socks right off the mantelpiece.” The 2010 Broadway adaptation of Elf ran for two Holiday seasons and four North American tours, the last in 2016.
Sung by SHOSHANA BEAN
ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS YOU
Mariah Carey is well known for her infectious delight in all things Christmas. In a 2016 feature article, People Magazine listed “10 Reasons Why Mariah Carey Is – and Always Will Be – the Queen of Christmas.” And All I Want for Christmas Is You, composed in 1994, is one of only two Holiday recordings to reach Billboard’s number one spot over 60+ years of rankings in its weekly “Hot 100” list. However, it took her 25 years to accomplish that feat. It wasn’t until 2019 that the song finally reached that #1 high water mark set in 1958 by, of all “people,” The Chipmunks. David Seville’s “The Chipmunk Song” ruled the Holiday airwaves for four weeks in 1958-59.
THE CHRISTMAS SONG
James Torme, son of Mid-century jazz pianist and crooner Mel Torme, told the story of the origins of this Holiday favorite on a 2017 Christmas Day NPR broadcast. His father was visiting with writing partner Robert Wells on a hot July day in 1945. Their shared desire for respite from the heat occasioned their nostalgia for the pleasures of the much colder Holiday season. They mused about “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” and “kids dressed up like Eskimos.” As James tells it, one thing led to another, and less than an hour later, their newly born and titled The Christmas Song got them both excited enough to bring it to a publisher that same day. They were rejected. The publishing company was not ready to invest in a song that “would be popular only one day of the year.” So, later that very same day, the composing duo took the song to Nat King Cole, who instantly fell in love with it. Mel Torme gifted the song to him right on the spot. Nat King Cole recorded The Christmas Song four times between 1946 and 1961, making it his signature Holiday classic. Such was the kind of success that gave Van Heusen Publishing reasons for regretting their July 1945 refusal. The Christmas Song has been covered by dozens of the most famous American recording artists every decade since then.
LIGHT OF THE WORLD
Singer-songwriter Lauren Daigle’s Creole-Zydeco music roots in Southwest Louisiana foretold that her most notable contribution to the music world would be faith-based. “Light of the World,” her first single, was included in the 2013 album Christmas: Joy To The World, a collection of holiday songs from various artists on the newly established Centricity label. The song opens with a universal plea: “The world waits for the miracle/The heart longs for a little bit of hope/ Oh come, oh come Emmanuel.” She is the recipient of various awards and accolades, including two American Music Awards, two Billboard Music Awards, many GMA Awards, and several Grammy nominations. In response to certain Fundamentalist Christian writers who took umbrage at her appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show, she said: “I don’t have all the answers in life, and I’m definitely not gonna act like I do, but the one thing that I know for sure is I can’t choose who I’m supposed to be kind to and who I’m supposed to show love to and who I’m not because that’s the mission right? Be who Christ was to everyone.”
O HOLY NIGHT
In 1847, the parish priest in Roquemaure, France, asked local wine merchant and poet Placide Cappeau to write a Christmas poem for the church. At the poet’s request, French operatic composer Adolphe Adam set Cappeau’s “Minuit Chretiens” to music, simply titling it “Cantique de Noël.” Adam’s hymn was first performed at Midnight Mass that same year in the Roquemaure parish church. Ecclesiastical authorities were not especially pleased. Perhaps animated by a distaste for anything conjuring operatic musical fare, one French bishop denounced it for its “lack of musical taste and total lack of the spirit of religion.” Fortunately, this churchman’s displeasure had little effect on the rising popularity of the hymn. In 1855, Boston Unitarian minister John Sullivan Dwight, a respected voice in the city’s emerging music scene, created and published “O Holy Night,” his English version of “Cantique de Noël,” thus introducing the hymn to American audiences. This was the same year the translation of another French Carol, “Angels We Have Heard on High,” was first published in English. Both French implants quickly took firm root in America.
THE GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA
PROGRAM
WRITTEN BY JIM LOPRESTI
NOTES
THE GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA SINGING TONIGHT As of November 18, 2022
Fidel Aburto Eric Alayon Christian Andaya Bruce Anderson Reynaldo Araque
Rafael Baez
David Baier Derek Barbara Andy Barborak Bob Beaulieu
Rowan Benenfeld Miguel Bernard-Rivera Rex Beyer Mark Blackburn Jose Blanco
Fred Boykin
Stan Bunch
John Burch
John Chaffin
Bert Cohen
Tony Corrente
Doug Cureton
Roubik Danelian
Guy D’Arcangelo
Edmound Davis
THE GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA SINGING TONIGHT As of November 18, 2022
Jerry Day Chad Edgar Daniel Elder Craig Fashbaugh Doug Ferguson
James Ficke
Felix Fidelibus
Joseph Fletcher
Michael Foley Susan Foley
Steven Freeman
Richard Fulks Jarrod Gac Sean Gac-Guerrier Walter Gardner
Brian Garrett
Jeff Goodwin
Rafael Gragert
David Gray
Paul Guariglia
Rick Heal
Scott Hindley
Craig Hinman
Terry Hirsh
Dean Hitsos
THE GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA SINGING TONIGHT As of November 18, 2022
Michael Holtzman Matthew Hoover
David Hopper
Jim Houser Shawn Hysell
John Ison
Michael Jacobsen
Victor Jannett
Gregory Johnson Ronnie Jones Jr.
Donald Kasischke
Herb Knowles
Peter Konrath
Aaron Lauer
John Lewis
David R. Littlefield
Tom Ludwiczak
James Mallon
Alan McKnight A.J. Mendini
Scott Messenger
Tony Minella
Rodrick Minnis
Terry Moore
Harold Noble
THE GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA SINGING TONIGHT As of November 18, 2022
Miguelanjel ODell-Perez
Orlando Ojeda
Jorge Ornelas Jr. Nick Orr
Billy Parjan
Clayton Paterson
Steven Patterson
David Pfeffer
Michael Ping Eduardo Pinto
Carter Poust Francois Ratzel Jason Rawls
Peter Reinoso Charles Robinson
Raymond Rodriguez
Larry Rosenberg
Jonathan Ruiz
Marcus Saitschenko
Jose Santos
Jonathan Sanz
Steven Shapiro
Neal Sinha
Donald Small
Larry Small
THE GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA SINGING TONIGHT As of November 18, 2022
Roger Snyder Bill Spinosa D. Preston Steele
Jack Stein Andrew Stephens
Eric Strom Romulo Sucre Don Thompson
Robert Thompson Don Tomasello
Johann Torres
Kely Van Eaton Rick Vaughan
Omari Walker Aubrey Williams
Tim Yarbrough
Rob Young Eric Ziegler
Good evening! Spending the holidays with you is like catching up with dear friends and family. On behalf of our entire organization, I want you to know that we are excited to see you again and look forward to building great memories together. After all, the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida would not be here if it weren’t for you.
I must say that I am overwhelmed at the way you’ve sustained this chorus and enabled it to not only survive a global pandemic but emerge from it with strength. Your attendance at our concerts, your advertising, your donations, and your words of encouragement have kept us on the move and inspired. Just like any dear friend or family member, you were there for us when we needed you. On behalf of everyone…I thank you so very much.
Great things are happening for this chorus, and we all feel such a sense of excitement. I hope you do too. Together we are building a powerful force of music and humanity that is spreading hope further and further. In fact, we are reaching more than 20,000 people each season. We feel that everyone needs to see LGBTQ+ people as a vibrant community of individuals who are entitled to the same rights as others. Rights that are now under threat. We are not backing down. The Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida is singing louder, getting stronger, and reaching further. We feel it is an honor to serve as the voice of the LGBTQ+ community.
Please continue to be a part of us. Buy tickets and bring friends. Donate to help us expand and do more. Volunteer and help reinforce our infrastructure. Buy an ad in the program book. You may even wish to audition and lend your voice to our efforts. However you may choose to become a part of this fabulous organization, I commit to you that as you stand behind us, we will continue doing our part. We will put in the many hours every week, hone our artistry, collaborate with the community, and increase our advocacy for LGBTQ+ individuals. Together, with you, we can build a better future for all people.
THE GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Get Involved! www.gmcsf.org
MARK B. KENT
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
STAFF
HONORARY ADVISORY COUNCIL
THE GAY MEN’S
FLORIDA GMCSF LEADERSHIP
CHORUS OF SOUTH
Council Chair, Harvey Shapiro, Louis Benvento, Fred Boykin, Don Croxton Mike Dager, Dino Georgiou, Gary Hoffman, Gerry Kennedy, George Kling John Olson, Bob Pagano, Joe Pallant, Doug Pew, Don Tomasello, Rick Vaughan
Fred Boykin
Tony Corrente
Johnnie Mejia
Kerry Waldee
Ronni Arden
Judy Paul
Bob Beaulieu
Adam Barber
Bill Spinosa
Michael Foley
Erick Eldridge
Rick Vaughan
Mark B. Kent
Edward Otto Zielke
Doug Leib
Howard Yopp
Board Chair Chorus President Director
Board Vice-Chair Director Director
Secretary/Chorus Representative Director Director
Treasurer Director Director Executive Director Director of Marketing and Sponsorship Office Manager and Bookkeeper Office Volunteer
Tenor I
Reynaldo Araque
Derek Barbara
Andy Barborak
Bob Beaulieu
Mark Blackburn
Jose Blanco
Rodney Bolton
Fred Boykin
Bruce Chartier
Tony Corrente
Edmound Davis
Chad Edgar Doug Ferguson
Andrew Fletcher
Susan Foley
Michael Gillespie
Rafael Gragert
Matthew Hoover
David Hopper
Mel Meléndez
A.J. Mendini
Nick Orr
David Pfeffer
Carter Poust
Jonathan Sanz
Romulo Sucre
Ansel Thompson
Tenor II
Fidel Aburto
Bruce Anderson
Rafael Baez
Rowan Benenfeld
Miguel Bernard-Rivera
Alvaro Bucheli
Stan Bunch
Bert Cohen
Kevin Combs
Doug Cureton Jeff Goodwin
Rick Heal
John Ison
Peter Konrath
Wayne Laubscher
Aaron Lauer
Aaron Lockley
Harold Noble
Miguelanjel ODell-Perez
Jorge Ornelas Jr.
Billy Parjan
Alan Parshley
Michael Ping
Eduardo Pinto
Geordanys Ramirez Daniel
Francois Ratzel
Jason Rawls
Jonathan Ruiz
Brent Simmons
Neal Sinha
Robert Smith
Rogelio Snyder
Andrew Stephens
Dennis St. Jean
William Tedjo
Lucas Testin
Don Thompson
Johann Torres
Omari Walker
Jason Weston
Baritone
Eric Alayon
Christian Andaya
John Chaffin
Roubik Danelian
Guy D’Arcangelo
Daniel Elder
Frank Ferri
Ethan Fletcher
Joseph Fletcher
Michael Foley
Jarrod Gac
Sean Gac-Guerrier
Walter Gardner
Brian Garrett
Cary Giacalone
David Gray
Paul Guariglia
Craig Hinman
Dean Hitsos
Michael Holtzman
Shawn Hysell
Michael Jacobsen
Gregory Johnson
Ronnie Jones Jr. John Lewis David R. Littlefield
Tom Ludwiczak
James Mallon
Scott Messenger
Tony Minella
Orlando Ojeda
Peter Reinoso Charles Robinson
Raymond Rodriguez
Larry Rosenberg Steven Shapiro
Larry Small Bill Spinosa Jack Stein
Eric Strom Stegar Thompson
David Van Cleaf
Kely Van Eaton
Rick Vaughan Eric Ziegler
Bass David Baier Rex Beyer John Burch
Jerry Day
Craig Fashbaugh
Richard Ferguson
James Ficke
Felix Fidelibus
Steven Freeman
Richard Fulks
Scott Hindley
Terry Hirsh Jim Houser
Victor Jannett Bradley Johnson Donald Kasischke
Herb Knowles
Jim Lopresti Brian McComak
Alan McKnight Rodrick Minnis Terry Moore
Clayton Paterson
Steven Patterson Jason Pitt Marcus Saitschenko Jose Santos Donald Small D. Preston Steele Robert Thompson Don Tomasello Michael Valdez Aubrey Williams Tim Yarbrough Rob Young
Non-Singing Bob Artale Joe Cannon Philip Morris Brian Prenda Umberto Veltri Charlie Walter
ARTISTIC TEAM
Artistic Director Gabe Salazar
Assistant Conductor Anthony Cabrera Production Director James Smith Principal Accompanist Edwin Neimann
Accompanists Kevin Combs Christopher Toth
Choreographers Scott Hindley Francois Ratzel Costumes Joseph Fletcher Craig Hinman Production Assistant Tom Michalak
BOARD OF DIRECTORS Board Chair Fred Boykin Board Vice-Chair Kerry Waldee
Secretary & Chorus Representative Bob Beaulieu
Treasurer Michael Foley Directors Ronni Arden Adam Barber Tony Corrente Erick Eldridge Johnnie Mejia
Judy Paul Bill Spinosa Rick Vaughan
LEADERSHIP TEAM
President Tony Corrente
Vice President Jonathan Sanz
Secretary David Pfeffer
Treasurer Michael Foley
VP of Community Relations Kely Van Eaton
VP of Equity, Access & Belonging John Lewis
VP of Membership Bill Spinosa
Section Administrators
John Chaffin - Tropical Wave Doug Ferguson - Tenor 1 Rick Heal - Tenor 2 Joe Fletcher - Baritone Aubrey Williams - Bass
GMCSF STAFF Executive Director Mark B. Kent
Director of Marketing & Sponsorship Edward Otto Zielke
Office Manager & Bookkeeper Doug Leib
Office Volunteer Howard M. Yopp Jr. Volunteer Coordinator Kris Jarmann
HONORARY ADVISORY COUNCIL
Council Chair, Harvey Shapiro Louis Benvento
Fred Boykin Don Croxton Mike Dager Dino Georgiou Gary Hoffman Gerry Kennedy George Kling John Olson Bob Pagano Joe Pallant Doug Pew Don Tomasello Rick Vaughan
THE GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA OUR ORGANIZATION As of November 18, 2022
WELCOME THE MAURER FAMILY FOUNDATION
DAVID MAURER
CONNECTING
In the beginning of 2022, David Maurer with the Maurer Family Foundation reached out to the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida, interested to learn more about our work. The Maurer Family Foundation is a really rare and special funder that focuses specifically on funding the arts and culture. We were so honored to be invited to apply for support for our March 2023 co-commissioned work, “Songs of the Phoenix.” Thanks to tremendous guidance and encouragement from David, we submitted our application and ultimately were awarded funding. We are so very proud to welcome The Maurer Family Foundation to the GMCSF family.
MISSION
Through its charitable gifts, the Maurer Family Foundation aims to provide financial assistance to those organizations and institutions whose goal is to enrich their communities and the lives of their patrons through programs of cultural value. This includes, but is not limited to, fine art, experimental art, applied and decorative art, film, television, music, literature, poetry, architecture, theater, dance, opera, and folk traditions; in short, the entire realm of creative human endeavor.
HISTORY
In the early 1990s Gil and Ann Maurer were thinking deeply about how to engage and unify a large and growing family unit. What meaningful work could connect us as a family? What common endeavor would inspire us, our children and their children?
The idea of creating a foundation dedicated to supporting the arts in America had great appeal to the personal interests of every member of the family. Thus, was born the Maurer Family Foundation, a charitable foundation, which provides grants to local arts organizations that the family believes in.
Now with three generations of family members actively participating, the Maurer Family Foundation continues to bring together a close-knit family dedicated to helping the arts flourish in its community.
THE GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA DONOR HIGHLIGHTS
LEVELS OF GIVING
GMCSF CHORAL SOCIETY
VIRTUOSI
Our treasured Virtuosi are truly the consummate artists in philanthropy and generosity. Their support substantially sustains the Chorus and helps build our future.
Maestros ($20,000+)
All benefits below, PLUS: Photo and biography in program once each season Invitation to sit with the Chorus during a rehearsal
Composers ($10,000 - $19,999)
All benefits below, PLUS:
Private dinner with GMCSF’s Artistic Director and Executive Director
Featured donor e-blast at least once each season Customized naming opportunity for the season
Divas ($5,000 - $9,999)
All benefits below, PLUS: Name announced at concerts Invitations to exclusive Virtuosi events Invitation to the Chorus’s end-of-year dinner
Producers ($2,500 - $4,999)
All benefits below, PLUS: Concierge ticketing service Invitation to a rehearsal and wine reception VIP parking at Sunshine Cathedral concerts Invitations to exclusive donor receptions and events
CONDUCTOR’S CIRCLE
The Conductor’s Circle is a passionate community of supporters who generously invest in our season, enabling us to spread our messages of love and inclusion through song.
Benefactors ($1,500 - $2,499)
Friends and Supporters benefits, PLUS: Priority access to the best seats for our concerts
Supporters ($300 - $1,499) Friends benefit, PLUS: Patron’s Club membership
Introducing THE PATRON’S CLUB
Friends ($1 - $299) Listing in concert program books and GMCSF’s website
The GMCSF Patron’s Club is an annual membership program with an annual fee of $300 ($25 a month). Members of the club get the benefits listed for our “Supporters” level of giving, dedicated e-blasts that give updates on the chorus and our progress, a GMCSF T-shirt, and access to a special event. GMCSF donors of $300 or more who renew for the 2022-2023 season are automatically enrolled in the Patron’s Club.
THE GAY
MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA
As of 12 months ending 11/17/2022 *Denotes active singing members
VIRTUOSI
MAESTROS ($20,000+)
Douglas Pew and Donald Croxton, LGBT Trust Fund at The Our Fund Foundation Dan Chadburn and Tom Nichols
COMPOSERS ($10,000 - $19,999) Richard and Emilio Quadracci Cabrera, The Windhover Foundation Fred Boykin* and Jack Killen Joseph Fletcher* and Kerry Waldee Mark Kent and Kevin Daft Marianne Pink Paul Rolli and Bennett Quade, The William Bennett Quade and Paul Rolli Donor Advised Fund at The Our Fund Foundation Richard Vaughan* and Walter Sherman
DIVAS ($5,000 - $9,999) William Elliott and David Bacher Matthew Gill Michael Kalb
PRODUCERS ($2,500 - $4,999) Ronni and Jonathan Arden Tyler Healis David Jobin and Angel Burgos Gerry Kennedy and Paul Smith Steve Oden and Mike Greer
Harvey Shapiro and Michael Dager, Stronger Together Fund at The Our Fund Foundation William Spinosa* and Frank Molano Dennis St. Jean* Donald Tomasello* and Robert Pagano
CONDUCTOR’S CIRCLE BENEFACTORS ($1,500 - $2,499) Anonymous Bruce Anderson* Brock Boyd and Doug Spellburg Christopher Chouinard and Harold Rodriguez Antonio Corrente* and Douglas K. Leib Ginny Dixon and Gisella Oliveira Michael Foley* and Tommy Zhang Cary Giacalone* and Kris Jarmann Matthew Kent and Brenda Moons John Klomp and Joseph Brannen Steven Lutz Ron MacDonald James Mallon* Murry Stegelmann
THE GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA GMCSF CHORALE SOCIETY
B.J. Albright and Philip Morris
Frank Alvarez
SUPPORTERS
Christopher Ambs and Scott Clearwater, Charitable Fund at The Our Fund Foundation
Adam Barber and Bryan Yarchan Willaim Beck and Peter Flyzik
Steven and Thomas Begert-Clark Scott Bennett, Charitable Fund at The Our Fund Foundation Rex Beyer* and Nick Meyer
John Bowles
Edward Breeden
Don Camarda
Joseph Cannon*
Doug Carl and Sumner Riddick John Chaffin*
Philip Cordell
Dorothy Correnti and Lance Miller, In honor of Tony Corrente and GMCSF
Roberta Corrigan
Jimmy Cunningham and Jerson Velasquez
Broderick Davis
Janis DiMonaco
Mark Dobosz
Douglas Ferguson*
Kenneth Flick and D.C. Allen, No Gay Hate Fund at The Our Fund Foundation
Richard Fulks* and Chris Wilcox
Michael Goodman
Robert Graziano
Marc Grossman
Paul Guariglia*
Carlos Guerra
Fredrick Heal II*
Richard Higgins
Terry Hirsh* Gary Hoffman John Ison
Carl Jennings and Lawrence Gammons Bradley Johnson* and Wayne Laubscher*
($300 - $1,499)
J. Mark Kasper
George Kling
Gregg Kurek, In memory of George Brown Jeffrey Lammers and James A. McLaughlin Jeanine Lombardo Brian McNoldy
Edwin Neimann
Harold Noble* and Douglas Peachey, In honor and memory of Steve Ratzel
Orlando Ojeda*
Dianne Orr
James Profino-Bond Francois Ratzel* Dr. Runar Polluson and Robert Pinsky Orlando Santiago and Robert Wilt Larry Scott and Frank Zurek
Lois Sider
Ronald Sierpien and Willard Jordan
Stephen Smith Constance St. Jean Jack B. Stein* and Peter Meccariello
Ralph Stivali Don Thompson* and Gene Ramey
Fred E. Tokowitz and Gary Hochberg Michael Valdez* and Jeffrey Thomas Kely Van Eaton* Umberto Veltri Dannielle Vizzini, Hair By Dannielle & Co. Wesley Walker
Charlie Walter*
Preston Watkins and Philip Cross Dr. K. David Weidner and Dr. William E. Gannon, Jr., In honor of Fred Boykin Raymond Willey* Howard Yopp
Robert Young Eric Ziegler* and Ross Kemp Edward Otto Zielke
THE GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA
GMCSF CHORALE SOCIETY MARCH MARCH 12 12 2023 2023
FRIENDS ($1 - $299)
Eric Alayon*
David Allen
Christian Andaya*
Anne Anderson
Timothy Annunziata and Dahish Jacques, In honor of Tony Corrente and Doug Leib
James Antenucci and Jerry Day*
Chesley Austin Vance Avinger
David Baier*
Douglas Bandol Dana Banker
Jeff Banning
Robert Beaulieu*
Charles Beavin Bill Bechman and Tom Garlock, Celebrating 35 years together Charles Bell
Miguel and Ronald Bernard-Rivera
James Berry
Jose Blanco*
Susan and Jeffrey Bogatin, In honor of Steve Patterson Bryon Bowlby and Robert Baldwin Richard Brennan and Terrence Brennan Alvaro Buchell*
Carla Buonanno and Jack Stein
John Burch*
George Burger Darin Bush Mark Byrd
David Cangelosi and Manuel Garcia Brice Carnahan
Anthony Castaldi John Coffin
Daniel Cotlowitz
Butch Culbertson
Robert Cullinane Doug Cureton*
Derek Daniels
Mary Davenport-Yant Douglas Dempsey
Michael DeSarro
Felipe Diaz and Teresa Flores
Mary Dickens
Marc Dickerman
Walter Dickey
Harold Dioquino and Marty Childers
James Easom
Chad Edgar*
Charles Egan
Craig Eicher
Yadin Elcon
Daniel Elder*
Steven Evans
Henry Fabian and Jason Rawls*
Michael Fahim
Stephen Fallon Jack Faraci
Richard Farrar
Lance Fein and Lynete VanHeyzen Stephen Ferrante
Frank Ferri*
Melody Fiore
Andy Fischman
Ethan* and Andrew*
Fletcher Peter Flyzik
Steven Freeman*
Zachary Freeman, Happy holidays, daddy!
Kathy Friend
Jarrod* and Sean*
Gac-Guerrier
William Garneau
Virginia Gascoigne
Constantine Georgiou
Jack Gerard John Gillen
Michael Gillespie* and Tom Gutman
Kathleen Gleeson
Billie Goldstein
Bruce Gottsch
Deborah Graham Ruth and Charles Greenfield
Peggy Gregorovic
Peter Grossman and Lawrence W. Timmins
William Haas
Cynthia Hall John Hand
Patrick Harris Karen Hartnett
Steven Herman Keith Hickman
Linda Hindley
David Hopper*
Andrew Horvath Charles Horvath Jim Houser*
Joe Hudson
Richard Huitema
William Hyman Walter Jackson
Michael Jacobsen* and Bob Thompson*
Victor Jannett*
George Johnson Michael Johnson Kevin Jones
Hillary Josephs
Debra M. and Robert H. Joslin
Dwight Joyner
Timothy Kandel Kevin Kane and Keith A. Smith
Michael Kane Rubin Kaplan Robert Kay Faith Keady James Kelly
Mark Kight and
Robert Morrow
Patricia and Dean King Stuart Kisselovich and Steven Patterson* Mary Beth Koeth
Stacey A. Koltonow, In honor of Ronni and Jon Arden
Peter Konrath* Greg Koslowski William Kramek Greg Kubiak R. M. Kurlander Linda and Douglas Lanou
Aaron Lauer*
Maurice Lawrence Warren LeBlanc Normand Leclair Robert Lee John Lee and Tim Flenner
Charles Leib John Lewis* and Louis Hemmerich
Robert Lindsay David R Littlefield* Donald LoCascio and Robert L. Murphy A. Ray Lockley* and Marty Onieal
Nicholas Longo George Longobardi James Lopresti Ken Manford
Derek Mann Oscar Marin
Donna Marshalll James McBride and John Harold Brian McComak*
Richard Mcnany and Leonard Herbert Michael McPherrin and Andrew Lopes Maureen and Kenneth Meier
Michael Mendillo Arthur Mendini* Melanie Merriman Bob Miller
Rudy Molinet and Jeffrey Scott Shearer Terry Moore* Keith Muller and Stephen J. Pescia Claudia and Ray Niles Karen Oliva Patricia Opper Alan Parshley* John Patrick Clayton Patterson* Judy Paul
Anthony Petronella and Edmund Gerhardt
Roberta Phillips Harrison Pierson Vicki Ploscowe Tim Pyron
Patrick Quillen and Bert Cohen*
Daniel Geordanys Ramirez*
John Ramos
Michael Randich
Asa Ratliff
Terry Regnier
Peter Reinoso* Mary A. and Frank Reiss Lee Rickles
The Mark B. Rinder and Dennis R. Ferioli Family Rhonda Ritchie Charles Robinson* Irwin Rosen
Kenny Russell
Parivash Russell John Russo
Susan and Doug Rutherford
Richard Sacher
Marcus Saitschenko*
Gabe Salazar
Richard Sanders
Thomas Santaniello
Jose Santos*
Jonathan Sanz*
Alan Savada, In honor of Ronni and Jon Arden
Laurie Schecter
Paul Schiminsky
Paul Schlegel
Jerrold Segal
Steven Shapiro* David Sherman and Roberto I. Benitez
Jason Simon-Kean David Sisson
Larry Small* and David Burba Henry Smith and William Sandrik
Jonathan Smith Matther Sparks and Scott Hindley* Carrie Spencer Van Stewart
John Stull and Michael Bracchi Eric Sullivan and Randy Holland Greg Tefft and Ed Stehle
Karl Trappe
Lawrence Turk and Stephen Draft
Jerry Tvrdik
Steve Visano and Vaughn Brison Tony Walsh and Richard Johnson
Ric Wanetik
Troy Watson
Fred and Christopher West Michael White
Willford White
Pamela Whitman
Sharon and Edwin Wigutoff
Aubrey Williams* and Christopher Michaels
Gwen Williams
William Willmitch
Bria Winder
James Yager
Louisa Yanez
Tim Yarbrough Sarah Young
THE GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA GMCSF CHORALE SOCIETY
THE GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF SOUTH FLORIDA SUPPORTING GMCSF
Ralph Stivali
Founding Director of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus, Gary Keating, is credited for organizing the Fort Lauderdale chorus 36 years ago, in 1986. It was the first gay performing arts organization in the state and one of the first in the nation.
May you have a long, happy, and fulfilling retirement
