A Behind the Scenes Tour Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida Members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida (GMCSF) make it look and sound effortless. As if they just show up, do a couple of scales and take the stage. But not hardly. When show day arrives, the members begin preparing from the moment they wake up. Now two members, Susan Foley and Rafael Gragert, are taking us behind the scenes and giving OutClique an exclusive look at how it all comes together. Foley, a tenor, comes from a musical family. Her mother plays piano and guitar and her dad is a flutist. She grew up singing in church and school choirs and loves a wide range of genres. “My favorite song to sing is “Misty Mountain Hop” by Led Zeppelin. I don football pants and bang the tambourine on my legs with no injury while roaring. It is just the best feeling!”
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Gragert, also a tenor, hails from Venezuela and has a patriotic background. “When I was 9 years old at my little town in Venezuela, my sister told me that she heard me singing in the bathroom the Venezuelan national anthem, after that she told the teacher at school that I can sing, in the next cultural festival I was participating with her and we both won First Place at the competition” He hit adolescence and took a break. It was GMCSF who helped him find his voice. “I moved to the US and I wasn’t singing at all until I found my beautiful Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida and I’m so grateful to be part of it. I love learning new things and being surrounded by so many positive and supportive people, also with amazing maestros like Gabe Salazar, GMCSF’s Artistic Director.” They begin getting in the zone during rehearsals, well
