Gay Men's Chorus delights with concerts, projects, community spirit

The San Diego Gay Men's Chorus is known for three energetic sell-out concerts a year and dedicated community service.

Artistic director RC Haus gives a spirited introduction to the numbers and puts the audience in a good mood.

ONE OF THE NATION'S OLDEST AND MOST SUCCESSFUL GAY CHORAL GROUPS SALUTES SONGS OF ABBA IN NEXT CONCERT

A wide range of ages, professions and backgrounds composes one of the country's most successful gay choruses.

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

and courtesy SDGMC staff

The Balboa Theatre in downtown San Diego hosts the San Diego Gay Men's Chorus shows.

BACK IN THE  darkness of the 1980s, when the AIDS crisis was at its peak, the San Diego Gay Men's Chorus formed.

The intent was to help break down prejudice, lessen discrimination and give gay men with singing talent a place to bond and be proud.

The result is one of the nation's most successful and oldest running gay men's choral groups, known not only for rousing concerts but for community service.

SEVERAL TIMES a year, the group shows off the talents of 200 singers, dancers and musicians.  Another 100 supporters -- both men and women, all volunteers -- work behind the scene with props, publicity, costumes,  technical production and more.

NEXT  SHOW is "ABBA's Greatest Hits," Saturday and Sunday, July 28 and 29, with  Saturday's show at 8 p.m. and a Sunday matinee at 3 p.m., both in the beloved and historic Balboa Theatre in downtown San Diego. Auditions are held three times a year and rehearsals for the ABBA show began in April, after a few weeks off from the wildly successful holiday sell-out production.

IF YOU ARE a closet tenor, baritone, bass, dancer or behind-the-scenes theater buff, SDGMC welcomes you. Both admiring audiences and members are on a natural high after the show applause subsides.  Our last SDGMC concert featured an instant standing ovation for a fast-paced salute to the movies.

SDGMC president Bob Lehman's enthusiasm is contagious, members say. He is a booster not only of the group's music but many volunteer efforts.

The wide-ranging group branches out from the Balboa, too.  It performed "Carmina Burana" with the La Jolla Symphony and has sung with youth chorales and for sports events, including singing the National Anthem before Padres baseball games at  Petco Park. Members also contribute financially -- $75 per show is asked. But if someone can't pay, that's okay, says Lehman, "We never turn anyone away for financial reasons. We're all a  proud part of the community." The community showed its gratitude, as the Greater San Diego Business Association named SDGMC "non-profit of the year."

President Bob Lehman is proud of the sell-out musical productions and the group's community service, here for a neighborhood watch rally.

The San Diego Gay Men's Chorus and a lively pit orchestra earn standing ovations at every sell-out show.

ONE OF group's worthy achievements is its community outreach program. The Chorus raises money and volunteers time to a wide range of non-profits. Pet projects help LGBT youth, a Mother Adolescent Child Program for youth living with HIV/AIDS, Stepping Stone San Diego, San Diego High School and Southwestern College. For tickets or to participate: sdgmc.org