With its message of tolerance and understanding, the New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus will visit Trenton and Bound Brook for its annual holiday concerts, this year titled ‘Fab-Yule-Us.’
By: Jim Boyle
On a national level, things seem to be getting better for gay men in America. An Episcopal Church in New Hampshire ordained its first openly gay bishop during the summer. The word "metrosexual" became a part of the vernacular, describing a straight man who has the fashion and cultural tendencies of a homosexual.
The past summer also saw the overnight success of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, a reality show on the Bravo network that featured five gay men making over the lifestyle of a hetero male, including clothing, grooming, home décor and food.
Locally, however, not everybody is as enlightened. A few weeks ago, the New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus arrived at the Church of the Ascension in Atlantic City for its third annual appearance at a world AIDS day observance, only to be met by protestors.
"We believe it’s the first time the group has been protested at anything," says Steven Russell, conductor and artistic director for the New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus since 2002. "They were picketing out on the sidewalk, while we were inside singing ‘Lord, Have Mercy’ and songs about understanding and tolerance. For most of us, the protesting gave us a sense that this is why we are here. I wanted to talk to them, not confront them, when we were done, but they had already left."
It was a new experience for Mr. Russell, a graduate of Westminster Choir College. He certainly doesn’t expect a repeat when the New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus visits Trinity Episcopal Church in Trenton Dec. 5 and Bound Brook Presbyterian Church Dec. 6 for its annual holiday concerts, this year titled Fab-Yule-Us. The group will close out the year with Mary Christmas, a cabaret-themed show, at the Raven in New Hope, Pa., Dec. 11.
"All of the choral groups get to do Christmas concerts," says Mr. Russell. "Usually they are in the first two weeks of December, so you have to come up with something unique that will catch someone’s eye. We want to appeal to not just gay men. The title shows we’re a little different. We like to do classical, pop, holiday and fun music."
Formed in 1991, part of the group’s mission is promote tolerance and reduce discrimination. The group welcomes all singers, regardless of sexual orientation. Members come from South Orange, Monmouth County, Metuchen and even Yardley, Pa. Based in Princeton, the extensive travel time explains why there are only 25 singers, as opposed to the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus, which numbers almost 200, most living mere blocks from each other. It is also one of New Jersey’s few choral groups for men in general.
"There’s the Rutgers glee club," says Mr. Russell. "There are also some barbershop quartets. Many church choirs feature 20 women and three men. Most men, when they enter junior high, just don’t feel like singing anymore. They like to sing, but they hit the teenage years and fall away from it. Several of our members liked to sing when they were very young, stopped, and then turned 40 and wanted to do it again."
Mr. Russell first came into contact with the New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus in 1996. A conductor for the Rutgers University Queens Chorale, he and his group teamed up with them for a performance of Handel’s Messiah. He kept in touch with several members of the group and accepted the job as artistic director when it opened in February 2002. He has watched as more people have become more accepting of the group, which sings about understanding and harmony, but tries not to let it become too political.
"I know a few people who would never have gone to a concert or an event with the word ‘gay’ in it," says Mr. Russell. "Some have come to our recent fund-raiser, ‘Sing for the Cure,’ because of the charity involved. They, husbands mostly, would ask their wives at the beginning what they are being dragged to, and at the end, thank them for making them go."
The New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus performs at Trinity Episcopal Church, 801 W. State St., Trenton, Dec. 5, 8 p.m. and Bound Brook Presbyterian Church, 409 Mountain Ave., Bound Brook, Dec. 6, 8 p.m. Tickets cost $15, $12 seniors/students. Mary Christmas will be performed at the Raven, 385 W. Bridge St., New Hope, Pa., Dec. 11, 7 and 8:30 p.m. For information, call (609) 396-7774. On the Web: www.njgmc.org