One World

New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus will perform holiday concerts in Bound Brook and Titusville.

By: Hilary Parker
   When the members of the New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus meet Monday evenings at Nassau Presbyterian Church for weekly rehearsal, they don’t go straight to their sections and whip out their music. It’s not that they are unmotivated — they’re doubly motivated. Motivated to make music, yes, but also to create a community and make connections with the other members of the chorus, And so the 40 members mill about and mingle, greeting their fellow choristers and catching up on the past week’s events.
   "There’s a camaraderie with this chorus," says Steven Russell, artistic director of NJGMC. "There’s a very strong binding force among the chorus members."
   The men share not only a love of music, but also many common experiences pertaining to coming out and facing discrimination, which allows them to select and perform music that resonates with all of the choristers. With its celebration of diversity and tolerance, the music also will reach out to audience members Dec. 2 and 3 when the NJGMC performs a holiday concert, One World of Carols, in Bound Brook and Titusville.
   Just as the chorus offers an interesting twist on the traditional four-part choir, the music selected for the holiday concert is not all the traditional holiday fare, though there will be plenty of standard carols to satisfy concert-goers. The main work, Carols and Lullabies, adapted by Conrad Susa, explores the diversity of Spanish holiday music.
   "The main interest in doing ‘Carols and Lullabies’ is the general audiences’ unfamiliarity with these standard Christmas carols, and helping people to appreciate the diversity of where some of the standard carols come from," says Mr. Russell.
   The men also will sing their way through more familiar holiday music from the world over, and give listeners an education at the same time. The program provides background information for all the songs, including classics like "O Tannenbaum" and "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear." Members of the chorus sponsor many of the pieces, and they include quotes and dedications explaining how the works are significant in their lives and relationships with family and friends.
   Just as the NJGMC seeks to help people appreciate diversity in music, the group also aims to help people appreciate the diversity in people. While they normally enjoy a friendly reception when they perform, they were picketed last year while singing their holiday concert at the Church of the Ascension in Atlantic City. Gregg Sgroi, a singer and vice-chairman of the board of NJGMC, describes how the choir continued to sing as they watched the picketers through the front door of the church.
   "We were singing about brotherhood and unity and there were people out there picketing," he says. "It’s kind of why we’re here — to increase understanding."
   The chorus has been increasing understanding for 15 years, and its concerts draw a mixed audience as would be seen at any holiday performance. While the June concert next year, 15 Years Young: An Anniversary Celebration, will be the main focus of NJGMC’s celebration, Mr. Russell selected a handful of holiday works from past repertoire for the chorus to perform this holiday season.
   Now, after 15 years, NJGMC is looking to expand its repertoire and its selection of venues for regular performances. Having always performed in churches, the chorus is seeking theaters that are a good match for the chorus and the audience, and eagerly anticipating the June 3 concert at the theater at Middlesex County College.
   "This type of non-church venue will allow us to perform some songs that pertain to the gay experience that we don’t feel comfortable performing in churches," says Mr. Sgroi.
   Still, the church concert locales have not hindered the chorus much, and the NJGMC has enjoyed the opportunity to perform music about the gay experience. At the holiday concerts, audience members will likely be treated to a performance of "One World," though it’s not on the program.
   "It’s kind of become our theme song," says Mr. Russell, of the song by Mark Hayes that was written for another gay men’s chorus. Including this piece at the end of the concert will serve as a subtle reminder to audience members that the members of the NJGMC are gay, something they hope many will forget as they get into the spirit of the season with the holiday music.
   The hope for NJGMC, says Mr. Sgroi, is that audience members will not look at the singers as gay men, but as talented musicians who happen to be gay. Like many members of the chorus, Mr. Sgroi joined after attending a NJGMC concert himself, and says it has enriched his life immensely. While he was already out of the closet, the NJGMC helped other men become more comfortable with their sexuality, as well as providing them with an outlet for their musical talents.
   "It allows gay men that aren’t as comfortable to identify with what we do," says Mr. Russell. "And maybe come to a better understanding of what it means to be gay and say, ‘Yes, I am.’"
The New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus will perform One World of Carols at Bound Brook Presbyterian Church, 409 Mountain Ave., Bound Brook, Dec. 2, 8 p.m.; and Unitarian Universalist Church at Washington Crossing, 268 Washington Crossing-Pennington Road, Titusville, Dec. 3, 8 p.m. Tickets cost $20, $18 adv., $15 seniors/students. For information, call (609) 396-7774. On the Web: www.njgmc.org