Ah, Sunday

Sunday was busy. Not as busy as Saturday fortunately but it was active.

In the late morning, we headed to Baltimore for their pride festival in Druid Hill Park. I like Baltimore's pride festival a lot: it's community-based, set in a fantastic park and is a friendly, social environment. Too many other city festivals have become out-of-control huge, expensive, corporate and generic. I'll stick with Baltimore's format, thank you very much.

We had a good time visiting with various friends, enjoying some food & drinks and generally lazing about as we had no work commitments this year. Ah, what a change for us!

By 2pm, we were on the road for home, enjoyed a quick nap and were off again to the final concert of the Lesbian & Gay Chorus of Washington DC. After 26 years, the LGCW has collectively decided to wind down their affairs. I've heard that it's been too difficult and expensive in recent years to keep & build an audience, a roster of singers and a slate of sponsors & advertisers all while paying for concert & rehearsal space, music and such.

I've had limited contact with any chorus for at least five years now. Choral music never was my thing but it was a way of being a productive individual within a community of volunteers for a worthy cause. When I started with the Toronto Gay Men's Chorus in 1990 or so, there was a great and vital need for any openly gay performance groups to provide a focus for the LGBT community, to provide a gentle path for those just coming out and to act as a political force against anti-gay bigotry. Over the past 20+ years, I think purposes #1 and #3 have faded off; while providing a path to coming to grips with being gay is still worthwhile for many, the LGBT choruses are not the only venue as they used to be. In short, I'm inclined to think these days that the entire gay choral movement has largely run its course --ironically, by succeeding at its goals. The LGCW is now done because, well, it's largely succeeded at its stated goals and now is the right time to bring it to a close.

There were 21 singers on stage with guest appearances by Not What You Think, Nuance, Nan Raphael and Suede. LGCW alumni in the audience were invited onstage for the final number, effectively transferring 50% of the audience to the stage.

( And here's where I get a little critical... )

After the concert and reception, we dined at Mr Henry's down the street with markgarciachris and timcub. Much food and hilarity ensued... we gotta do this again some time soon!

And no evening would be complete without some form of dessert so we cut through Bethesda on the way home to enjoy gelato at a shop we had noticed last month. I had a lime gelato that made my tongue curl in ecstasy... heartily recommended!

Ah, Sunday

Sunday was busy. Not as busy as Saturday fortunately but it was active.

In the late morning, we headed to Baltimore for their pride festival in Druid Hill Park. I like Baltimore's pride festival a lot: it's community-based, set in a fantastic park and is a friendly, social environment. Too many other city festivals have become out-of-control huge, expensive, corporate and generic. I'll stick with Baltimore's format, thank you very much.

We had a good time visiting with various friends, enjoying some food & drinks and generally lazing about as we had no work commitments this year. Ah, what a change for us!

By 2pm, we were on the road for home, enjoyed a quick nap and were off again to the final concert of the Lesbian & Gay Chorus of Washington DC. After 26 years, the LGCW has collectively decided to wind down their affairs. I've heard that it's been too difficult and expensive in recent years to keep & build an audience, a roster of singers and a slate of sponsors & advertisers all while paying for concert & rehearsal space, music and such.

I've had limited contact with any chorus for at least five years now. Choral music never was my thing but it was a way of being a productive individual within a community of volunteers for a worthy cause. When I started with the Toronto Gay Men's Chorus in 1990 or so, there was a great and vital need for any openly gay performance groups to provide a focus for the LGBT community, to provide a gentle path for those just coming out and to act as a political force against anti-gay bigotry. Over the past 20+ years, I think purposes #1 and #3 have faded off; while providing a path to coming to grips with being gay is still worthwhile for many, the LGBT choruses are not the only venue as they used to be. In short, I'm inclined to think these days that the entire gay choral movement has largely run its course --ironically, by succeeding at its goals. The LGCW is now done because, well, it's largely succeeded at its stated goals and now is the right time to bring it to a close.

There were 21 singers on stage with guest appearances by Not What You Think, Nuance, Nan Raphael and Suede. LGCW alumni in the audience were invited onstage for the final number, effectively transferring 50% of the audience to the stage.

( And here's where I get a little critical... )

After the concert and reception, we dined at Mr Henry's down the street with markgarciachris and timcub. Much food and hilarity ensued... we gotta do this again some time soon!

And no evening would be complete without some form of dessert so we cut through Bethesda on the way home to enjoy gelato at a shop we had noticed last month. I had a lime gelato that made my tongue curl in ecstasy... heartily recommended!