BOSTON―Boston Gay Men’s Chorus (BGMC) is proud to present Believe, a unique blend of traditional and contemporary holiday music all wrapped up in BGMC’s signature blend of class and camp. Performances are on Dec. 2 as part of Holly Folly in Provincetown, and on Dec. 10, 15, 16, and 17 at New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall in Boston.
“The Christmas story is about journeying home and the celebration of family. Our holiday concert reflects those themes in surprising and meaningful ways,” said BGMC Music Director Reuben M. Reynolds, III. “Our selections will conjure and capture the holiday season’s feelings of peace, joy, and the comfort of going home and sharing time with family—be it biological or chosen—including new arrangements of beloved classics like ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,’ and ‘O Holy Night’ and a unique piece that blends ‘Ave Maria’ with pop singer Sinead O’Connor’s moving ode to motherhood, ‘This is to Mother You.’”
Believe will feature soprano Sonja Tengblad, a versatile performer with credits spanning the Renaissance era through current composers of our time and who has won plaudits from the Boston Globe (she sings “with crystalline tone and graceful musicality”) and L’Opera (“an angelic presence on stage”). She will join the chorus onstage throughout the evening. In a nod to BGMC’s upcoming tour of South Africa in June 2018, the chorus will perform “Hope for Resolution” by composing duo Paul Caldwell and Sean Ivory, which blends the traditional Christian song “Father’s Love Begotten” with a South African freedom chant. Similarly, “Oh Holy Night” will be blended with composer David Dickau’s musical rendering of the Sara Teasdale poem “Stars Shall I Find,” creating a beautiful meditation on peace.
The concert is named for the song “Believe” which is from the animated musical film The Polar Express and will be the next-to-last song in the concert. The meaning of the song—if you believe in yourself and the people around you, that’s all that matters—will be carried throughout the concert.
In addition to standards and new arrangements, the chorus will also serve up choreographed showstoppers like “North Pole Rock & Roll,” a song cycle that harks back to the birth of rock n’ roll in the 1950s. Including tunes like “Rock and Roll Is Here to Stay” and “Rockin’ On Top of the World,” which are also from “The Polar Express,” the set takes the holiday music genre a little beyond “Jingle Bell Rock.”
“We ask, ‘Do you believe?,’ said BGMC Executive Director Craig Coogan. “And after experiencing this concert, we know you’ll answer, ‘yes!’ Believe will have you believing in the spirit of the holidays.”
Event Information:
- Saturday Dec. 2, 2017 at 8:30 p.m. as part of Holly Folly in Provincetown
- Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017 at 3 p.m.
- Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017 at 7 p.m.
- Friday, Dec. 15, 2017 at 8 p.m.
- Saturday, Dec. 16, 2017 at 8 p.m.
- Sunday, Dec. 17, 2017 at 8 p.m.
About the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus
Boston Gay Men’s Chorus creates musical experiences to inspire change, build community and celebrate difference. The BGMC is one of New England’s largest and most successful community-based choruses. Founded in 1982, the 175-voice ensemble is celebrated for its outstanding musicianship, creative programming, and groundbreaking community outreach. Under the dynamic leadership of Music Director Reuben M. Reynolds III, the BGMC sings a wide spectrum of classical and popular music and creates social change by providing a positive, affirming image of the gay and lesbian community. The Chorus is heard live by more than 10,000 people each season and thousands more through recording, television and internet broadcasts. In November, 2013, CBS-WBZ named The Boston Gay Men’s Chorus one of the “top five” choruses in the city of Boston. In June 2015 BGMC became the first LGBT chorus to tour the Middle East. In June, 2018, the BGMC will become the first LGBT chorus to tour South Africa.
[From a News Release]
