Our History
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The New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus (NJGMC) started as the Delaware Valley Men’s Chorus (DVMC) in 1991. The group used this name due to the difficulty for some men to be out-of-the-closet, because of their personal and professional lives, and being affiliated with a gay organization. Despite these concerns, the DVMC had steadfastly supported the LGBTQ+ community, even from its first public performance in 1991 at the World AIDS Day display of the Names Project Quilt at Rutgers University.
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In 1996, the DVMC became the New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus, and we officially came out at the GALA (Gay and Lesbian Association) Choruses event in Tampa, Florida. It was time for New Jersey to be represented by a gay choral group.
Throughout our 33-year history, the NJGMC has been delighting audiences with a variety of musical stylings. Whether presenting uplifting holiday carols, campy cabarets, traditional anthems, challenging and thoughtful major works, or debuting new musical pieces, we are committed to delivering excellence in choral music and performance.
The NJGMC has performed at many community events as part of our dedication to involvement and outreach including various World AIDS Day services, Holocaust Memorial (Yom HaShoah) services, Kristallnacht community services, the Princeton University Transgender Remembrance Service, Pride Night sponsored by The Pride Center of New Jersey, and many more. We’ve marched with the AIDS Memorial Quilt at Jersey Pride in Asbury Park, sung the National Anthem for the Somerset Patriots, Princeton University and Rider University, and provided free concerts at libraries and community centers throughout the state.
In 2007, NJGMC proudly premiered our first commissioned work “Come Share Our Pride,” to celebrate the arrival of Civil Union in NJ, the precursor to full marriage equality.
In 2011, in response to the tragic suicide of Tyler Clementi, the Chorus performed “It Gets Better: A Journey of Courage in Song,” with the Harrisburg Gay Men’s Chorus. The proceeds from this performance were donated to Jersey Shore PFLAG and The Point Foundation to help them with their mission to end discrimination and teen bullying.
At our 25th Anniversary Concert in May of 2016, we performed “Still I Rise” with Carolyn Montgomery-Forant and Jeff Cubeta as part of The Rise Tour, with proceeds benefiting the Matthew Shepard Foundation. Later in 2016, the chorus was asked to sing at memorial services in Princeton, Asbury Park, and Maplewood for the 49 fallen in the Pulse Nightclub shooting. We also performed the National Anthem at the Garden state Equality Gala and again in early 2017 at the Women’s March in Trenton in front of 6,000 protesters.
In 2022, the NJGMC celebrated our 30th anniversary. Although this milestone should have been observed in the spring of 2021, like many other organizations, the chorus was greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Unable to rehearse in person, our dedicated members found a way for us to successfully sing in harmony with low-latency technology. By December 2021, we were finally able to return to what we love… performing live for our audience. The following spring, we were thrilled to celebrate our 30th anniversary with a newly commissioned work, “April Rain Song,” a joy-filled expression of love and inclusion.
The NJGMC has appeared at numerous major performance spaces across North America, including Boettcher Concert Hall in Denver, Richardson Auditorium in Princeton, Palais du Arts in Montreal, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, The Forum Auditorium in Harrisburg, among others. We also had the thrilling experience of performing at Carnegie Hall two times. The first was participating in “Sing for the Cure,” a musical benefit for breast cancer education in Stern Auditorium, and the second as guests of our then accompanist, the late Gary Madison, in Zankel Hall. Most recently, we performed as a guests of megastar Hugh Jackman, at the New Jersey stop of his world tour, “The Man, The Music, The Show,” on October 6, 2019, at the Prudential Center in Newark.
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Additional collaborations have included those with Denver Gay Men’s Chorus, Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus, Baltimore Men’s Chorus, Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus, and Monmouth Civic Chorus. In conjunction with the Chamber Choir of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, D.C., we recorded the CD “Prayers for Bobby,” narrated by Marlo Thomas, a work inspired by the book of the same name. Our other CD, “To Everything There Is a Season,” is a compilation of musical highlights taken from each of our concerts during our 8th season.
We have been featured in the press in various publications, including Courier News, The Home News Tribune, the Asbury Park Press, Tampa Bay Times, Out In New Jersey, and New Jersey Monthly, Princeton Magazine, as well as in television appearances on News 12 New Jersey and WPVI in Philadelphia.
In our rich history, the chorus has had five artistic directors, including our current leader, Sarah Michal. Each of our directors have been crucial to the evolution of the chorus as we continue our mission of inspiring pride, empowerment, equality, and acceptance to all through extraordinary music and actions. Although we identify as a gay men’s chorus, the NJGMC is an inclusive organization that celebrates equality. Therefore, all are welcome to join us.