The Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus is a choir made up of around 120 members who aim to engage with the community in order to both provide entertainment and serve as representation for the LGBTQ+ community. While the Chorus had to take a hiatus on community outreach performances during the pandemic, the Gay Men’s Chorus started their school outreach program back up again on Monday, April 25th, by performing at Cherry Hill East. The Chorus sent ten members plus a pianist to perform during C block at an invite-only event.

The Chorus sang a range of songs preaching acceptance and themes of sticking together. Songs from the set included “Seize the Day” from Newsies, “Make Them Hear You” from Ragtime, “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, and “Put a Little Love in Your Heart”. To end the performance, members of the East Choir Department joined the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus to sing “Seasons of Love” from Rent.

Between songs, members from the chorus shared their stories. Some members talked about why they sang with the chorus, one talked about how he joined the chorus, and others talked about their experiences with growing up as a member of the LGBTQ+ community before they were so widely accepted.

“It took many years for me to find the courage to be my authentic self,” stated one member. He went on to share that by joining the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus and later, the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus, he had “so many opprotunities to be visible…and that [he conveys] that it’s okay to be different.”

Another member, who identified himself as Jonathan, shared that when he was younger, he did everything in his power to stay invisible, hoping that nobody would notice that he was “different”. He told the audience about growing up with his brother, who was “the polar opposite of [him] in every way”. He constantly compared himself to his (straight) brother. Nowadays, though, he finds solace in showing young people how to be open about being different through his performances in the chorus.

To close out the concert, Alison Morris (‘23) thanked the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus for performing for and with the East Choir. They then presented the chorus with a $200 donation, raised by members of the Gay Straight Alliance.

The Gay Men’s Chorus has performances coming up on May 20 and 21, and is offering discounts to East Students. If you would like to attend, contact Mrs. Lausi for tickets.