Quote From Sondheim About Art Isnt Easy
Change Is Good
Change is Good By Spike Lomibao Even if change comes about slowly, it can totally be worth the wait. In April, we finally brought a program to the stage that was in production two years ago! Artistic Director, Dr. Ben Riggs reflected: "Since that time, the world has seen profound change, some for the better and some for the worse. What remains the same is OGMC's commitment to social justice and societal transformation, one song and one heart at a time." And so at our familiar venues in the First Presbyterian Churches of Alameda and Oakland, the Chorus explored several dimensions of change in our lives. Early in Act I "Seize the Day" (from "Newsies", Menken/Feldman/Emerson) and "Let the Music Fill Your Soul" (Narverud/Bode) were upbeat and uplifting tunes that are truly motivational. There were somber moments in "Refuge" (Walker/Teasdale) and "Prayer for the Children" (Bestor/Klouse) that reminded us of the necessity to foster peace and civility amid social and political unrest. One could not help but think of Ukraine, as the latter song asks "Cryin' who will help me to feel the love again in my own land?…" The title selection, "Be the Change" (Narverud) wrapped up Act I, encouraging us to take personal initiative toward making the world better: "So I'll take charge, be brave, work hard, have faith, stand strong for what is good, I'll be the change." In Act II, "It Takes a Village" (Szymko) helped bring home the message that raising a child, which could also apply to social movements, is both a burden and joy experienced by our communities; while "Make Them Hear You" (from "Ragtime", Flaherty/Ahrens/Funk) speaks to making things happen with active, vocal communication. One noteworthy highlight of the second half was the premiere of "Look Out Above," arranged for OGMC by composer Jocelyn Hagen and Minneapolis-based hip-hop artist Dessa. With choreography and human percussion in this contemporary piece, the metaphor for the incessant nature of time illustrates that "there's no stopping us" in the important things we need to accomplish. Ending on positive notes, baritone Wally Bee introduced and presented his original work, reminding us that in all that we do, "Love Is All That Matters". While also intended as a live premiere two years ago, the Chorus created a Virtual Choir performance of this beautiful, emotional song in 2020, still available on YouTube . Finally, as is our tradition, the concert was tied up with a feel-good bow of optimism and gratitude for our lives just as they are with "What a Wonderful World" (Weiss/Thiele). It was Dr. Riggs' hope that the concert would inspire: "to create change where it matters most in your life—because each of us, no matter how small we think we are, can Be the Change. Speaking of change… of seasons, don't miss our summer concert on July 9 and 10, at Freight & Salvage in Berkeley: "Sondheim & Company: Broadway Our Way". This will be a selection of several famous numbers from the theatre, and also a tribute to the genius, who passed away in November 2021.
Members Out In The World: Ethan Solomita
Members Out In The World: Ethan Solomita In 2021, I enjoyed the result of four years of effort and became an Italian citizen. My great grandfather was born in Italy, and Italy respects citizenship through blood. But what an exploration through my family's past to prove it! Reading old census data to try to find a household with both my grandfather's and great grandfather's names, seeing where they lived during their time, and eventually, tracking him back to his birth place in Italy and obtaining a 150-year-old birth certificate. Five birth certificates, four marriage certificates, and two death certificates later, I had my evidence. Now I also have a passport. Out of respect for what Italy has just given me, I've been spending a lot of time learning Italian. But making it fun can help you get through the challenges. I decided to read the first three Harry Potter books in Italian, and then listen to their audiobooks. There are also a lot of fun YouTube channels dedicated to helping people learn Italian. Some day, perhaps, I will spend enough time in Italy to become fluent.
Members Out In The World: Ron Correll
Members Out In The World: Ron Correll I have always had an interest in music. During my senior year in high school, I discovered my love for dancing and performing. This was because, following the urging of my best friend (who I later realized I also had a crush on) I auditioned for the school's two drama productions that year: Mash and Godspell. I caught "the bug." After high school I pursued my interests in performing, doing community theater and some professional acting, all of which included a lot of musicals. Eventually though I had to "get back to the real world" and do things like finish getting my college degree. So, my love for singing, dancing, and performing got put on hold until 2018. On July 24, 2018, I met Mike Feichtner. We connected online and started seeing one another, our first date being a magical coffee date at a nearby Starbucks. When talking about my background, I mentioned my love of singing and performing, and it was Mike who told me about the auditions for the Oakland Gay Men's Chorus. He drove me to said auditions, and the rest is history. On Friday January 11, 2019, we were sitting in a barbershop in Livermore. Mike was getting a haircut. As we were leaving, Mike mentioned that the music that was playing while we were at the shop had caused him to fantasize about us dancing together. He asked if I would be interested in taking dancing lessons. I answered "Sure," and so we found a local Arthur Murray Studio here in Livermore and had out first Ballroom dancing lesson. Since then, as a dancing couple, we have never looked back. We have learned more than a dozen dances, gone to actual dance competitions (some virtual, some in person) and just recently received a ranking of "Gold" for a solo/formation we performed with our instructors to the song Feel this Moment, by Pitt Bull featuring Christina Aguilera. Both the Oakland Gay Men's Chorus and Dancing have continued to be a major part of our lives. On October 24, 2020, Mike and I got married. Because of Covid, we could only have our two dance instructors, our best men, and the officiating Pastor present but the ceremony was aired on YouTube live for people to watch. We were also able to have a "virtual-reception", which included a recording of the OGMC performing our signature song "What a Wonderful World" and a prerecorded 8-part first dance . Here's hoping that everyone's life is filled with joy, music, love, and dance!
Dustin Bankston Interview with June Kamerling
OGMC Interview with Dustin Bankston, By June Kamerling J: How did you find the chorus? Who was the director? D: I found the chorus in 2011. After finishing law school I was moving to the Bay Area from Sacramento where I was in the Sacramento Gay Men's Choir. When I moved here I inquired about a gay men's chorus and found OEBGMC….at that time it was Oakland East Bay Gay Men's Chorus. I was just in time for the holiday show season (Aug 2011). Stephanie Lynne Smith was just starting as interim director at the time. Wally Bee was running the auditions then and was the first person I met. Many of the current members were already in the chorus. Having just come from a gay men's chorus in Sacramento it was just a nice and easy transfer. J: What was your music background growing up? D: I grew up in Mississippi. I started singing in choruses in school and church. I was in Show Choir through high school graduation and then I was in men's glee club in college. I didn't do musical theater specifically , but show choir was musical theater-ish…..theater adjacent….we did dancing and musical theater songs but I was never IN an actual musical theater show. J: How long did it take you once you were in OGMC to get involved? What was the progression till you became board president? D: For a few years I was just a Tenor-2. I was also Section Leader for a bunch of years but that was all I did. Then I started volunteering here and there for other things….working a booth at an event, and one off things that didn't require a lot of commitment. At some point I became Outreach Coordinator. No one was really doing that in an organized way. Then I was asked to be on the board since I was an attorney….it's always good to have an attorney on any board. I was on the board for a year before I became President. I did that for 3 years. But now I'm Venue Coordinator….we need someone to investigate appropriate venues for us to sing in. There's a lot more involved than one would think so it's a time consuming job. We have to look at size of audience, size of stage (how many singers can fit?) acoustics, restrooms, general location, parking, public transportation, cost. Things you wouldn't really think about. We're looking for venues that are not churches. There is lots of clamor for non-church venues so the competition is great and the rental fees are often high. We have a good number of church venues that work well for us and some of the churches have low rental fees. So Venue Coordinator is a lot of gathering information in a timely fashion season by season. Then I get to organize in order of priority. It's not easy. People don't realize how much is involved. J: How is the chorus different now compared to when you first joined? What would you like to see in the future? D: It's not dramatically different. We were fairly organized when I came in but we're more organized now. Things are moving forward. I love the chorus as it is. I like what it does. I don't need to see something dramatically different because it works for me and for the chorus members. But we can always be better. We can reach more people in the community to have a bigger audience and better shows that include a social justice message. As long as we provide sense of community and artistic outlet for the members, as well as something enjoyable for our audiences then we're right where we need to be. J: Do you find that your community of friends are mostly chorus friends? Was that true in Sacramento? D: Here yes. I've made close friends in the chorus. I like that community function of the chorus. It gives us friends and our social group. In Sacramento I was in law school so I had friends from other sources than the chorus. J: Do you think the chorus needs to grow in people numbers? D: I think we were on a good track size wise before the pandemic and we'll get back there. I think it could be a bit bigger but not gigantic. I'm confident it'll get to where it needs to be. It needs to be large enough to accomplish what we want to accomplish. With about 70 singing members we can get a smooth running organization and great sound. We can do it with 50 too but 70 ish would be ideal in my opinion. I trust that things will organically move to where they need to be. If the chorus gets too big and people are not getting what they want, some will leave. J: Do you think we need to be more active in attracting racial and gender diversity or do you think it will happen organically? D: Mostly it can organically happen but at the same time we need to make sure that they are welcome. It may not be obvious and it needs to be obvious that we welcome diversity. We are historically a gay men's chorus and it needs to stay as that for the community of gay men to be able to come together, be together, be gay men together. It's performing a function for the gay men community, and then everyone else can be a part of it. Everyone in our chorus who is not a gay man usually has some kind of affinity for gay men in some way. They support the community and want to have that be a part of their community as well. Being primarily a gay men's organization supports the needs of that community.
Members Out In The World: Steve Smith
Members Out in the World: Steve Smith I've been involved with theater since 1975 when I was in school at Boulder, Colorado as a creative writing major. I got involved in Touring theater originally as a writer, not an actor. I had written a play, Prints, that was produced several times. After a summer in the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, I was able to take off on this amazing Colorado Caravan adventure with five other actors in a van doing shows and workshops in practically every school in the state. This work eventually produced an MA in Developmental Theater. It was great fun, an excellent way to get to know all of Colorado, and the means to become deeply comfortable with performing. The current play, Yards and Porches, has had several Zoom readings during the pandemic. Set in Boulder, it takes off and goes to Alaska, Washington DC, and then eventually to a nebulous place….a waiting place. Eventually, it lands on the primary value of facts, justice, and kindness. Here is a link to a YouTube reading of Yards and Porches .
Members Out In The World: Mel Terry
Members Out in the World: Mel Terry In 2009 after singing with OGMC for 2 years, I thought it would be good to get an upgrade on my performance skills. I signed up for a musical theater class at Stagebridge in Oakland, the nation's oldest and most renowned performing arts organization for older adults. It was love at first sight. The classes were great, the people very friendly and welcoming. I felt right at home. I was thrilled to be cast in the play Counter Attack which had 30 performances at the Ashby Stage in Berkeley. The romance continued and eventually I was enticed to join the board of directors; I consummated and currently am the board secretary. When OGMC went into performance hiatus last March, and performance opportunities were few and far between, I started taking memoir and storytelling classes at Stagebridge via Zoom. Storytelling has been a splendid opportunity to meet new people and develop deeper ongoing relationships. While weaving stories from the fabric of our lives we get to revisit the past and try to make sense of sometimes confusing and hurtful experiences from a more informed perspective. It can be very therapeutic! At the end of each class series, we have a showcase so we can share our performance with family and friends. Here's my most recent . Storytelling skills and singing complement each other and this has been a way for me to keep up my voice training and expression during these soon-to-end trying times. On-line learning has been a godsend AND I am so looking forward to singing and storytelling in person again.
Members Out in the World: Joe Rosenmayer
Members Out in the World: Joe Rosenmayer When I was envisioning my musical career, the thought I might sing on a hip-hop record never crossed my mind! I met Jinks about 10 years ago and when I found out he was a hip-hop artist, we started talking about our musical backgrounds, which were very different, but we both appreciated and respected each others experiences. At some point I brought up (half-joking) how Nelly had Tim McGraw sing on one of his records, and we should do that. Well, several years later he came to me and said he wrote a song based on a video he saw about a kid being bullied in school and no one doing anything about it. The kid got to the point where it was just too much and he snapped on the bully. Jinks was pretty inspired and was hoping his song might raise awareness and serve as a warning to bullies that this might not go the way you planned. He played me a demo version of it and asked me if I wanted to sing the hook. I immediately said yes, I loved the song and the story behind it. While the song is broad and we don't know the reason this kid is targeted, bullying is something many gay kids (and even adults) have to overcome, so I definitely related to the topic and really wanted to be a part of it. Recording in the studio was fun but also a little intimidating and exhausting. We were there several hours, had to make sure we got it right, and also do all the harmonies that get layered on. Those high and low notes you hear....all me! When he released it earlier this year, the response was great, I've heard of teachers playing it in school, and parents sharing it with their kids who get bullied. I'm so happy to be part of Big Bully ( iTunes / Amazon ), and now I'm happy to share it with the Oakland GMC community. Enjoy and be kind to each other! Joe Rosenmayer, aka Jo-E Rose
Members Out in the World: June Kamerling's Braided Rugs
Members Out in the World: June Kamerling's Braided Rugs My mom was an artist. Fabric was her medium. I grew up around fabric and her creations: doll clothes, my clothes, beautiful custom designed garments for women, spectacular creations. I learned to sew at an early age and developed a love for fabric and putting colors and shapes together. Throughout my life I sewed my own clothes, made quilts, fabric wall hangings—and then I had kids and it all stopped except for occasional mending. Fast forward to 2020. About half-way through the pandemic year of staying home and mostly not working, I dragged out all of my fabric and wondered what I could do with it all. Something was brewing. I wanted to do something with all these great colors and patterns. The previous year I had bought a braided rug on line for my bedroom. Every time I looked at it I thought "I could do that; it looks easy. I'm going to try this." I checked out YouTube videos about making braided rugs—there are so many ways to do it. Ultimately I decided I would do it my way, whichever way that was, and I was about to find out. I tore some of my fabric into 3½- to 4-inch strips, tied the ends to a bedpost, and started braiding. I figured out how to overlap the strips with the next strip rather than stitching them together. (It's too much work to stitch). I learned as I braided: what works and doesn't work, what fabrics work better than others, and how to keep the top smooth with no ragged ends. After I braided many feet of fabric I started hand sewing with a needle and embroidery thread. The hardest part was getting started, but once I had a small circle going the rest followed easily but painstakingly slow. If I wanted a 3-foot rug, I learned that I needed about 100 feet of braid, so after sewing about 50 feet I went back and braided more. And so on and so on. I'm now on my 5th rug. I'm excited about this one because I'm working with specific colors. I haven't done that yet and can't wait to see what the end product will be. I give them all away. The joy for me is in the creating for a particular special person in my life. I get to "have" the rug while I'm making it, so I don't need to keep it. I have photos. This is the first one I'm timing. So far about 15 hours and I still have another 50 feet to braid and 75 feet to sew. I'm guessing roughly 30 hours of work for one rug plus a lot of episodes of mindless shows. (I have to admit here that I've never watched The Golden Girls, so that has gotten me through the past rug or two.) This work feeds my creative passion. It's meditative and relaxing. I figure I'll keep making braided rugs for as long as the creative fire keeps burning and my hands hold out! I'm always happy to take fabric scraps that you'd like to get rid of.
The Injustice of Kyle Rittenhouse
A Letter from Shawn Simon The Injustice of Kyle Rittenhouse Hi everyone, By now I'm sure that you've heard the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse in the killing of Anthony Huber, Joseph Rosenbaum, and the shooting of Gaige Grosskreutz. I wish I could say that I was shocked by this. As a 17 year old Kyle was driven by his mother across state lines, legally purchased an AR-15 due to a loophole in Wisconsin hunting laws, and then shot 3 people with that AR-15, killing 2. He was empowered by his mother who drove him across state lines. He was empowered by the officers that did not arrest him immediately after that shooting. He was empowered by the conservatives that raised funds and praised him (including Congress Members like Rep. Gaetz and Rep. Cawthorn who said they'd consider Kyle for an internship). He was empowered by a judicial system that did not allow those who died to be called "victims", encouraged protestors to be referred to as "rioters and looters", said a video of Kyle saying he was eager to shoot people with his AR-15 was not relevant, and that continued to coddle and cradle him 'til he received his acquittal. This is what we are up against. This is the anti-racism work we have to do. As a chorus, we have to stand up and call out these societal and systematic injustices. We have to take action within our community to help it heal. We have to cultivate a space where our people of color can feel vulnerable, be heard, and heal. To our chorus members of color that are hurting, I feel and mirror your pain. As I said I am not shocked by this decision; however, I am still hurt by it. Take the time you need to recover and heal. However, do NOT become normalized to this. We are in a society that pushes for the normalization of violence against us and we CANNOT accept it. To every other chorus member, keep doing the hard work. You can reach the people we cannot. Make the uncomfortable phone calls. Have the tough conversations. Reach the people that we cannot. Anti-racism is rarely comfortable but it is always important. This is your part in anti-racist work. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I wish us all healing and action as we continue to fight against a multitude of oppressive systems. Shawn Simon BLM Coalition, Board of Directors
Members Out in the World: Dave Burdios-Woemmel
Members Out in the World: Dave Burdios-Woemmel It's hard to believe it's been over a year since we all sang together! Our world changed fast, and put a halt on some big plans. I was all set to have a live solo Cabaret show on March 27, 2020 when the world shut down. Things moved online, and I was asked to reimagine the show to perform a Miss Smith Presents livestream fundraiser show in July, "With Our Two Hands", featuring my friend Bobby Weinapple on guitar. Together we raised over $1500 for Ohlhoff House. This performance was followed by a group fundraiser concert of original songs in November, starring Jeff Becker along with Don Martin, June Kamerling and yours truly. During this year I've also been inspired to write music; I composed four new songs. I'm grateful music has remained a part of my life throughout the pandemic. The other exciting event in my life last year was getting married to my partner of many years, Brayth Burdios. My husband and I had plans for a larger wedding with all of our friends and family, but Covid said "nope". Not knowing what the election outcome might be, we decided to go ahead with our original wedding date on 10/10/20. We had a small ceremony and reception at the Monterey Plaza Hotel which we were able to live stream for family and friends to tune in. Even our doggy-daughter Eska participated in the ceremony and walked down the aisle. Thanks to all for your well wishes and support!
Source: https://www.oaklandgmc.org/art-isn-t-easy-stephen-sondheim-choral-collage
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