DR. TIMOTHY SEELIG, ARTISTIC DIRECTOR PROGRAMS | 2017.06 Inspire For over 38years SFGMC has inspired audiences with extraordinary musical experiences. Their amazing shows are always a joyful celebration! When I work with my clients I strive to make their real estate experiences truly joyful. Let me inspire you to make your dreams of buying or selling your home an extraordinaryreality. Steve Gallagher 415-­‐250-­‐3779 www.sfsteve.com 2355 Market Street San Francisco CA 94114 THE GAY KITCHEN SINK? Dear friends, 526 Castro Street Everything but the kitchen sink. San Francisco, CA 94114 Well, not exactly. We looked the world over and found just the right 415.865.3650 sink, and trust us — we’re throwing it in. For this concert, bigger 415.865.3655 • fax is absolutely better and the idea of less is more is overrated. We [email protected] believe the adage penned by the famous sage Cyndi Lauper “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” is true. More importantly… guys do, too! The Chorus finds itself at a significant moment in time. With this BOARD OF concert, we finish Season 39: Community. This coming Monday, DIRECTORS we will be honored – and perform – on the floor of the California Steve Huffines State Legislature. Next week, we will march as a Community Grand chair Marshal in the San Francisco Pride Parade. And in July, we will make a new recording at Skywalker Sound. All of this leads us to Peter Drake Season 40: Momentum and our monumental and historic Lavender vice chair Pen Tour in October. Whew! Skip Schneider treasurer But before all of that, it’s all about the Gay Kitchen Sink. It’s what you came to experience! We are thrilled to welcome the zany and Sal Baglieri wonderful Kinsey Sicks to our sink. And of course, the 250 handsome secretary men of SFGMC that you love are here to sing and dance their way Glenn DeSandre into your hearts. chorus president Enjoy the show. Subscribe to next season. Support the Lavender Mike Bernard Pen Tour. Be there to help us celebrate turning 40. Cammy Blackstone We are so very proud to be YOUR Chorus. Steve Burton Eric Chau Dave Earl André Farris Sean Livingston Gregory Marks Dr. Timothy Seelig Paul Saccone artistic director John Ybarra CHORUS LEADERSHIP Christopher Verdugo executive director Glenn DeSandre membership president Kevin Koerner membership vice president Michael Tate performance advisory committee chair Eric Chau Raymond Mark Gonzales Tom Paulino Gregory J. Gorman Brian E. Weart chrorus ombudsmen 2017.06 • BAYSTAGES.COM | 1 BBB_SFGMC_061617.indd 1 5/23/17 7:14 PM SPONSORS SFGMC STAFF Dr. Timothy Seelig artistic director SEASON PARTNERS Christopher Verdugo executive director Demetri Rizos director of development Peter Zimmerman associate director THE OFFICIAL AIRLINE OF SFGMC of marketing Wil Wright production manager Maura Duggan operations + box offi ce manager Lynden Bair artistic coordinator CONCERT PARTNER Tony McIntosh merchandise coordinator ENSEMBLE MUSIC DIRECTORS ADDITIONAL SPONSORS Eric J. Carlson The Lollipop Guild Carl Pantle Vocal Minority Sanford Smith SWAG Mitch Galli Let’s Go Places HomoPhonics Since sfgmc @sfgmc sfgmc sfgmcvideo 2017.06 • BAYSTAGES.COM | 3 Lavender Pen Tour San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir October 7 - 15, 2017 Mississippi Alabama Tennessee Georgia South Carolina North Carolina In 1977, Supervisor Harvey Milk gave a lavender pen to Mayor George Moscone to sign into law a momentous gay rights bill. The Lavender Pen remains a symbol of the fi ght for equality for all and the reason for the tour’s name. This October, we kick off our 40th Season by embarking on a tour of southern states — states that have major discriminatory laws aimed at the LGBTQ+ community. It is our hope that our music will encourage LGBTQ+ people and our allies to come together, provoke conversations and action around civil liberties for all, while raising funds for local LGBT organizations. We are not looking to argue, to preach or anger, but rather raise awareness, spread hope and bring harmony through song. WE NEED YOUR HELP! every dollar helps change the world GIVE NOW! www.sfgmc.org We are proud to support the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus POTTERY BARN POTTERY BARN KIDS PBTEEN WILLIAMS SONOMA WILLIAMS SONOMA HOME WEST ELM MARK AND GRAHAM REJUVENATION LEADERSHIP BIOGRAPHIES TIM SEELIG is a conductor, singer, teacher and motivational speaker. In addition to serving as artistic director of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, he continues a busy guest conducting schedule throughout the US and across the globe. He is conductor emeritus of the Turtle Creek Chorale, which he conducted for twenty years and he co- founded The Women’s Chorus of Dallas and taught on the faculty at Southern Methodist University for fourteen years. Dr. Seelig holds four degrees, including the Doctor of Musical Arts and the Diploma from the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria. He has authored seven books and DVDs on choral technique. Recordings have been on the Billboard Top Ten and iTunes Top Ten classical charts. The PBS documentary about the TCC received the national Emmy Award for best documentary. Dr. Seelig has conducted regularly at Carnegie Hall for the last twenty- five years, as well as at Lincoln Center and the Southbank Centre in image: chris turner London. His groups have commissioned choral works for a variety of amazing organizations including amfAR (The American Foundation for DR. TIMOTHY SEELIG AIDS Research), the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation featuring artistic director Dr. Maya Angelou, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital featuring Marlo Thomas. Recent commissions with the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus include “Tyler’s Suite” for the Tyler Clementi Foundation and I Am Harvey Milk by Andrew Lippa and #twitterlieder. Dr. Seelig’s first career was as a singer. He made his European operatic debut at the Staatsoper in St. Gallen, Switzerland and solo recital debut at Carnegie Hall. He appeared as soloist in world premieres of composers including John Corigliano, Conrad Susa and Peter Schickele (P.D.Q. Bach). Interesting facts include conducting the Guinness Book of World Record's Longest Choral Concert and carrying the Olympic torch in 1996 as a community Hero. He has not run since. He is married to Dan England and is the proud grandfather of the amazing Clara Skye and Eden Mae. CHRISTOPHER VERDUGO had his first introduction to the gay choral movement at the age of eighteen when he joined the Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida. Three years later, he became artistic director of Paragon Productions, choreographing, directing and producing theatrical productions for cruise lines and hotels throughout the world. In 1999, he combined his event production background with CHRISTOPHER VERDUGO his fundraising skills, working with the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, executive director Miami Beach’s Winter Party Music Festival, Communion Foundation and sat on the board of directors of the South Beach Gay Men’s Chorus. Upon moving to Los Angeles in 2003, he was selected as one of two choreographers for the Miss Universe Pageant. Soon after, he left his artistic roots to focus on LGBT and social justice issues working with various LGBT nonprofits including the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Equality California, the Human Rights Campaign and GLAAD. He also produced Queer Lounge at Sundance. In 2006, he joined the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles as a singer and five years later was named executive director and chief executive officer. Under Verdugo, the Chorus built an international reputation for musical excellence and doubled its operating budget. It experienced massive expansion that included television and film appearances including the Academy Awards, expanded local education programs in Los Angeles high schools, as well as the launched a nationwide tour - It Gets Better - to combat LGBT teen bullying and suicide in rural American towns. He moved to San Francisco in September to assume the role of executive director of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus. 2017.06 • BAYSTAGES.COM | 7 ARTISTIC BIOGRAPHIES CARL PANTLE is a vocal coach, accompanist, and singer who frequently works with San Francisco Opera, West Bay Opera, Opera San Jose and the Bay Area Summer Opera Theatre Institute. He is also an alumnus of the prestigious Merola Program at the San Francisco Opera Center. Carl studied voice and choral conducting at Brigham Young University and soon after returned to the Bay Area to pursue vocal coaching and accompanying at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Carl has appeared as a vocalist with SFGMC on numerous occasions and appeared at Lincoln Center as accompanist for Dr. Seelig in The Wisdom of Old Turtle in 2011. Carl has collaborated with some of the finest talents Broadway has to offer, including Daniel Reichard, Keala Settle, Julia Murney, Alysha Umphress and Laura Benanti. image: devlin shand LYNDEN BAIR recently celebrated twenty years as a resident of San Francisco, the last seven of which he has been with SFGMC. Originally CARL PANTLE from a small town in Northern Utah, Lynden attended the University principal accompanist of Northern Colorado where he majored in musical theatre and ensemble director, vocal minority studied acting, piano and voice. He has worked professionally as an actor, singer, pianist, vocal coach and dog walker. Companies he has worked for include American Conservatory Theater, Bay Area Musicals, Boxcar Theatre and Woodminster Summer Musicals. During his tenure with SFGMC, he has added choral arranger to his resumé, providing several original arrangements, some of which were heard at this year’s quadrennial GALA Festival in Denver. In addition to being the associate accompanist, Lynden has been a featured vocal soloist with the chorus at Davies Symphony Hall, the Castro Theatre and on tour.