Thank you for asking the question. I am a man singing with a mixed chorus for around a decade.

The reason why my chorus exists is because of resistance to having female singers sing as part of a mens performance. In the 1980's (when many choruses were formed), it was perfectly acceptable for gay men to see lesbians as persona non grata and vice versa.

New Wave has done really well, but I see what you mean. We get very little word of mouth advertizing. We are not particularly well connected in the rank and file of the community. We do not attract a lot of attention moneywise. Don't take this the wrong way, but I feel like if the gay male population of a city grows to more than 500, a gay mens chorus of 15 spontaneously forms and 50 more form an audience with their check books out.

It is very difficult to explain what NW is in a sound bite, however, everyone knows what a men's chorus is. Even if they leave out the GAY part. It makes for good brief advertizments.

BUT!! How do you succintly advertize a chorus made up of gay and straight men, lesbian and straight women, bi- and questioning people, and transgendered folk who sing music of all kinds but primarily from a queer perspective. Throw in that we are 10% Jewish 15% Pagan and 10% atheist, 35% Christian and 30% other, and you see how some groups have some problems picking music for a Winter Holiday concert.

We are really lucky, we do not attract (and retain) men who have a problem with women or women who have a problem with men.

I think there is a simpler reason. Joining a chorus is a good way to meet other single men for dating purposes (the bigger the group the better) In mixed choruses, it is different. There is less of a dating mindset for the guys. :-(

I appreciate your willingness to step forward. On the inferiority question, I have theories. To get quality you need good leadership and a core group of talented singers.

To get good leadership you usually need a good size budget to pay your director and musical staff well which means you have to have your hands in the pockets of lots of people in the community (see lack of community support above).
To get a core group of talented singers, you need to be a place where good singers feel their talents are appreciated, nurtured or at least observed by a large audience. If I were a Peabody voice major (male or female), why would I spend 4-5 hours a week and pay dues for 3 months rehearsing for a concert only 50 people are going to hear?

So to all of you other guys. What is it like to sing in an all men's chorus? I will sheepishly admit that I envy all the attention and the really big budgets that the men's choruses have. When I had breakfast in Montreal with one of the NYGMC members and he told me about their annual music retreat in the mountains, I almost feel off my chair! So yeah there is a little tension.

This is a very, very interesting point you bring up, and I've noticed what you speak of to some extent both in Chicago and at GALA.

Chicago has a mixed chorus (Unison) as well as two full men's choruses (Chicago Gay Men's and Windy City Gay Chorus). Unison is part of the Windy City family and was started only in 1992... the other two are each over 20 years old.

CGMC is the largest chorus and is steadily growing, while Windy City and Unison each have membership problems, mainly because they've had changes in directors and management more than once in the last 8 years.

Unison has an especially hard time keeping members interested in the group, and it's really a shame. I love the mixed chorus sound, and I think it's extrmely vital to the entire movement to have mixed choruses. But for some reason, either the material isn't interesting to those who would want to join, or the director turns people off, or they are just not recruiting like they should be. Either way, it's been a struggle recently for Unison to grow.

At one time, under a previous director, Unison was on top of its game. They had some incredible singers, were doing amazing material and got rave reviews from the audience and press alike.

I don't think that there is anything about a mixed chorus that is inferior. I think the problem lies in the fact that the movement itself was started by men's only choruses for the most part and has grown to branch out to mixed choruses and lesbian choruses as well. In fact, in all of GALA there are now more lesbian choruses than men's choruses.

Each group has its own identity, its own message and its own sound. The variety of members, directors and material is staggeringly diverse, and that's what makes it all so interesting.

But on a personal note, I chose, and still choose, to sing with a men's only chorus simply because I enjoy the music we make, the cameraderie we have together, and the friends I've made along the way. I originally joined just so I could meet more people in the city I chose to live in. But I also wanted to sing and make great music. And I think I made the right choice, then and now.

I sing with the Melbourne Gay and Lesbian Chorus. I have been with them since September last year. They are now just over 15 years old.

I love our sound and our new direction, with our new MD. Look out guys we are going to become the worlds best Gay and Lesbian Chorus in the WORLD!

I sing in Bass. I love the input the girls give. We would not have the sond we have, without them; we make beautiful music together.

We had a camp away last week end, and as a whole we all got on dame well. I think for the first time in my life, other than a few hours I spent in Castro st San Fran. gay and dykes being one community!
The Girls gave us Bass a standing ovation, a number of time for the beautiful sound we put out.

The gay communitys though are very diffren here in Oz, to those in the US, and Maybe Canada too. Next year with the Kiwi's, we will sing in Chicago, then New York, then on to Canada.

Keep an ear out for us.