Orlando – The Orlando Gay Chorus is celebrating their 25th anniversary with a concert at The Plaza Live June 13-14.
The concert, entitled “One Voice,” will be the first under the OGC’s new artistic director, James Rode.
One Voice will be a celebration of the last 25 years acknowledging the events the chorus have gone through, as well as remembering members of the OGC who have passed.
“I can’t believe how far we’ve come,” said Robb Noll, one of the original members of OGC and former chorus president. “When we started the chorus we weren’t always accepted. We were banned from singing in churches and by Central Florida Arts, but the more that people knew who we were, the more they were likely to accept us and our cause.”
Noll was one of the “Founding Fathers” when the chorus began in 1990. Originally 30 members, the OGC now has more than 150 singers, eight of which have been there from the beginning.
“The eight of us will be performing “Old Friend” which was sung at the very first concert,” Null said. “It’s a powerful and very meaningful song to us.”
The concert will also feature “A Million Sparks of Light,” an original piece written by OGC member Linda Knutson which is dedicated to the LGBTQ youth as an anti-bullying message. Another member of the OGC family, Principal Accompanist Susan Glerum, arranged the choral setting that will make its debut in One Voice.
“We are very eclectic on the music we select. Music comes from all backgrounds and our group comes from all backgrounds and that is reflected in this concert,” Noll said.
The chorus also commissioned a special arrangement of Dolly Parton’s “Travelin’ Thru” that was featured in the motion picture Transamerica. It will be premiered at the concert and will be dedicated to the transgender community.
“It’s a celebration of our history,” Noll said. “We sang on the steps of city hall earlier this year after same-sex marriage was legalized in Florida. We have people in our chorus now who have adopted children. This wasn’t something we thought we would see when we started the OGC.”
One Voice, the 25th Anniversary Concert of the Orlando Gay Chorus, will be on Saturday, June 13, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, June 14, 4:30 p.m. at the Plaza Live Theatre in downtown Orlando. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. To order your advance tickets, go to orlandogaychorus.org.
