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Members of the New Mexico Gay Men’s Chorus have been on stage for two years, performing in front of in-person audiences.
That will change as the choir takes the stage at the Lensic Performing Arts Center and the Hiland Theater this weekend with their holiday show, “Ring in the Season”.
“It was an amazing trip to get here,†said Colin Burdge, Deputy Artistic Director of NMGMC.
“Ring in the Season” brings everyone together to celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, the Winter Solstice and all the wonders of the season.
The show is a call for friends and family to come together and remember all that connects us.
“Selecting the program for that was intimidating,†says Burdge. “At first, once we started picking the songs, it just started to flow.”
The New Mexico Gay Men’s Chorus has been around for 41 years.
The choir strives to be a valuing voice for the LGBTQ + community and to enrich our great New Mexico community through choral excellence.
Meanwhile, the holiday shows have become a part of the community’s celebration at the end of the year.
Burdge says being able to incorporate contemporary music into the performance is always the goal.
“There are 50 members in the choir and it’s like a puzzle,†he says. “We try to represent music that will appeal to all audiences. The performance is a mix of familiar holiday tunes and pop music. We do a Kwanzaa coin and a Hanukkah coin.
Jerry Matthews, spokesperson for the choir, says the choir is working in a new rehearsal space, which gets the whole group excited.
“We always rehearse with masks,†Matthews says. “The acoustics are amazing and I am excited about the work we are doing. “
Burdge says members have been training for the vacation shows for the past two months.
“We have a full program ahead of us and it has been a test of musical endurance,†said Burdge. “Our singers were able to get back on their feet. We have changed some of the arrangements of the songs. These are new and different challenges. I’m very impressed with where we are with the music.
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