GMCLA launches 34th season with the help of young stars and old friends

For its 34th season, Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles will kick-off with the holiday show, “Holiday Spectacular 2012,” and share the stage with students from Creative Planet School of the Arts, the chorus’ representatives announced on Nov. 12.

The decade long partnership between the school and the chorus “continues to give our students the opportunity to witness and participate in a professional level of artistry that they can strive to achieve themselves someday,” said Billy Rugh, creator and founder of Creative Planet School of the Arts. “We are truly honored for our students at Creative Planet to have the opportunity to collaborate with Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles once again.”

The holiday concert at Glendale’s Alex Theatre, will feature familiar classics, like Joy to the World, Jingle All the Way to O Holy Night and Little Drummer Boy, with the expected comedic twists.

Wells Fargo sponsored the very first season of the chorus and returns again this season to present “a line-up of amazing performances and mission-driven work,” according to the chorus’ representatives.

The spring concert, “Awakenings,” debuts a newly formed youth ensemble, which is a partnership between Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles and LifeWorks, at First Congregational Church of Los Angeles.

The chorus’ Voice Awards and summer concert, “Not Entirely Wicked,” round out the season.

“As we passed thirty, we knew that we were entering a critical period of our history, one in which, as a LGBT arts advocacy organization, we would need to examine the state of the LGBT movement as well as the changing relationship between the public and live performance,” representatives said of the chorus’ Strategic Initiative Plan.

“In this plan, we honor our traditions and our art by supporting our singers, protecting our young people and sustaining our institution so that in the years ahead, more people will experience the healing power of voices raised in song.”

Tickets and information for “Holiday Spectacular 2012” range from $15 to $75 and are available online at www.gmcla.org. For information about Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, visit www.gmcla.org. For more information on Creative Planet School of the Arts, visit www.cpsoa.org. Photography by Daniel G. Lam.

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