NEW
ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
VOL. 1.1 – NOVEMBER 2024
WELCOME – to the inaugural edition of the NYCGMC Alumni Newsletter. This was conceived as a quarterly (currently) project to communicate and inform members of NYCGMC, both current and former, with information about all members, past and present. What’s going on in their lives, what changes are happening, and anything else that might be of interest to members. We welcome your submissions and will try and include as many as possible each quarter (once per concert period as well as once during the summer). We hope you find this informative and welcome your feedback. ~With gratitude to the first submitters, Jim Vivyan, Editor HAPPENINGS
As we open the 45th anniversary concert season, the first concert, Spirits Bright, Artistic Director, John Atorino, wrote in his opening comments to the membership.
“Welcome to our 45th season “Learn to Fly” where our music and voices will center LGBTQ perseverance, healing through joy, and self-empowerment. Community singing is a radical act of humanity for so many reasons and our work together each week is just a small illustration of that. As a chorus that sings together, we have the opportunity to amplify messages of hope, amplify stories and songs that heal ourselves; furthermore, we have the ability to connect on a deeper level by sharing the air, being a part of something larger than ourselves, listening to others while blending our voices with theirs, and working toward the same goals. This season, I hope we can start putting the pieces together in our lives to move toward self-love, realize our strengths and bonds, and soar above the negativity and bigotry that might try to pull us down. That's the theme of our season and the throughline of all our concerts. Long and short of it: we will aspire toward our ‘defying gravity’ moment!”
The concert will be presented at Skirball Center, NYU, for three performances on December 13 and 14, 2024. Tickets available on the Chorus website – nycgmc.org
Norman Lasiter (1994-1997) will present his cabaret show “Gray Pride” at Don’t Tell Mama at 3pm on Saturday, November 16, 2024. Norman shared the genesis of this show:
“I hope you don't mind if I share the genesis of "Gray Pride" and why I think it might interest chorus members. About 10 years ago, I completely lost the ability to sing. To this day, I have no idea why it happened, but I know how it impacted my spirit and soul. After a few years, it unexpectedly returned as it had always been. I felt so grateful and decided I will never again take it for granted. So, I decided to apply for the popular Indianapolis (my hometown where I have now lived for 8 years) IndyFringe Festival 2022. The application required a title and concept, so I thought...well I'm old, gay, and proud, so why not "Gray Pride?" I then got to work writing and programming a show and was ready to go by the opening performance. It was a bit terrifying baring my soul to my hometown crowd in conversative Indiana, but it went quite well. I then did an extended version in the summer of 2023 at the beautiful downtown Indianapolis venue The Cabaret to much success, and then a slightly longer version at Feinstein's in Carmel, Indiana last June. I then set my sights on taking it out of Indianapolis and the lovely Melissa Errico connected me with Sidney Myer who has been so kind to me. Since my show chronicles the highs and lows of my life that mirrors many of our experiences in the lgbtq+ community, I think it might be of interest to chorus members. Also, during my show, I speak about how much I loved my time in the chorus and how impactful it was for me.”
It would be great if we could support our dear brother in song at his New York cabaret.
PERSONAL REFLECTIONS
Jim Dator (1981-1990) Charter Member, Jim sends a bit of his life since the Chorus in 1990.
“Very Short note. Not anything earth shattering to report. I didn’t cure cancer or go to the moon! In a nutshell.
After the chorus I continued to work in corporate selling IT training solutions to fortune 100 companies in NYC. Did a lot of traveling mostly Western Europe. Still living on upper West side at that time. Left corporate 2015 and worked at the NYC and Brooklyn piers doing embark and debark for the major cruise lines. Volunteered at Gods Love and dappled in stand-up comedy at a club uptown. Was still in NY through COVID. In 2021 my siblings convinced me to move to Greensboro, NC, to be together. I packed up and moved to Greensboro in December 2021. Basically retired. Did some
volunteering here for Second Harvest. Basically, enjoying my home and family. I visit NYC on occasion and do a fair amount of local traveling. Still single! Ha!
Clearly remember my time in the chorus and think about quite often. So many memories; the people, concerts, retreats ! Healthy and grateful for that!!!”
Andrew Lippa (1990-1991) Though Andrew was in the Chorus for a short time, it had an impact on his life. He shared this story:
“In 1991, when I was 26 years old, I joined NYCGMC as a singer. I had recently broken up from a 6+ year relationship, had been couch surfing for a while, quit my teaching job, and had spent the summer as an actor at a small summer stock theater as I tried to figure out what I was going to do next with my life.
I knew I wanted to get involved with something musical. I knew I wanted to get involved with something gay. So, I auditioned and was accepted into the Chorus. It was a godsend for me. At that time, though I was out, I was very scared of myself, of other gay men, and of participating in the gay community at large. It was a big step for me.
That December, I was given a solo during “Silent Night”, to be sung with the Chorus on stage. At Carnegie Hall, no less. The week before the concert, I got a terrible cold and lost my voice. I was near certain I’d have to withdraw but I kept hoping it would right itself and I would be able to sing my heart out come the night of the concert. By some divine intervention (I mean, what else was it? It was “Silent Night”!), my voice was freed from that cold, and I sang as clearly and as beautifully as I could on that stage in front of 2,800 people. Not only was this my Carnegie Hall debut (since then, I’ve been blessed to perform there multiple times as singer, music director, song writer), it felt like a message: I was gay, I was healthy again, I was single and could get through the world with the love of our community and of myself and of my God (I’m Jewish but Christmas songs cut right to my core!). It was a great gift to me. It said, “your life is possible.”
I have, since that concert, gone on to write the music and lyrics for numerous musicals: The Addams Family; Big Fish; The Wild Party; I Am Harvey Milk; new songs for You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown - and I hope you’ll keep an eye out for a number of new titles coming up in the next few years. My life is blessed with creativity but, in some ways, my NYC musical life began at that holiday concert in
1991 with NYCGMC. I have since created “I Am Harvey Milk” and “Unbreakable” for the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and many other co-commissioning gay choruses. I performed the lead role in “I Am Harvey Milk” at GALA in Denver in 2016. I am no longer shy about nor afraid of being out.
I will be turning 60 in December and, as I look back on my life (as a milestone like 60 has occasioned me to do), I hold my season at NYCGMC up with my most treasured NYC musical experiences. Thanks to everyone involved then who invited me to join the Chorus. And thanks to all of you now for sustaining this beautiful organization so that others may feel what I felt 33 years ago.
Love and musicals, Andrew Lippa”
Néviton Barros (2013-2016) Not so much going on in my life now, but…
I finished my Doctoral Degree with Major in Choral Conducting and Minor in Vocal Pedagogy with Specialization in Transgender Voices at Louisiana State University in 2021, and now I am the Director of Choral and Vocal Activities at Colby College, in Maine. My husband, because of his work, was transferred to Guatemala. Our cat, now 15 years old, is doing good, considering that he has a heart and a kidney chronic situation. I am grateful.
Attached, a family picture. This was the last time the 3 of us were together, last July. (Néviton on the right).
Tim Blanchard-Modisette (2005-2022) – Tim has shared some of what he has been up to since leaving the Chorus a couple years ago.
“After retiring and leaving NYC in November 2022, my husband, Pat, and I have been traveling full-time in our RV. No other overhead, which is great! In the last two years, we have traveled over 40,000 miles; stayed overnight in the RV in 37 different states; visited 31 National Parks and other National Historic Sites; visited 28 State Parks and 12 State Capitol Buildings; and, stayed in 12 Gay Campgrounds across the country. Our travels have also given us an opportunity to visit friends and family across the country. We miss NYC and I definitely miss singing in NYCGMC, but I try to keep up with events on Facebook as best I can. Wishing you all a fantastic 2024-2025 season!
We stay mostly in Louisiana, Texas, and Florida during the winter. We have family in Louisiana and Texas.”
Haddad (1996-2009) – some reflections from Massachusetts –
Greetings from Massachusetts! That’s something I thought I would never say again, after moving to the city from Boston in 1994. I was in love with New York then, and as time went on, I knew that it was the place where I wanted to grow old. But the plans we make are not always what the universe has in mind: In 2016, after 13 years of working there, I was laid off from a magazine photo editor job. Like most
New Yorkers I knew, I didn’t have an abundant savings account, and although there was a severance pay for several months, the money eventually started drying up, and a new lease came due. I know some of my chorus brethren, present and past, have gone through similar difficult times as well
My solution? In 2018 I moved back home to Massachusetts to live with my then-80-year-old mom and to figure out my life. [Every job I had in New York had sort of fallen into my lap, starting with 8 years as the EA to the CEO at Warner Music Group, followed by 13 years working in the photo department at Men’s Health Magazine. They were both great jobs, but that’s all they were. Furthermore, there isn’t much need for photo shoot producers or record label management in suburban Boston.]
I spent the next 2 years flushing my resumes and cover letters down that black hole of no acknowledgement, no reply, or, possibly, “no thank you.” In early 2020, something in me sparked a strong interest in social work clinical social work to be specific and within three months’ time, right at the start of Covid, I was accepted to a 3-year, Master of Social Work program at age 56. Last year I received my degree and immediately began training as an outpatient therapist, and I am by far the happiest I’ve been in my long and varied “career.” Oh yes, and I’ll be working for the next 10 years, at least! (No student loan relief, so far).
As for mom, she turned 86 earlier this year, and, after 24 years of living 220 miles south of her, I know I’m in the right place for right now.
It may sound terribly cliché, but it’s true: It’s never too late to change your life in order to be happier, to feel more fulfilled, to try new things, and to change your trajectory. There’s always a sacrifice, and in my case that sacrifice was having to leave New York. I miss it every day. It feels like I went through a sort of urban jungle version of “Into the Woods,” where I went into the woods of Manhattan (not the Rambles!) to seek answers, to learn lessons, and to experience some of the horrible truths about life, as well as the most joyous joys.
I am by no means presenting myself as an expert or example of anything, but this message goes out to my chorus brothers (and sisters), especially the over-50 crowd: In the past couple of years, I’ve met several men in their 50s, especially, who have made changes for that last “chapter” of their careers. I think even a couple of older chorus members have told me about making “mid-life” decisions to change their lives not just their jobs but also their relationships, their locations, etc. We are living longer; we are working longer. My thinking is that, if I am going to be working into my 70s, I want to be doing something I feel passionate about, as long as I can still hear what everybody is saying . . . And to those of you who have retired early God bless you
CHANGES
As the Chorus came out of the pandemic with new leadership, we also added some personnel to the staff. Lester Vrtiak joins Big Apple Performing Arts and the New York City Gay Men's Chorus with over ten years of experience as an arts administrator. Previously, Lester managed outreach programs with the Thurnauer School of Music at the JCC on the Palisades, and educational and community engagement programs with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra. Most recently, Lester served as the Director of the Sing for Hope Pianos, public pianos placed throughout NYC for anyone to play and enjoy.
Today, Lester oversees operations and makes sure that everything is running smoothly with BAPA and NYCGMC, as well as working closely with the Youth Pride Chorus and Tonewall.
Lester is an active member with Barkada NYC, a community for Queer and Trans Filipinx folks, and has been a volunteer mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters NYC for the last three years. Lester is obsessed with hotpot, outdoor adventures with his dog Lucas, and collecting the first 151 Pokémon.
Current Baritones Sam Linden (2022 – present) and Andrew Coon (2022 – present) were married on September 28, 2024, in Hudson, NY. Sam and Andrew first met when they sang together in the Boston Gay Men's Chorus in 2019, and they joined NYCGMC together after relocating to Brooklyn in 2022. Their ceremony featured a reading of the last paragraph of the Obergefell decision as well as a rendition of Cole Porter's "So in Love;" their guests closed out the night by belting "Pink Pony Club," a current NYCGMC favorite.
John Carrion (Executive Director – 2021-2024) – John joined the NYCGMC after having served as Chairman of the London Gay Men’s Chorus from 2013-2017.
John began his tenure with Big Apple Performing Arts (BAPA) and the New York City Gay Men's Chorus in October 2021. During his time at BAPA, he has focused on revitalizing the organization in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. John has worked to recruit over 170 new members, to produce the first concerts since 2019, to engage with new communities around New York City, and to reinvigorate BAPA’s fundraising campaigns. During his tenure, the NYCGMC has also featured on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, Pix11, ABC7 News, and the 75th Annual Tony Awards.
In June 2022, John was named a New York City LGBTQ+ Power Player. In October 2022, John was elected to the GALA Choruses Board of Directors and began his term on January 1, 2023. In February 2023, he presented two workshops at the Out and Loud and Proud Festival in Sydney, Australia, representing both Big Apple Performing Arts and GALA Choruses. In July 2024, John co-presented three workshops at the GALA Choruses Festival in Minneapolis: Peer to Peer Fundraising, Marketing Roundtable, and Supporting Trans and Non-binary Members.
John is now the ED of GALA Choruses.
Peter Adamson (2000-2014)
“Cory Ford and I got married on November 1st, 2023, in Paris, France! It would be great to share that with alumni.”
OCTOBER 25, 2024
L U M N I N
Singing with the GMCW
I’ve also been singing with the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC, since moving here This past summer, under the direction of our head conductor, Dr Thea Kano, and our assisant conductor, Dr. Paul Heins, we sang the world premiere of the newly commissioned Portraits project, which featured original choral compositions inspired by visual art and accompanied by choreography We debuted Portraits at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts here in DC in June with a subsequent performance at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis during 2024 GALA Festival in July!
Dear Reader,
Hello! My name is Giancarlo D’Elia and I’m a proud alumnus of the NYC Gay Men’s Chorus! I joined the chorus in January 2020 for the Divas, Divas, Divas! concert cycle, shortly before the beginning of the pandemic. In July 2021, I relocated to Washington, DC where I currently work as part of a team of directors and managers who oversee the Speech, Occupational, & Physical Therapy Departments at DC Public Schools
