SAN
FRANCISCO GAY MEN’S CHORUS ANNOUNCES FIRST-EVER
NATIONAL LGBTQ CENTER FOR THE ARTS IN SAN FRANCISCO
Terrence Chan Donates $5 Million
– The Largest Single Gift in SFGMC history
Photo
Credit: Jeff Zaruba
The Chorus Will Now be Housed in the Center; its First Permanent
Home in San Francisco
After 40+ Years
San
Francisco, CA
The San
Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC) announced that the
first-ever National LGBTQ Center for the Arts will open
in San Francisco, CA. With a primary focus on performances,
public programs and community partnerships, the Center provides
a space to bring the arts community and SFGMC together. Purchased
for $9.6 million, the new Center will house a cutting-edge media
center, provide a creative space for LGBTQ artists, serve as
a meeting location for community leaders, host trainings and
internship programs and more.
Located at 170 Valencia Street, the Center also marks the first
permanent home for SFGMC since its inception over 40 years ago.
The four-story building, which will undergo significant renovations
to modernize and adapt its use for a performing arts organization,
allows SFGMC to embark on never-before-possible programs. SFGMC
will now be able to host ongoing master classes and an interview
series with notables such as Award-winning composers Stephen
Schwartz and Andrew Lippa and actress and singer Laura Benanti,
community sing-ins, a new and exciting virtual reality experience
and a recording and production studio.
Photo Credit: Jeff Zaruba
Chris
Verdugo, Executive Director of the Chorus, stated, “We are so
grateful to Terrence Chan and his life partner Edward Sell who
will lead our campaign and our board of directors for their
most generous support of this remarkable venture. We look forward
to working with and alongside other LGBTQ arts organizations
while supporting them in their artistic and advocacy endeavors.”
With its new home near the Castro District, SFGMC will remain
deeply committed to the San Francisco area by continuing and
creating new meaningful local partnerships and working with
students from various San Francisco schools. SFGMC will also
maintain and expand its national presence through extensive
external programs. The Chorus’ national work includes the expansion
of RHYTHM (Reaching Youth Through Music), an immersive
workshop series aimed at inspiring students to live their most
authentic lives, and the new tour of “It Gets Better,”
a community residency and performance program produced by SFGMC
in collaboration with the It Gets Better Project and Speak Theater
Arts.
“In its forty-year history, the Chorus has performed at the
world’s most prestigious venues, but we have never had our own
home,” said Board Chair Keith Pepper. “The new space will allow
the organization to expand its performing calendar to include
master classes, an interview series with leading LGBTQ voices
and ‘sing-ins’ that welcome members of the community to perform
with the Chorus.”
While a campaign to cover the cost of purchase, renovations
and a supporting endowment fund will be announced in the future,
one of the founding Chorus members Terrence Chan made a leadership
gift of $5 million toward the cost of buying and renovating
the space and the SFGMC Board has pledged an additional $1 million.
In making his gift, Chan said, “I am particularly excited about
the vision for a National LGBTQ Center for the Arts. At this
time in our nation’s history, it is vital that we in the LGBTQ
community have a home for our art and artists. I am confident
that great work will be created in our new home - work that
will inspire, engage and educate.”
Dr. Timothy Seelig, Artistic Director of the Chorus, stated,
“In my 30 years conducting LGBTQ choruses, none of us have had
the ability to purchase a building that had multiple rehearsal
spaces, a recording studio and the ability to provide space
for the community. Our new Center will be open to all. It is
appropriate that the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, which started
the LGBTQ choral movement 40 years ago, once again is leading
the field.”
About the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus
For nearly 40 years, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus has
courageously served as the international standard bearer for
a powerful and accomplished mix of high-caliber performance,
human rights, community activism, empowerment and inclusiveness,
establishing it as an icon among LGBTQ organizations. Founded
in 1978, it was the first organization of its kind and is credited
with starting the LGBTQ choral movement, galvanizing and changing
the course of LGBTQ history. It continues to rally and inspire
other arts-based community organizations around the world. Under
the leadership of Artistic Director Dr. Timothy Seelig, SFGMC
has in recent seasons established a heightened level of performance
standards receiving audience and choral acclaim, increased its
touring and recording profile and broadened its impact and reputation
in the community while maintaining its signature blend of humor,
personality and high-voltage performances. For more information,
visit www.sfgmc.org
and @sfgmc (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram).