Men’s Festival Chorus

Men’s Festival Chorus Repertoire:
Ain't No Turnin' Back – David Maddux
Love Alone – Ned Rorem
I Can Fly, from Metamorphosis – Robert Seeley & Robert Espindola

Click here for schedule

Gary Miller, Director
Festival 2008 Men’s Festival Chorus

Gary Miller is the founding director of the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus, having served as music director from 1980–1998. Most recently he returned to NYCGMC as Interim Music Director in 2005 and 2006. During his 20 years as music director of the Chorus he presided over dozens of concerts, including nearly 50 in venerable Carnegie Hall; led the Chorus in three European tours as well as a West Coast tour; produced five critically–acclaimed recordings; and brought to NYCGMC audiences a vast variety of international musical celebrities, including Marilyn Horne, Roberta Peters, Frederica von Stade, Elaine Stritch, Colleen Dewhurst, Carol Channing, Holly Near, Cyndi Lauper, Comden and Green, among numerous others. Personal collaborations with Stephen Sondheim and Jerry Herman, as well as the Leonard Bernstein estate, resulted in star–studded galas of each man’s work. An avid promoter of contemporary music, Gary championed an ambitious program of more than thirty commissions for the NYCGMC, including works by Ned Rorem, John Corigliano, William Bolcom, Libby Larsen and Ricky Ian Gordon.

Gary is a founding member and two–term president of GALA Choruses and was honored with their first–ever Legacy Award. He served as music director of the very first GALA Choruses festival in New York City, and was guest conductor for the GALA Festival Men’s Chorus at Festival IV in Denver. Upon his (first) retirement from NYCGMC, Gary was invited to deliver the keynote address at the GALA Choruses Leadership Conference in Dallas, a speech that was subsequently published and became a catalyst for discussions across the nation about the role of gay and lesbian choruses in their communities.

Other awards include a Lifetime Achievement Award from SAGE (Senior Action in a Gay Environment). Gary earned his master of music degree from the University of Michigan. He currently serves as head of the music department at the Ethical Culture School in Manhattan. His partner of 24 years, Daniel Starr, is Manager of Bibliographic Operations in the Watson Library at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.