Happy Pride Month from GALA Choruses!

We are so honored to celebrate another year of queer visibility and joy with all of our community. The numerous concerts and local Pride performances in which many of you are participating this month create a chorus of hope for our LGBTQIA+ family.  We couldn't be more proud.

In celebration of Pride 2026, we would love to hear about your favorite GALA Choruses memories, whether from one of our Festivals or with your home chorus! Please tag us in your posts on Facebook and Instagram at @galachoruses and we will share them from our accounts as well. Help us create a month-long recognition of the importance of the LGBTQIA+ choral movement for fostering community and using our voices as instruments of change!

In this Newsletter

• Submission deadline extended to June 15 for the Journal of Queer Choral Studies!
• Share your workshop proposals for Symposium 2027! Submissions open through Aug. 31
• Join us in Los Angeles for California Sings! A GALA Choruses Celebration!
• Listen to new episodes with Unison Choruses Canada and the Calliope Women's Chorus on Queer Voices
• Learn how to protect yourself from fraud with a free workshop from AARP, sponsor of GALA Choruses
• Get the latest exciting news from across the GALA Choruses network
• GALA's job board, website submissions, & other reminders

Submission Deadline Extended to June 15 for the Journal of Queer Choral Studies!

The Journal of Queer Choral Studies (JOQCS), the official publication of GALA Choruses, is a peer-reviewed professional journal for articles by scholars, practitioners, and writers who have an important story to tell about their choral experiences. Submissions for the Summer / Fall 2026 issue will now be accepted through June 15! The publication accepts:

• Original Research Articles: scholarly manuscripts that document new findings, data, insights, and conclusions, and maintain full academic standards
• Practitioner Articles: academic work that combines scholarly research with practical application in choral settings
• Spotlight Articles: manuscripts about choral experiences that are more journalistic and narrative-focused

For full details about the standards for each article type, as well as the three options for the review process, and to submit your manuscript for consideration, click the link below.

Submit to the Journal of Queer Choral Studies >

Share Your Workshop Proposals for Symposium 2027! Submissions Open Through Aug. 31

Shape the conversation at our 2027 Leadership Symposium in Austin! We invite and encourage all choral leaders to share their skills, knowledge, and/or experience and submit a workshop proposal. Accepted presenters will receive a small financial incentive for their work. Submitting your proposal is easy—you'll just need to provide a presentation title, brief session description (500 characters or less), tech requirements, intended audience, and learning outcomes for your workshop. We welcome workshops that are 60 or 90 minutes long. The submission form is now open — proposals will be accepted through August 31.

Submit Your Symposium 2027 Workshop Proposal >

Join Us in Los Angeles for California Sings! A GALA Choruses Celebration!

California Sings! A GALA Choruses Celebration! brings together LGBTQ+ choruses from across the region for a joyful celebration of music and community in Los Angeles. Each participating ensemble will present its own featured performance, highlighting the diversity, artistry, and spirit of our movement. The event will conclude with a special collaborative finale, as singers from every chorus unite for one unforgettable shared performance. Don’t miss this exciting new GALA tradition in the making! Many choruses. Many stories. One powerful community.

Choruses planned to perform include: A Cabbello, The Choral Project, the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles, Men Alive, the Queer Chorus San Francisco, the Palm Springs Gay Men's Chorus, the Rainbow Women's Chorus, the San Diego Gay Men's Chorus, the San Diego Women's Chorus, the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus, the Silicon Valley Gay Men's Chorus, the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, Voices United Los Angeles, and the West Coast Singers.

Buy Tickets Here!

Listen to New Episodes with Unison Choruses Canada and the Calliope Women's Chorus on Queer Voices

Make sure to check out both of our amazing podcast episodes released this past month! Season 2, Episode 9 features Matthew Gillespie and Liz Graves from Unison Choruses Canada and discusses the Unison Festival, Canada's largest 2SLGBTQIA+ choral festival. The tenth episode with Klo Garoute, Maddy Hull, and Laurel Rand-Lewis of the Calliope Women's Chorus celebrates their 50th anniversary, making them the second oldest member of our community, and their ethos.

You can find Queer Voices wherever you listen to your podcasts or at the link below.

Listen to the Queer Voices Podcast >

Subscribe to the podcast and keep an eye out for our June episodes releasing on June 10 and 24!

Learn How to Protect Yourself from Fraud with a Free Workshop from AARP, Sponsor of GALA Choruses

Fraud is at a crisis level in our country. As much as $200 billion was stolen from Americans in 2024 alone. In fact, an estimated 103 million people have had money stolen due to fraud or sensitive information obtained and used fraudulently. The numbers are even higher among adults age 50 and older.

On Wednesday, June 24 at 2pm (EST), join a free webinar hosted by SAGE and AARP on how this crime affects the LGBTQ+ community. Kathy Stokes, Senior Director of Fraud Prevention Programs at AARP, will explain the insights from a recent survey and offer tools and strategies to help recognize and prevent consumer fraud.

Register for the Webinar Here!

Get the Latest Exciting News From Across the GALA Choruses Network

Our members all over the GALA Choruses network have been busy and have some exciting achievements to share!

Calliope Women's Chorus

The Calliope Women's Chorus is hosting their special 50th anniversary concert on June 6. They are celebrating this milestone with a program featuring a new performance of "Those Moments" by TJ Cole, as well as songs from Calliope's past and present. They will also be joined by an anniversary chorus of former Calliope members! If you're in the Twin Cities, please them for this wonderful celebration — tickets available here.

The Stonewall Chorale

In celebration of Pride, Diversity, and Identity, The Stonewall Chorale has invited queer cellist/composer MIZU as guest artist for an immersive concert with original video projections, recorded atmospheric soundscapes, live cello, and the 70-member chorale--all under the direction of Artistic Director Cynthia Powell. Please consider joining them in New York City on June 18 for this extraordinary experience — tickets available here.

OUTside VoicesKC

This month, OUTside VoicesKC will present the Kansas City premiere of the Sincerely Yours, Pauli Murray commission. OVKC is excited to perform this work to uplift and elevate gender identity, women’s rights, racial discrimination, and LGBTQIA+ equality... all important issues in our March towards a more "just" society. The concert will take place on June 20th at Hall Auditorium at Pembroke Hill — tickets available here.

Heartland Men's Chorus Kansas City

Heartland Men’s Chorus Kansas City (HMCKC) is proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Chipper Dean (he/him/his) as its new Executive Director, effective August 1, 2026. Dr. Dean joins HMCKC as it celebrates its landmark 40th anniversary season, bringing more than 25 years of experience spanning academia, federal government, and nonprofit arts leadership. Dr. Dean currently serves as Executive Director of the Rocky Mountain Arts Association, home to the Denver Feminist Chorus and the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus.

Does Your Chorus Have News You'd Like to Share with the GALA  Community?

Please submit your news, and/or request a social media takeover, through this form. You can also add us to your newsletter mailing list to keep us up to date regularly and give us the opportunity to reach out as we see stories of interest—please use email address memberservices@galachoruses.org.

GALA's Job Board, Website Submissions, & Other Reminders

• Looking for a new role in a GALA chorus? Check out our job board, hosted on our website (currently under the "Our Choruses" menu heading), for opportunities across the network. To submit a job posting, email the name of your chorus, the job title, deadline, and link to job description to communications@galachoruses.org.
• We are temporarily closing member event submissions to the GALA Choruses website. Submissions will re-open on July 1, once the redesigned website has launched. For May and June events you'd like to publicize, please tag GALA Choruses in your promotional posts on Facebook and Instagram and we will strive to share each event we're tagged in on our page or stories. If your event is taking place after July 1 and you'd like to have it included on the new website, please fill out this form.

In Case You Missed It—

• The first issue of the Journal of Queer Choral Studies has been published, available online for all to read! Read the issue here.
• Please note that GALA Choruses' mailing address has changed! Going forward, please direct any mail to: GALA Choruses, PO Box 346, New York, NY 10116

Membership Reminders

Chorus leaders—make sure to bookmark our new Member Information page on GALAChoruses.org, located under the Resources menu! This page hosts the link to the submission form for both social media/newsletter features and social media takeover requests, as well as other key info and updates.