Symposium regular registration closes 11/30
Join us in Austin on Feb. 25-28 and register by Nov. 30 to avoid the added late registration fee! The schedule is currently viewable on Integra and will be posted on the GALA Choruses website soon. Keep an eye out for information about our grant proposal contest in our December newsletter.
Prepare for Festival 2028 with GALA Choruses' webinars
Check out the new recordings of our Immigration & Traveling for Festival 2028 and Chorus Fundraising Panel webinars. We're hosting our Festival Liaison Training on Nov. 12 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT for those leading their chorus through the preparation and attendance for Festival—RSVP to get the webinar link. Sign up for future webinars and view all previous recordings and slides here.
Work with GALA Choruses and members—paid and volunteer roles available
Don't forget GALA MAP Advisor applications due tomorrow, Nov. 2! We are now seeking Advisory Committee members for Festival 2028 Coffee Concerts, Blockbusters, and Festival Choruses—nominations are due Nov. 9. Finally, the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles is seeking a CEO & Executive Producer(apply by Nov. 25). Members can browse and post opportunities on GALA Choruses' job board anytime.
Share your GALA Festival 2028 Blockbuster theme and song suggestions: open to everyone
Blockbusters are the large-scale themed evening concerts at GALA Festival, bringing together several choruses, guest artists, and a Festival Chorus around a single theme. From Sunday 1 November through Thursday 31 December 2026, we're inviting everyone in GALA Choruses, from chorus members to leadership, to share Blockbuster theme and song suggestions. This is purely idea generation, with no commitment. The Blockbuster & Festival Chorus Advisory Committee will review every suggestion and make recommendations to GALA staff, who will make final decisions in 2027.
Include GALA Choruses in Your Giving Tuesday & End of Year Giving
When you support GALA Choruses, you're supporting a global movement fostering joy, understanding, and hope for the LGBTQIA+ community. For more than four decades, GALA has empowered singers, conductors, and arts leaders to use their voices by providing year-round resources, leadership development, and opportunities to connect in solidarity through the transformative power of music. Please consider making a gift to GALA Choruses as part of your 2026 giving.
Member Corner
Featured Members
Council Oak Men's Chorale
Founded in 1998, the Council Oak Men’s Chorale (COMC) is based in Tulsa, Oklahoma with 32 singers this season. A proud member of GALA Choruses for 27 years, COMC continues to experience exciting growth, with multiple sold-out performances and increased community engagement.
Through music, fellowship, and advocacy, COMC creates a space where LGBTQ+ voices are celebrated and authentic connections can flourish. Recent programs include Through the Storm, A Glimmer of Hope, and Council Oak Jukebox, reflecting the chorus’s range of musical styles and its commitment to connecting with audiences through meaningful and engaging performances.
This winter, COMC presents Comfort and Joy, a celebration designed to warm hearts and lift spirits—much like the food, drinks, and fellowship shared at our gatherings.
Looking ahead, COMC is excited to see its Artistic Director join the GALA Choruses Board of Directors in January 2027. We look forward to strengthening our connection with GALA and continuing to build a bright future for our chorus and the communities we serve.
Learn more at counciloak.org.
Welcome to Our Newest Members!
Amplify ATL Youth Chorus: founded this year, the Amplify ATL Youth Chorus is led by artistic director Joe Lee with lead volunteer David Walters. They currently host 21 SATB youth singers in Atlanta, GA.
News Across the GALA Community
- Executive Director & Producer Lou Spisto has announced that he will conclude his tenure with the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles at the end of January 2027.
- The San Diego Women's Chorus will perform Sincerely Yours, Pauli Murray on Nov. 7–8 in their concert "Rebel With a Cause: An American Dramatic Cantata."
- The Gay Men's Chorus of Washington DC welcomes Robert Emmet Finn as their new executive director.
- The Des Moines Gay Men's Chorus was invited to perform at the World Food Prize Foundation's Laureate Award Ceremony, featuring Malala Yousafzai as its keynote speaker, last month.
Submit Your Chorus's Updates for the Next Newsletter
News from the Global Choral Community
The Out & Loud Festival, the choral festival for LGBTQIA+ choruses across Australasia and the world, is celebrating its 25th anniversary on November 16-20 in Perth, Australia.
Opportunities for Singers
Making Gay History Podcast Recording Session - Call for Singers
Date: Sunday, November 22
Time: 3:30pm-5:30pm
Location: Cornell Tech - Roosevelt Island, NYC
Members from across the tristate area are invited to come together for this special recording event for the Making Gay History Podcast. As a group, participants will learn, rehearse, and record 1-3 classics from the Great American Songbook originally performed by inmates of the “Fag Ward” at the former Men’s Penitentiary on Welfare Island (now Roosevelt Island) as part of their annual Christmas pageant, “The Fag Follies,” in the 1920s and 1930s. Selections from these recordings will be featured in a future episode of Making Gay History's new series, “The Queens of Welfare Island,” hosted by Eric Marcus. The event will take place at Cornell Tech, a satellite campus built on the former site of the Men’s Penitentiary.
Making Gay History is a registered nonprofit organization. Performers will not be compensated for their participation but will have the opportunity to hear their voices featured in a future podcast episode. By participating, they will also help preserve and bring to life a long-lost chapter of queer history.
Please direct any questions to: info@lifejackettheatre.org.
GALA Highlights
Journal of Queer Choral Studies | Volume 1, Issue 2 | Rehearsals, Repertoire, & Representation
The next issue of GALA Choruses' open access academic publication is here! New research from Dr. Dillon E. Beede, artistic director of the Harrisburg Gay Men's Chorus, explores the unique and innovative choral practices of trans and gender-expansive choirs. Dr. Saleel Menon of Rutgers University shares queer pedagogical styles that can be applied toward choral rehearsal structures. Read narrative spotlights on the affirmative experience of leading the Council Oak Men's Chorale; how Nashville in Harmony navigates its identity as a queer and Southern chorus; the final performances of a Midwest LGBTQ+ ensemble; and the Harrisburg Gay Men's Chorus's newest commission, "Song for Our Transforming." Read the journal here.
Queer Voices | Ep. 2.19 | Interview with Anjali Murthy and Matthew Pyles on LGBTQIA+ Youth Choruses
Join us for a fascinating conversation with Anjali Murthy, a singer at the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington, DC and alum of GenOUT Youth Chorus, and Matthew Pyles, Associate Artistic Director of Nashville in Harmony and Conductor of the Major Minors. The group discusses the LGBTQIA+ Youth Choral Movement, the Youth Chorus Jamboree that took place in Asheville in July this year, GALA’s new strategic plan, and more. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or here.
Queer Voices | Ep. 2.20 | Interview with Celena Spain-Frank and Maya Kociba of the Transcendent Choir of Philadelphia
Learn more about the Transcendent Choir of Philadelphia through our interview with its founders, Executive Director Celena Spain-Frank and Artistic Director Maya Kociba. Celena and Maya share the story behind the founding of their choir; their journey building Philly's first trans choral community; the importance of allyship; and more. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or here.