Boston Gay Men's Chorus in Poland


Press Release For immediate release: July 5, 2005 BOSTON GAY MEN’S CHORUS RETURNS FROM EVENTFUL EUROPEAN TOUR Following a triumphant performance for a crowd of 700,000 in Berlin, BGMC faced right wing protest and performed under police guard in Poland and then traveled to Prague for a concert to support domestic partnership legislation in the Czech Republic 120 members of the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus have returned from a ten day tour of central Europe, where they performed concerts in Berlin, Germany; Wroclaw, Poland; and Prague, Czech Republic. Under the direction of Reuben Reynolds, the BGMC sang live concerts for more than 3000 people in addition to an outdoor performance sung for 700,000 people. In Berlin, the BGMC collaborated with RosaCavailier, Berlin’s gay chorus, for a concert at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt on Friday, June 24. The following day was Berlin’s Christopher Street Day (gay pride) Celebration. The Chorus marched as the second delegation in the parade. Later that day, the Chorus sang from the festival stage at the Siegesaule monument before a crowd that was estimated by police at 700,000. The performance was also broadcast live on the regional television station RBB. The Chorus was welcomed in person backstage by Berlin’s openly gay mayor, Klaus Wowereit. In a brief ceremony, Mayor Wowereit accepted a proclamation of thanks provided by Boston’s mayor Thomas Menino. On Sunday, June 26, the Chorus departed for Wroclaw, Poland’s fourth largest city. Upon arrival, the Chorus learned that the concert was in jeopardy of being cancelled due to threats from a right wing Catholic group calling itself the League of Polish Families. The League had pressured the director of Philharmonic Hall to cancel the event. When she refused to do so, the League planned a protest and threatened to create a human chain around the hall to prohibit BGMC members from entering. Polish police then put the Chorus under 24-hour police guard at both its hotel and at the concert hall. The group brought ticket sales to a halt when they announced on Monday that their supporters would buy all remaining tickets in order to occupy the hall and disrupt the concert. Hall management stopped selling tickets and announced it would only honor tickets that had been bought prior to the protest. Sales were re-opened at the door just prior to the performance to accommodate a near capacity crowd. Chorus members arrived at the concert under police escort. The protest itself consisted of about 20 people equipped with sexually crude signs and they engaged in about 2 hours of homophobic chanting. The League denigrated gays as “deviants, pedophiles, and mentally unstable.” Police formed a human barrier between the protesters and the hall, allowing chorus members and audience to enter the building. The protest and the concert was front page news and received extensive print and broadcast coverage throughout Poland. Portions of the program were recorded for Polish television and radio. According to BGMC executive director Steve Smith, the protest backfired and managed to bring significant positive attention to the Chorus and its message of civil rights. “Just like a Fred Phelps protest here in the U.S., the League of Polish Families humiliated themselves as petty hate-mongers,” said Smith. “Nearly every Polish citizen we talked to, including most news reporters, expressed embarrassment and remorse for the disruption of the concert. We hope that the Chorus’s appearance raised awareness of the local gay community and that we helped to create a conversation in Poland about acceptance and dignity.” The final leg of the tour took the BGMC to Prague, Czech Republic for a concert in world-famous Dvorak Hall of the Rudolfinum on Friday, July 1 at 8:00 pm. Billed as Prague’s gay cultural event of the summer, the “Concert for Partnership,” was sponsored in part by Gay Initiative, a Czech gay rights organization working to pass domestic partnership legislation. The bill was re-introduced to the Czech parliament days before the concert and passed its first reading last week. The BGMC was introduced by Jiri Hromada, the leader of Gay Initiative, who also thanked a number of parliament deputies who attended the concert. During the concert, the BGMC sang its signature song “Marry Us” and introduced members of the Chorus who are legally married in Massachusetts. As one of New England’s largest and most successful community-based choruses, the 150 member Boston Gay Men’s Chorus is noted for its outstanding musicianship, creative programming and groundbreaking community outreach. Under the leadership of Music Director Reuben M. Reynolds III, the BGMC sings a wide spectrum of classical and popular music with excellence and provides a positive and affirming image of the gay and lesbian community. The Chorus performs for more than 10,000 people annually and has been listed on the Boston Business Journal’s Top 25 List of Boston’s largest performing arts organizations every year since 2002. The BGMC has appeared throughout New England and coast to coast and has 7 CDs in its growing discography. BGMC is supported in part by the Boston Cultural Council, a municipal agency, the Boston Cultural Agenda Fund, and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. Steve Smith, Executive Director email: steve_smith@bgmc.org phone: (617) 542-SING (7464)