For the first time in their 40-year history, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC) will have a physical space to call home, one that will also double as a first-of-its-kind hub for queer art.
SFGMC recently announced that a new National LGBTQ Center for the Arts will open in San Francisco in the near future. Aside from acting as a rehearsal and practice site for SFGMC, the center will also be a destination for publicly-accessible arts, including community performances, events, and programs.
Purchased for $9.6 million, the new center—located on 170 Valencia St—will house a cutting-edge media center that will allow the chorus group to start on new programs and offer a meeting space and venue for fellow LGBTQ-identifying creatives.
“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.
“We are so grateful to Terrence Chan [a founding Chorus member who made a gift of $5 million] and his life partner Edward Sell” added Executive Director Chris Verdugo. “We look forward to working with and alongside other LGBTQ arts organizations while supporting them in their artistic and advocacy endeavors.”
Once the ribbon is cut, the SFGMC will start to host ongoing master classes and interview series—featuring such household names like Academy Award-winning composer Stephen Schwartz and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert’s Laura Benanti—community sing-ins, student residency programs, a sing-a-long VR activity, and much more.