Stonewall choral

The choir regularly performs at public events, such as the annual ball at the , the celebration of World AIDS Day , Kristallnacht Memorial Day, festive concerts and dignity marches. He also performs with various groups that conduct recreational activities in all hospitals in the metropolitan area of ​​New York.

The members of the Choir Advisory Board are Gerald Basby, Beth Clayton, John Corigliano, Meredith Monk, Marni Nixon, Kirk Nurok, Patricia Rasett, Ned Rohrem, Jerry Rubino, Liz Smith and Eric Whiteacre. The artistic director of the choir is Cynthia Powell.

It was founded in December 1977 under the name "Gotham Men's Choir" by choirmaster Donald Rock. In 1979, women joined the choir, and the name of the collective was changed to “Stonewall Choral”. The choir became the first United States lesbian and gay choir ^[1] . Its foundation served as an impetus for the cohesion of representatives of the LGBT community in New York.

In September 1983, at the Lincoln Center, the choir opened the first Lesbian and Gay Choir Festival called “Come Out!” And sing together ”, also known by the abbreviation COAST ^[2] . The festival was organized and conducted by the , which is currently an international organization with more than one and a half hundred participating choirs.

In 1985, the Stonewall Choral acquired the official status of an art collective and received a tax exemption. In 1986, the group was led by choirmaster William Pflagreidt ^[3] . In 1988, with his efforts, the premiere of the cantata of composer Louis Weingardin, “The Evening Liturgy of Consolation,” dedicated to the victims of AIDS, was held ^[4] .

In 1991, Nancy Wang led the choir. ^[5] In December 1991, former team leader Bill Pflagradet died of AIDS. The choir performed at a memorial service dedicated to him in January 1992. In 1995, the group performed at Carnegie Hall at a concert organized by the New York City gay choir ^[6] .

In 1996, the choir received a prize of five thousand US dollars from the Lincoln Center Center for the Performing Arts. This prize is awarded annually to nine public performing arts organizations based on their musical quality, creative program and high professionalism. With this money, a concert was organized in Alice-Tally Hall on February 22, 1997, during which the music of the composer Nadi Boulanger was played. The choir received a prize of two thousand dollars from the Florence Gould Foundation, whose goal is to promote French culture in the United States.

In 2002, the choir was led by Cynthia Powell. Under her leadership, the collective repertoire included the main works of Handel, Mozart, Orff, Vivaldi, Foret, Vogan Williams, Pulenok, Stravinsky and Britten. The Stonewall Choral participated in the premiere productions of Gerald Busby's Love Notes, Meredith Monk's Book of the Days, performed Variations on the Ascension of the Monk at the Guggenheim Museum and Ascension Songs at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. In January 2012, the band performed at Carnegie Hall at a charity concert of the American Cancer Society, along with special guests Julie Andrews and Donald Trump.

In 2010, GO magazine published an article entitled “Women at the helm” about the artistic director of the collective ^[7] . In 2012, the Lower Manhattan Culture Council Creative Team Foundation provided a grant for the Stonewall Choral.