GREASE is the word

In my ten years of directing GMCW I don't think I have ever had so much fun watching our guys rehearse as I am watching our young and talented Grease cast. At our last rehearsal I looked at the cast and realized that all ten principal roles are being played by singers who have joined the Chorus in the last three years. They are talented, energetic, and 100 percent invested in Grease. And it is such a healthy signal that GMCW is growing and thriving.

Our stage director John Moran and our choreographer Craig Cipollini are doing a fabulous job with the cast. Our singer-actor-dancers are inhabiting their roles - it is such a joy to see.

Our fully-staged productions are one of the reasons that GMCW stands out from every other gay chorus. We're the only ones who do it. And it isn't easy. Every Saturday a group of guys goes to our set building shop to construct and paint sets. Other members are shopping and sewing and ironing costumes under the guidance of Gary Turner, our director of fabulosity.

Thousands and thousands of man-hours are going into this production - I know it will all be worth it when the lights go down and the curtain comes up for the RYDELL HIGH ALMA MATER.

~ Jeff

A Variety of Music You Will Love

Last week, I received an e-mail from a first tenor in GMCW telling me that he thought the music in our upcoming concert, Love, is the most beautiful music we have ever performed. I agree wholeheartedly!

We are hoping that you will come in out of the snow this Saturday, February 13 to hear the chorus and one of its small ensembles, Rock Creek Singers, sing love songs in a variety of styles...Broadway, pop, and classical music.

While we are very excited about performing the world premiere of a men's chorus arrangement of Brahms' Liebeslieder Waltzes (love waltzes), we are also in love with the other music on the program... "Some Enchanted Evening" from South Pacific, "If We Only Have Love" from Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, and Billy Joel's "And So It Goes" are among the songs on the program.

We are happy to return to The Church of the Epiphany, which located directly at the Metro Center stop AND has a parking garage right next door!

Please join us for this Valentine's weekend special event...Love.

~ Jeff

Come to Rehearsal This Sunday, February 7!

Sundays are amazing days. For the past 5 Sundays and into the coming week we have been working on two great musical projects. We'd love for you to stop by to see us in action as we rehearse for our show Love, Saturday, February 13, at 5 pm and 8 pm, and our fully-staged production of the Broadway musical Grease, March 19, 20 and 21.

We have rehearsals for our March production of Grease from 2-5 pm. if you stop by you might see the full cast learning to e choreography to "Born to Hand Jive" ... or you might see the leads working on the "Freddy My Love" scene ... or you might hear the cast having a musical rehearsal for "Summer Nights". Whatever you see, it is great fun to watch. We have our final rehearsal for our Love concert from 6:15 - 9:15 pm THIS Sunday, February 7. You can hear us putting the final musical touches on the Brahms' Liebeslieder Waltzes, a collection of 18 love songs. We're also working on other music for the concert, including two beautiful Rogers & Hammerstein songs, "Some Enchanted Evening" and "We Kiss in a Shadow".

We are proud to be presenting two incredibly diverse events. Over 200 singers are involved in these shows. The talent in GMCW continues to get better and better. We are all having a wonderful time and would love for you to share it with us.

We rehearse at the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church on New York Avenue between 13th and 14th Streets NW. No need to call ahead - just stop by the 5th floor to see us in action. Or e-mail me at jeff at gmcw.org for info about the shows.

~ Jeff Buhrman

An Inspiring Start to 2010

It is exciting to be back after the holiday season working on not just one, but 2 shows with performances in February and March.

Our work in the new year began on Sunday, January 3, at 2 pm with a full-cast rehearsal with the 75 singers in our fully-staged production of Grease. They were at rehearsal until 9:00 pm - what a first day! We have a first rate cast - it was an amazing rehearsal.

And we're already at work with set designs, costume and prop meetings, contracting our pit band - there is so much involved in doing a full Broadway production.

Sunday we also had our first rehearsal for our February concert, Love. The chorus is again breaking new ground as we will be singing the first men's chorus version of Brahms' wonderful "Liebeslieder Waltzes"...music that is so beautiful, with soaring melodies and lyrics that capture great intimacy. Our new men's chorus version was transcribed by GMCW baritone Robert Boaz, who did a superb job. There are approximately 135 singers in this concert which will also feature the Rock Creek Singers, one of GMCW's 2 small ensembles.

Happy New Year to everyone! I will keep you posted on everything going on behind the scenes for both productions.

- Jeff

A memorable weekend that brought out the best in everyone...

The true test of any organization is how it comes together during difficult times. Yesterday was a great example of just that. The way in which our singers and support staff rallied together is a testament to the very positive spirit that exists within GMCW. Despite the huge amount of snow, metro shutdowns, icy roads, and more mounds of snow, almost all of our members were able to dig themselves out and get to the theater for both of our Sunday shows. There were many Chorus members who traveled out of their way to pick up others so they could be with us. Several members who live quite a distance from metro DC stayed with other GMCW members after our Friday night performance, even though we didn't know if we would have a second or third show. Their dedication warms my heart.

We are very grateful to our wonderfully faithful audiences who came in droves to see us on Friday night, Sunday afternoon, and Sunday evening.

The holiday spirit was truly in the air all weekend.

Wishing you a lovely, safe, holiday season and a wonderful 2010!

~ Jeff Buhrman

We're Ready for Snow

It's two weeks before our holiday extravaganza - I woke up at 5 am this morning incredibly excited about last night's Snow rehearsal. What a GREAT show - last night was our first full run-through of the show and it couldn't have gone better. There are so many beautiful and exciting musical moments in the first half and Snow White and 175 Faeries: The Musical is way over-the-top fun. Our writing team, lead by Rick East, have done an extraordinary job on the script. John Moran is weaving magic with the direction of the show.

Craig Cipollini's choreography is perfect. Our production team has been building sets. Our property master and costume designers are putting on the final touches. Our leading actors are too good to be true. And our singers have worked extremely hard on their singing and are sounding beautifully - we'll be singing with the largest number of singers in GMCW history. Ticket sales are selling at a record pace and once again, our youth outreach program, GenOUT, will provide free tickets to glbt youth and their allied peers in the DC area. Trust me - THIS IS A SHOW THAT YOU SHOULD NOT MISS!!

- Jeff

Expect a really big Snow December 18-20!

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful. And since we've no place to go...let it SNOW! let it SNOW! let it SNOW!

My friend David is a meteorologist and is predicting lots of SNOW this winter. We've been experiencing our own snow since we've been singing about it since our first rehearsal in September. Frankly, I can't wait until it snows. And even better, I can't wait until we present our Snow show in December...it is beautiful, it is funny, it is a bit crazy...and it shows off the incredible talent we have in GMCW.

Our singers are singing more beautifully than ever. Their concentration and focus has been amazing. This is my 10th season as artistic director, and I've never seen so much progress in one rehearsal period. I've never heard lovelier singing than in our 1st act music from Snow.

And then we've had the Snow White and 175 Faeries rehearsals. This mini-musical is our best (and queerest). Our beautiful Snow White (a boy) and our Handsome Prince are a joy to watch. And the Dwarfs absolutely crack me up. All of the characters are just plain FUN.

I'll share some more about the show next week...and I'll give some info about how our Grease auditions are going.

- Jeff