World Gay News

Austin Gay Men’s Chorus Presents Legacy Rising: An AGMC Benefit Event – Broadway World

The Austin Gay Men’s Chorus will take the stage for Legacy Rising: An AGMC Benefit Event on Saturday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin, 4700 Grover St. Tickets are available here.

Legacy Rising is the organization’s first benefit event since before the COVID-19 pandemic and promises to be an intimate evening of food, drinks and artistry. The benefit will feature a variety of performances that honor the chorus’ mission of “raising voices in song to change minds, transform lives and build community,” with several songs dedicated to each of these three mission tenets. The two sets will include an array of performers including solos, duets, Take Note! and the chorus itself. Event supporters can expect to hear chorus favorites including “Born This Way,” “One Voice,” and “Family.”

“Legacy Rising will invite patrons to a more intimate setting where they will get to know the AGMC Family,” said AGMC Artistic Director Daniel Arredondo. “It will give supporters and donors a look at who we are and our role in the larger Austin community.”

Designed to raise funds for equipment, licensing and continued financial stability, this event welcomes sponsors and donors with a variety of benefits, including supporting the longest-standing LGBTQ vocal performance organization in Central Texas. “This concert will help us broaden our reach and champion voices that may otherwise go unheard,” Arredondo said.

“AGMC continues to rise and meet the challenges that have faced our organization through the pandemic,” said Chorus President Glen Langford. “With Legacy Rising, we will be celebrating new relationships and partnerships that will secure our place on the Austin cultural stage.”

Austin Gay Men’s Chorus: Initially named the Capital City Men’s Chorus, the Austin Gay Men’s Chorus was inspired by a 1989 visit to Austin by The Names Project. Since then, the chorus has grown significantly from an initial 16 members. Raising their voices in song to change minds, transform lives, and build community, the chorus has performed at Carnegie Hall as well as in Houston, Fort Worth, Denver and Montreal as well as several venues in Austin. Guest artists include Tony-nominated composer Andrew Lippa, Broadway star Nick Rodriquez, Grammy-nominated mezzo-soprano Rose Taylor, Austin’s cabaret legend Karen Kuykendall, members of the Austin Lyric Opera, the Austin Civic Orchestra and others. The chorus has recorded and released three CDs, performed several times on television and has provided music for such diverse events as the inauguration of Governor Ann Richards, comedienne Margaret Cho‘s “Cho Dependent” show, Round Rock Express baseball games, and the Geek Bowl Trivia contest. In 2019, the chorus name was changed to the Austin Gay Men’s Chorus to reflect the pride of its members. Currently helmed by Artistic Director Dr. Daniel Arredondo, the Austin Gay Men’s Chorus is the longest operating men’s chorus in Central Texas.