Our History

 

 

The New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus (NJGMC) is an inclusive volunteer chorus drawing from communities in New Jersey and surrounding areas. 

​

During our 29 year history, the NJGMC has presented an annual concert series consisting of two or three concert weekends, as well as various community performances as part of our commitment to involvement and outreach. We have worked in conjunction with the New Jersey Names Project and marched with the AIDS Memorial Quilt at Jersey Pride in Asbury Park. We have performed at World AIDS Day services throughout Central NJ, Pride Night sponsored by The Pride Center of New Jersey, where we sang The star Spangled Banner at a Somerset Patriots game; the Princeton University Transgender Remembrance Service and the Yom HaShoah Commemoration at the Jewish Community Center in Edison. We also had the thrilling experience of performing “Sing for the Cure,” a musical benefit for breast cancer education, at Carnegie Hall.

​

Most recently, the NJGMC was invited to perform on stage with the extraordinarily talented Hugh Jackman at the New Jersey stop of his world tour, “The Man, The Music, The Show” on October 6, 2019, at the Prudential Center.

 

In 2011, in response to the tragic suicide of Tyler Clementi, the Chorus performed “It Gets Better: A Journey of Courage in Song” with the Harrisburg Gay Men’s Chorus. The proceeds of this performance were donated to Jersey Shore PFLAG and The Point Foundation to help them with their mission to end discrimination and teen bullying. At our 25th Anniversary Concert in May of 2016, we performed Still I Rise with Carolyn Montgomery-Forant and Jeff Cubeta as part of The Rise Tour, with proceeds benefiting the Matthew Shepard Foundation. In 2016 the chorus was asked to sing at memorial services in Princeton, Asbury Park, and Maplewood for the 49 fallen in the Pulse Nightclub shooting. Given our mission we are often asked to perform the National Anthem at many events. In 2016 we sang the Anthem at a Somerset Patriots game and the Garden state Equality Gala.  In early 2017 in front of 6,000 protesters we proudly opened The Women's March in Trenton with an unforgettable rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner."

 

Other collaborations include the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus, Rochester Gay Men’s Chorus, Baltimore Men’s Chorus, Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus and Monmouth Civic Chorus. In conjunction with the Chamber Choir of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington DC, we recorded the CD “Prayers for Bobby”, a work inspired by the book of the same name which was made into a movie starring Sigourney Weaver. Our other CD, “To Everything There is a Season”, is a compilation of musical highlights taken from each of our concerts during our 8th season.

 

The NJGMC is the only New Jersey member of the roughly 170-member international Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA Choruses), a network of GLBT and GLBT-allied choruses from all over the world that hosts quadrennial festivals and sponsors ongoing networking opportunities and conferences for its members. As the sole New Jersey member of GALA Choruses, we have represented the Garden State at GALA Festivals in Tampa, Montreal, Miami and Denver.