About GMCW

GMCW is the LGBTQ+ voice of equality in the nation’s capital.

Mission

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC (GMCW) sings to inspire equality and inclusion with musical performances and education promoting justice and dignity for all.

About

GMCW is a renowned performance group. Since 1981, we’ve performed shows nationally, internationally, and at-home in Washington, DC. To date, we have 250+ singing members. Four select ensembles. Five hundred donors. One youth chorus. And an annual audience of 10,000+. Our mission is to use music to promote equality, achieve justice, and overcome our differences. That — and put on one hell of a show in the process.
GMCW Core Values

Core Values

Our core values reflect deeply held principles shared among our members, staff, and Board of Directors, guiding how we advocate and engage on issues of critical relevance to our queer community and social justice mission. These include our Passion for artistic excellence and to be the nation’s voice for queer representation in art; Respect for those within GMCW and those with whom we interact and collaborate; commitment to have a meaningful Impact on our audiences, our intersectional community, and the world; continually striving for and honoring Diversity within the organization, seeking out and valuing a variety of voices and experiences; and showing Empathy for those within the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalized groups most in need of support and advocacy.

Each individual component of P.R.I.D.E. collectively informs our reinvigorated approach to how we as an organization engage related communities, entities, and events:
Passion: This is evident in our love of and commitment to artistic excellence, harnessing music’s power to entertain, enlighten, and create change among the queer communities we represent.
Respect: This is exercised in everything we do; from how we honor those on whose shoulders we stand and the legacies of our forebears, to the way we treat those within the organization and all with whom we interact and collaborate.
Impact: Our goal is to deliver powerful, enlightening, impactful change with every performance, outreach, and communication to our audiences, the queer community, and the world.
Diversity: We strive daily for a representative, equitable, and inclusive community by ensuring our membership, staff, and audiences can be their authentic selves and express their voices and experiences; we actively hear and include these voices and experiences in our organization and our performances.
Empathy: With our art, our actions, and our words, we are deeply committed to supporting and advocating for those within the LGBTQ+ community and other marginalized groups in need of our voice and national presence.

OUR HISTORY

We’ve come a long way.

In the early 1960s, it was illegal to be gay. Yes, seriously, illegal.

Before and during that time, the LGBTQ+ population faced serious discrimination, harassment, and violence. Luckily, that all started to change, albeit slowly, in the years to come. On November 27th, 1978, Harvey Milk, a gay politician, was shot and killed in San Francisco. In response to this horrible crime, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC) was born. This unprecedented and daring organization became the first openly gay men’s chorus in the US. Years later, SFGMC toured the country, singing out against hate. In June of 1981, they performed at the Kennedy Center, inspiring a group of individuals right here in DC to form their own gay men’s chorus. And so began the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC.

For the last 44 years, we’ve been raising our voice for equality.

Over that time, we’ve put on numerous shows and done hours and hours of community outreach. We’ve sung and danced our hearts out around the country, including our Equality Tours in 2017, 2018, and 2019. We’ve been around the world, too, including stops in Cuba, Iceland, and Ukraine.

We’ve sung for the Obamas, the Clintons, and the Bidens. Alongside Carol Channing and Angela Lansbury. We’ve visited many prestigious venues, including the Kennedy Center, the White House, and Carnegie Hall, just to name a few.

Perhaps we’re proudest to have spurred several outreach ensembles, including Potomac Fever, Rock Creek Singers, Seasons of Love, and 17th Street Dance. In 2015, we also launched the GenOUT Youth Chorus, the first LGBTQ+ youth chorus in the DMV.

So, yes. We’ve come a long way. But we’re not done yet — not even close.

Contact Us:

Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC
1517 18th Street NW
Washington, DC 20036
202-293-1548
contact@gmcw.org