Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus Welcomes New Artistic Director

Human physiology acts as a tuning fork for the soul. Certain frequencies such as the Solfeggio series ignite a sense of inner calm. On the other end of the spectrum, pulsing bass sounds can trigger an adrenaline rush, arousing feelings of danger mixed with pleasure.

Singing is the ultimate act of revelry/rebellion. The heroes at Stonewall chanted cheerleader rhymes with a queer twist and harmonized to the strain of “We Shall Overcome” as they marched.

When LGBTQ+ individuals raise our voices, we become a cacophony of caring. Audio waves emanate from our vocal cords and ripple around the world, eventually boomeranging back to their inception point, bonding us together louder and prouder.

“Our organization is in so many ways unique and special,” declares Jerry Soria-Foust, Artistic Director of the Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus. “But we also are part of a global organization called The GALA Choruses Network, Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses.”

Photo courtesy of PSGMC

This symphonic squad beckons inclusivity and boasts an impressive roster of talent.

“We have between 15 and 20,000 members worldwide,” Jerry continues. “They sing for musical excellence, and they sing for social change, and they do beautiful concerts in all the major cities and even in some of the smaller cities now, including around the world now in Australia, Mexico, and Canada. So, we are part of a global movement and I believe one of the major forces in some of these victories that we have won, including gay marriage. The GALA Choruses are always out front, always singing for change and always being proactive in making change in the community.”

Jerry put his arts education background to brilliant use the moment he emerged from academia.

“My conducting teacher was the founding Artistic Director of the Indianapolis Men’s Chorus. I got a chance to sing with them in their inaugural concert and fell in love with the dual mission of musical excellence and singing for social justice and change, the way that those two missions intertwine with each other to help build bridges of understanding. That was in the 1990s in Indiana – the HIV/AIDS crisis was just heating up there. It was a small town, small-minded community, so the idea of joining a chorus of gay men and singing in public was really quite a risk in the early 1990s.”

Just as music soothes the savage beast, it can also eclipse ignorance.

“As a young gay man coming out, being seen with 50 or 60 brothers who were there to take care of me and make sure that I was a part of the family, that really changed my life in so many ways. I really do credit my relationships with the ensembles and the people in the ensembles over the years with helping me become the passionate father, and husband, and even grandpa… I’m a grandpa now, too, as well as a teacher and as well as someone who is able to speak articulately about social justice, and change, and diversity, and inclusion. I credit my experience as a family member in the GALA Chorus network with being able to do all of that in the first place.”

Singing became Jerry’s passport to the world. “I’ve been a part of GALA Chorus ever since on and off in multiple cities,” he narrates. Jerry followed his inner tune from Denver to Berkeley to San Diego before hitting the perfect note at his current post.

“Now here I am,” chimes the newly crowned Artistic Director, “excited to be taking the Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus to the next level, both artistically and organizationally, and working with a terrific board that is extremely excited about the future.”

Photo courtesy of PSGMC

It is a future founded on innovation as well as tradition.

“Palm Springs loves performing something for everyone, just like I do,” Jerry intones. “I like to program diverse selections that really speak to a wide variety of audiences and singers. We try to do traditional choral music. Obviously, we do Broadway and show tunes. We do some vocal jazz, which is another passion interest of mine. We’re doing some world music this semester, which is a little newer for this organization, but they are committed to expanding their horizons musically and, reaching out through music to a more diverse audience.”

Jerry elaborates on the texture and tone of his myriad influences. “West African drumming, and singing in Spanish and other foreign languages, those are all ways that we can not only explore music and add to our musical bag of tricks, but also bring in new audience members and speak to audience members in a way that they haven’t been spoken to before from the stage.”

But the PSGMC has built its legacy on breaking the barrier between audience and performer, interacting with the community meaningfully and mirthfully.

“Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus has been committed to outreach for 20 plus years. For me it is a natural fit because I’m a teacher. I’m really interested in bringing education, not only musical education, which obviously is important, but also education in other ways too, to our audiences and to the community around us. So, the anti-bullying campaign and philanthropic effort from the Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus is a hallmark. They give money to many of the Gay Straight Alliances in the area. We collaborate with youth organizations in a variety of ways. Our goal is to be seen throughout Palm Springs. Then hopefully as we continue to grow even beyond in communities that need us the most.”

The spirit of giving has inspired the group’s overarching narrative.

“Our season theme this year is Shine,” explains Jerry. “It’s our time to shine after about two years off the stage and away from audiences. We are also trying to shine light through a time and a period where there was quite a bit of darkness and bring love and light back to Palm Springs through our music.”

Kindness is an enduring motif in Jerry’s words and deeds. In fact, his voice positively glows when the topic turns to the giving season. “Our holiday show is extremely exciting,” he declares. “We’re doing a beautiful arrangement of O Holy Night with our guest, Michele McConnell, who’s coming to us from New York. She just ended her record-breaking run as Carlotta in The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. She was there longer than any other actor who has ever played that role. And she is the ultimate diva, but she is also the ultimate sweetie pie. She is just down to earth and a lovely collaborator. We are going to sing a few songs with her, and then she’ll sing a few of her own pieces just to add another level of beauty and elegance and class to our production.”

Photo courtesy of PSGMC

Jerry’s enthusiasm reaches a fever pitch as he concludes, “I just I can’t express in words how excited I am about putting this new improved ensemble in front of audiences at the Annenberg Theater.”

The Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus is a melting pot of experienced crooners and starry-eyed novices, but they all have one thing in common: passion.

“I asked all the new singers, ‘Why did you come now? Why are you here with us?’ We had 29 or 30 new singers show up post pandemic, that’s remarkable,” Jerry recounts. “One of the things that they said was ‘I’ve been stuck in my house for so long. I want to get out and meet people and have a life again.”

With a brief yet bold summation, Jerry adds a compassionate coda to the interview:

“We are a family.”

Jerry Soria-Foust and the Palm Springs Gay Men’s Chorus are providing us a support system and a soundtrack to the next chapter in our collective songbook. They have truly earned the standing ovations that await.

Open auditions are January 4th. For all of the details and an audition form visit: https://psgmc.com/auditions/