LOS ANGELES — Miming top hats, members of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles smile ear to ear as they launch into an enthusiastic song and dance.
For 45 seasons, they’ve been raising their voices and kicking up their heels in their popular holiday celebration. This year’s concert is called “Hooray for Holidays,” an homage to Hollywood, with most of the songs coming from film and TV.
That’s music to first tenor Lucio Maramba ears.
“I am a big fat fan of all the classics,” he admitted. “We need a little Christmas, I think, is probably my favorite song. It’s something I grew up with. And I love being able to sing it here with my friends and family.”
And GMCLA has provided him with both. He first joined the group twenty years ago seeking community and almost immediately met the man he would marry. Each of the two hundred or so members have their own reasons for joining, he says, but there is often a common thread.
“I think we all are looking for a safe space to express ourselves,” Maramba said, “and to just make beautiful music.”
Finding a safe space wasn’t always easy. Executive director Lou Spisto says GMCLA was formed in 1979 — a time when even spreading the word about this new venture was risky.
“We couldn’t even list Gay Men’s Chorus in the Yellow Pages,” he said. “When they put flyers up, they had to be discreet as to what neighborhood they could actually place the flyers.”
Over 45 years, they’ve sung through tragedy and triumph, from the AIDS epidemic that claimed many of their members to celebrating advances like marriage equality. During the pandemic they sang virtually, never missing a season or a chance to harmonize.
But while he loves the concerts, low bass Thomas Franklin says their most important work is the outreach they do to local middle and high schools. In fact, he specifically chose a job where he works overnight so that his days are free to be a part of the Alive Music Program, where they not only perform at schools but also share their personal life stories.
“We’ve had kids that have come up to us and told us that, you know, us being there was something that gave them the courage to come out to their parents,” Franklin said. “It’s my best thing I’ve ever been a part of since I’ve lived in Los Angeles.”
Maramba agrees.
“My life would have been changed as a closeted Filipino high schooler,” he said. “If the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles had come to my school, and just given me an example, that there was a future for myself and that it really does get better.”
“I think visibility purely is key,” added new member Timothy Cottam. “Just to understand that…If it is your way of life, then there are other people like you. It’s really important.”
This year’s concert, which takes place on Dec. 16 and 17 at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, features special guest Wayne Brady who will perform carols plus the moving anthem “Not My Father’s Son” from Kinky Boots which he starred in on Broadway and at the Hollywood Bowl.
The concert, Spisto says, is for everyone, with over two dozen songs that all ages and backgrounds can enjoy.
“I always say we make the holidays a little gayer and brighter than the composers who wrote the songs ever thought they would be,” he said with a smile.
“No one ever leaves disappointed,” Franklin said. “We’ve got dancing. We’ve got singing and you’ve got up to almost 200 gay men on stage that are living their best life.”
Basking in the season of togetherness that for member of the chorus, is something they experience all year round.