{"id":40658,"date":"2016-12-13T16:56:15","date_gmt":"2016-12-13T21:56:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/?p=40658"},"modified":"2016-12-13T16:56:15","modified_gmt":"2016-12-13T21:56:15","slug":"feature-sharing-of-the-song-forte-the-gay-mens-chorus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2016\/12\/13\/feature-sharing-of-the-song-forte-the-gay-mens-chorus\/","title":{"rendered":"FEATURE | Getting To Know Forte The Gay Men\u2019s Chorus"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Forte
Forte the Gay Men\u2019s Chorus \u2013 Baritones (Photo: Motion and Still Inc.)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I<\/span>t\u2019s 1996, several guys from Toronto are in Tampa Bay for the 5th Gala Festival. This is the biggest LGBTQ Choral event in the world. Maya Angelou opens the festival with a keynote. Surrounded by 4,700 gay choristers in almost 100 ensembles, these guys are inspired. They come back to Toronto and found Forte the Gay Men\u2019s Chorus<\/a><\/strong>; now, celebrating its 20th year.<\/p>\n

Forte creates two types of performances in their annual season. In Fall and Spring, they host Cabarets, which are fun opportunities for solo or small group performances usually linked around a theme. March 2017\u2019s Cabaret is \u201cUnzipped: Bad Romance\u201d, stories of dates gone wrong. In December and June, they hold their regular, fun concerts.<\/span><\/p>\n

The choir now numbers 50 with a spread of people from across the region, various ages, and different professions. \u201cThis is not just a choir of the gay men of Toronto. We\u2019re actively trying to engage with the super diverse communities, cultures, ages, incomes, immigration statuses, education and more of the community\u201d, says Nick Green, Membership Director of the choir. Though an LGBTQ Choir, there are straight-identified people and anyone who is male-identified may audition for the Choir. Green notes happily that the ranks of the Choir continue to increase year after year. <\/span><\/p>\n

A lot of that growth has to do with the work of another chorister, Jeremy Elder, the Choir\u2019s Marketing Director. A marketing professional himself, Elder describes the \u201crenaissance\u201d in outreach the Choir has undertaken in the last few years. He is savvy and speaks of \u201cmoving away from physical tickets to e-ticketing, Eventbrite, social media, targeted ads\u201d, and a brand new website. For their 20th anniversary, they are working on four music videos to commemorate their work. <\/span>The first, an arrangement of Hozier\u2019s <\/span>Take Me to Church<\/span><\/i>, is available on YouTube:<\/span><\/p>\n