Join us for "Our Community, Our Strength"
A FREE Community Concert

Join the Rocky Mountain Arts Association and all four of the association's member choruses: the Denver Gay Men's Chorus, the Denver Women's Chorus, Out Loud: The Colorado Springs Men's Chorus, and Mosaic Youth Chorus for a FREE community concert on Sunday, May 6th, 2012 at 3 PM at Park Hill United Methodist Church.

"Our Community, Our Strength" will feature over 300 singers in a moving tribute to local and national PFLAG and civil rights leader Elinor Kirby Lewallen. As part of the event, the association will present Elinor with the "Robert Moore Community Award."

Elinor has been a passionate advocate for social justice for over 70 years. She started her civil rights work in the early 1940s assisting with integration efforts in the Methodist Youth Fellowship. A member of Park Hill United Methodist Church since 1953, she led the first ever official church discussions on race relations - and continued her advocacy work over the next six decades. She first joined PFLAG in 1980, serving as Board Member of Denver PFLAG, Regional Director of PFLAG and then President of the National Board of PFLAG in 1987-88. In 2008, she received the Lifetime Peacemaker Award from the Rocky Mountain Conference of the UMC for her ongoing leadership.

During the concert, the association will recognize Elinor's heroic life journey with a mix of story and song, and a special donation will be collected to establish the "Elinor Kirby Lewallen" GALA Scholarship Fund. A reception will follow hosted by the members of Park Hill United Methodist Church.

Park Hill United Methodist Church is located at 5209 Montview Boulevard in the Park Hill neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. There is no admission charge for this concert, and all members of the public are invited to attend.

About Us

Out Loud: The Colorado Springs Men’s Chorus exists to build community through music.

The members of the Chorus have joined together for the purpose of making an artistic statement: the Chorus, as it sings, provides educational, cultural and social enrichment for our audiences and ourselves, and we identify as an organization of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) people and supporters that is actively making a positive contribution to the entire community.

A community chorus of the Pikes Peak region, Out Loud is organized to provide the opportunity for gay men and their friends to sing together. It is our goal to use the deep and enriching power of music as a means of fellowship and as a vehicle to reach out to the local GLBT community and the community at large. Through song, our nearly 60 members act as goodwill ambassadors to present a positive image of the GLBT community. Since our beginning in January of 2006 we have been inspired and energized at the generous outpouring of support from other organizations, family, and friends. It is because of this enormous support that we eagerly move forward to realize our goals and dreams with a conviction and dedication to our music and to our community.

Our Voices

On October 5, 2007, GALA Choruses, Inc. held its annual Leadership Conference in Denver. All eight of Colorado's GALA-associated choruses performed in The Everything Possible Concert, including RMAA's four choruses. This concert was notable for many reasons, especially as the world-premier of our Mosaic Youth Chorus. Below are links to the three songs we performed that evening. The first track is the introduction of the chorus to the audience by a person very special to RMAA.

Track 1 - Introduction of Out Loud by Benjamin Broadbent from First Congregational Church
Track 2 - Let All Men Sing (Words and Music by Keith Christopher)
Track 3 - Stars I Shall Find (Poem by Sara Teasdale, Music by David Dickau)
Track 4 - Give Me Your Tired Your Poor (Music by Irving Berlin, Words by Emma Lazarus, Arranged by Roy Ringwald)

Now Playing:

Join Us

If you would like to audition to be a singing member of Out Loud: The Colorado Springs Men’s Chorus, please email us with your name and an evening contact phone number. You may also call us at 866-862-9382. Rehearsals are held on Monday evenings, 7:00 to 9:30, at First Congregational Church.

The next opportunity for new singers to audition will be August 2011. In the meantime, we do maintain a list between auditions of anyone who is interested in being contacted before the next audition opportunity. If you'd like to be added to this list, we'll be happy to do so if you'll email or call us with your contact details.

History

Out Loud: The Colorado Springs Men's Chorus had its beginnings in the fall of 2005 with 8 members of First Congregational Church - United Church of Christ in Colorado Springs. It had its official inception in January of 2006 with the addition of chorus director Charlie Kurchinski and a total of 21 members. These members were a part of the first Out Loud concert, "A Night on Broadway," on April 22, 2006. The inaugural concert attracted almost 900 audience members who happily gathered in a space only meant to hold 450. The incredibly cramped audience eagerly chanted, "Be Proud, Out Loud," as we took the stage for our opening number and made history in the Colorado Springs community. We were honored to have the Denver Gay Men's Chorus in the audience that evening, which surprised us in the middle of the concert with the song "We Are a Family". It was an evening that will live in our hearts forever. Out Loud's initial concert received an enormous amount of support and correspondence from other gay choruses, citizens, family, and friends. The concert was front-page news in the Colorado Springs Gazette, was circulated by the Associated Press, and published on the home page of the Advocate website. The Advocate magazine further honored Out Loud in its June 6, 2006 issue when they asked Chorus President and founding member Guy McPherson for a "first hand" account of the organization and its opening night concert.

Chorus Council

Out Loud: The Colorado Springs Men's Chorus is a program of Rocky Mountain Arts Association. Day-to-day membership and program related issues are managed by the Chorus Council of the chorus.

Out Loud: The Colorado Springs Men's Chorus – Chorus Council

Michael Backman, Chorus President
Jeff Mueller, Chorus Vice-President
Dave Babin
Will Bishop
Wes Mullins
Richard Ortiz
Dale Tims
Mark Zwilling, Ex-Officio

Artistic Staff

Mark Zwilling, Artistic Director
Lara Jean O'Connor, Accompanist