Of course, there’s still so much good stuff about San Francisco and Oakland. What are some of your favorite things?
Well, Oakland also has a gay chorus! I’m very lucky and own a condo just south of the city and love it. I’m sitting here in my condo and have a sliver of the view of the bay and it’s beautiful. I say to people, I see something beautiful every day. That was not the case in Dallas. It’s really the view from everywhere that I love. The hills.
And spots to eat?
There’s a place that’s hard to find called The Dark Horse Inn (www.darkhorsesf.com), and they smoke their meats and it is a dive and amazing. They make a kimchi reuben sandwich. Oh my god! We’re surrounded by incredible food. I read lists of the 30 Best Restaurants of the year and keep those to try when I can. There are great eateries in the Castro, one is Fable (www.fablesf.com). It’s spectacular. There’s a beautiful patio out back.
How about bars?
My go-to is Twin Peaks Tavern (www.twinpeakstavern.com) at the corner of Castro and Market. It’s fascinating. It’s the hub. Gay bars used to paint over the windows so people inside couldn’t be seen by the police or fired from their jobs, and I believe Twin Peaks was the first gay bar to say, ‘screw that’ and take the boards or black paint off the windows. It’s like floor-to-ceiling windows and it’s the best people watching ever. It does have an older clientele, so it’s comfortable for me to go. The second would be 440 Castro (www.the440.com). It’s also on Castro and great fun and a mixed crowd.
What are some places you’ve visited that had the biggest effect on you? Life changing experiences, as they say.
I have a very strong affinity towards Hawaii. It’s been a very spiritual place for me and my family, it’s where I go to rejuvenate and remember. There’s a Buddhist cemetary on the north shore of Oahu, and it’s not to be missed. It’s a beautiful spiritual place. I went with friends and my family during the AIDS crisis. It has a beautiful gong, looking over the north shore, and it’s completely quiet except for the gong. The instructions are: ring the bell and say a name and their spirit will reverberate throughout the world. When I got to San Francisco, there’s the National AIDS Memorial Grove in the middle of Golden Gate Park. Nancy Pelosi, god bless her for making this happen, and I started this thing where the SF Gay Men’s Chorus will build its own memorial within the garden and I wanted to have an aural component like the Buddhist temple. Everyone said, ‘no way, they’re not going to let you put sound in this beautiful, quiet garden.’ When I set my mind to something, it’s very hard to dissuade me, and I thought I can take on parks and rec! As it turns out, a year ago, we dedicated our artist’s portal at the National AIDS Memorial Grove and it has an 8-foot emperor chime and it says, ‘say a name, ring the bell, the vibrations will go through the world.’ It’s there! It happened! So I get to have a mini version of a place I love right here in Golden Gate Park.
Holiday Concert
Photo: Steven Underhill
Let’s talk for a moment about your 2013 experience with a company called Best Vacations Ever. After extending a trip offer, an employee told you that same-sex couples weren’t permitted to take advantage of their Las Vegas time share vacation. Clearly not the best vacation ever. In the end, they offered you comped accommodations?
They did. We really went to the top on that one and after not very long, 2 to 3 weeks when it blew up, they changed their website and added a diversity statement. They were horrified, and the word got out quickly that they wouldn’t let us tour a time share as a gay couple, and that wasn’t acceptable. That was one of those ‘is it really worth it?’ situations and we decided, yes, it’s worth it and it actually made a bit of a difference.
Where in the world would you most love for the SFGMC to perform?
There are a few dream locations where I would love to have the chorus perform. Some are the great concert halls of the world, some are not. We have sung in most of the great halls in the U.S. already. This summer we will perform in Minneapolis’ Orchestra Hall. While singing outdoors is not the most “forgiving” venue for a chorus due to amplification, I would love to sing at the Central Park SummerStage. My next outdoor choice would be the bandshell in Honolulu, mostly because I would get a free trip. Other than those, I dream of hearing the chorus, and conducting, at some of the greatest acoustic phenomenons of the world: the Philharmonie de Paris, France, the Opera City Concert Hall, Tokyo, and Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.”
What other gay choruses across the country do you feel people should check out, especially for virtual and streaming performances?
There are 180+ LGBTQ choruses in our GALA Choruses network. We are in almost every city in the U.S. Some of the choruses have opted to not dive into the pool of creating virtual content. Many, like SFGMC, dove into the deep end. My suggestion would be to do a little research and look up “gay or lesbian chorus near me” in your search engine, and go to their website and make a donation! It’s a difficult time for choruses everywhere. It’s also going to be a challenge ramping back up. When we can travel again, of course your first stop should be San Francisco. Come hear us sing. That said, it would be a great adventure to travel to hear LGBTQ choruses around the country, or world!
And what can you share about the SFGMC’s 2021 season?
SFGMC has just announced its 43rd season. It will be all virtual. Of course, we are continuing our weekly content on SFGMC TV. In addition, we are creating four big showcases. Each will feature world premieres, new music, guest artists and some fabulous archival footage of the chorus. For our fall showcase, we welcome a world premiere composed by Broadway composer Andrew Lippa, and soloist Kristin Chenoweth. We are also giving our Vanguard Award to Chasten Buttigieg. It will be presented by his husband, Pete! Then our holiday showcase, a cabaret in the spring, and a Pride Extravaganza.
