Hope, Joy, and Friends!- The Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus

By Gerald Gurss

Now in its 44th season, Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus (TCGMC) was born out of a response to the AIDS epidemic, but today, the chorus has expanded its mission to many intersections of LGBTQIA+ culture. Like many other metropolitan communities across the United States, gay men were responding through song to trauma in their communities. The “gay men’s chorus” as an affinity genre, served primarily as a community service in the early years (1980s-early 1990s). The choruses served not only as a social support network, but also as a musical presence at many funerals and impromptu memorial services at a time when some funeral homes refused to give service to AIDS victims, and some families refused to claim their loved ones. 

One of the early gay men’s chorus directors (San Diego), Gay Holt, said, “If you want to sing, join a chorus. If you want to sing and change the world, join a GALA (Gay and Lesbioan Association) chorus.” Today, gay men’s choruses are choral forces not only steeped in social justice, they are also musical communities where the singers focus on a commitment to musical excellence in all its forms – – from Broadway to Bach, and from Cher to Charpentier (OK, maybe Charpentier is a stretch). 

In our effort to sing community-changing music, TCGMC has a rich culture of commissioning new works. Many singers who join TCGMC come from excellent choral backgrounds and desire more opportunities to sing exciting works with other talented singers. In past years, TCGMC has commissioned new works or TB revoicings from composers such as: Kim André Arnesen, Stephen Paulus, Dan Forrest, Kyle Pederson, Naomi LaViolette, Britney Boykin, Mellissa Dunphy, Kerry March, Broadway composer Andrew Lippa, and Broadway singer/composer Ann Hampton Callaway. 

Of course, TCGMC has sung on the topic of HIV/AIDS (recently appearing on Twin Cities PBS with a new song cycle about HIV, Stigmata), and we have also explored various intersections of queer culture such as: neurodiversity, race, religion, history, and gender equality. 

In reference to gender equality, one might be surprised to learn that TCGMC is not only composed of singers who identify as men. Additionally, not all singers identify as gay. TCGMC is a cultural melting pot of singers of all backgrounds and identities who sing in the ranges found in Tenor-Bass choirs. The singers of TCGMC are as expansive as the programming. 

This upcoming season is filled with hope, joy, and friends! In addition to our move into Orchestra Hall as our performance home, TCGMC is starting off our season with a holiday concert bedecked with jazz, gospel, and traditional favorites. Yes, one can expect to see the “Rockettes,” but also the booming voice of Tony Award-winning singer, Alex Newell! After a quick getaway to Palm Springs, TCGMC returns in the spring of 2026 to join our friends, See Change Treble Choir and In the Heart of the Beast Puppet Theatre. Together, we will present the Song of Wisdom from Old Turtle. This work is a musical adaptation of the children’s book, Old Turtle, by Douglas Wood. The story tells of a planet filled with animals who cannot agree on which god is the real god, or if there even is a god. The animals start destroying each other in the name of their god. Imagine. Although it is a children’s book, the story is a great one for adults everywhere. Finally, TCGMC wraps up its 44th season with a collaboration with the Minnesota Orchestra to present Disney Pride! This concert is a collage of Disney favorites bold old and new, ranging from Mary Poppins and Pinocchio to Lion King, Little Mermaid, and Hercules. To find out more about TCGMC, visit www.tcgmc.org.

About the author

A native Kansan, Dr. Gerald Gurss received his bachelor’s degree in voice at Emporia State University. He received his master’s degree in voice with a choral cognate from Miami University, where he studied with Ethan Sperry. Gurss received his DMA in choral conducting from the University of South Carolina, where he studied with Dr. Larry Wyatt and Dr. Alicia Walker. His research focus is the inclusion and pedagogy of transgender singers in the choral rehearsal.
Until his arrival in the Twin Cities, Gerald was the artistic director for the One Voice Chorus (Charlotte’s LGBTQ+ chorus) and their chamber ensemble, Sotto Voce. In 2015, he collaborated in the founding of Midlands Men’s Chorus: The Gay Men’s Chorus of Columbia, SC and served as its artistic director until 2018. Gerald moved to St. Paul in 2018 with his husband, Ervin.
Since then, he has served as the artistic director for the Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus as well as the director of the chancel choir at White Bear Lake United Methodist Church. Gerald has served as both the the ACDA Southern District TTBB Repertoire Chair and the TTBB repertoire chair for Minnesota ACDA.
Gerald has been a finalist for the American Prize in Choral Composition numerous times and has
written and arranged choral works for the following organizations: One Voice Charlotte, The
Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte, Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus, Phoenix Boys Choir, Providence United Methodist Church (Charlotte, NC), The New Jersey Gay Men’s Chorus, The Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego, The Women’s Chorus of San Diego, The Richmond Men’s Chorus (VA), Turtle Creek Chorale (TX), Sine Nomine (Denver, CO), Portland State University choirs, East Tennessee State University, and the University of South Carolina Women’s Chorus.
Dr. Gurss is published in the “Pride and No Prejudice” series with earthsongs Choral Music, ECS “Works for a Modern Time,” The Choristers Guild, Women & Music: A Journal of Gender and Culture (vol. 23, 2019) and The Choral Journal. Most recently, Gurss was awarded honorable mention for the National ACDA Composition Focus Prize, and his first major work, Stigmata, was filmed for Twin Cities Public Television.