Key Change for San Diego Gay Men's Chorus

The LGBT choral movement has been around for a long time, the roots of which took hold in the '70s, following closely behind was the larger LGBT rights crusade. We were organizing, coming out of shame's shadow and learning to be proud of who we were.

Music played a vital part in the lives of many gay men; too often the only refuge from the necessity of hiding who we were. It was only natural, that as we began our migration to large cities, that we continued to come together musically as a way to build community and express that connection, in the way that only music can offer. It was also through those early choral groups, that many first "came out," standing on stages across the country. Singing our hearts out proudly, publicly and without shame. Courage is borne out of community and one that offers its members a voice, even in song, has great power for change.

RC Haus has made his own particular journey, and music has certainly been a part of that process. He is the newly appointed artistic director for the San Diego Gay Men's Chorus (SDGMC), the latest stop in his personal evolution... and maybe a part of his survival. As he shared, "Right about the time I came out, I retired from broadcasting because I had a bout with cancer and wasn't sure I was going to make it through. It was coming through that whole process that I kind of reshaped myself. I came out, got a divorce, and, as a part of that, teaching music became my second career."

Children are a big part of his life, both professionally and personally: He has five of his own, all here in San Diego, ranging in age from 13 to 23. You can hear the pride in his voice when he speaks of them, though his profession also surrounds him with the children of many others.

"I taught for five years at Performing Arts High School here in San Diego, which was an incredible experience. It's a great place and I worked with phenomenally talented young people, it was so amazing."

As far as SDGMC, his involvement there began about four years ago, during a time when he was directing different music programs all around San Diego. "I was really ready to be a part of something in music that I wasn't in charge of. (Laughs) But when I joined SDGMC and they heard about my background, I ended up interviewing for the Assistant Artistic Director's position. I wasn't really looking for another job, but I decided to do it anyway. I did it for a year and when I was hired for my current position as the Music Director for Rancho Santa Fe High, I stepped down to take on that new challenge."

He elaborated on his return to the organization and how the new position came about. "Gary Holt resigned in September. Fortunately, because they had seen my work, I had built up a good rapport with the chorus and they contacted me to see if I would consider filling in as an interim director. I was absolutely thrilled and said, 'Of course I will, are you kidding?' "(Laughs)

Haus went through the screening process, along with other applicants, and was one of three top choices after an extensive search - ending with his permanent appointment as artistic director. He is excited to take on the challenge. "I think that we have the opportunity to show that we have matured as a community and as an organization that is capable of great, fine music. Part of our commitment as well, is to education and training, to help make the members better musicians. We're grappling with the best way to incorporate it all without losing the sense of identity that the gay choral movement comes from."

He extrapolated on his vision: "I think that we need to move forward. In the early days of the choral movement, it was really the first non-confrontational, not sex-related, visible statement that the gay community had. It started in the '70s and '80s like I said, and other than pride parades and early festivals, there really were few visible examples of the gay community. This was one of the first things we began to do outside of that. Organizations tended to be more ribald and risqu, with a lot of drag and humor. It was so necessary to do, but things are a little different now."

The chorus has indeed grown and with that, challenges have occurred, but the focus of the organization stands strong, Haus talked about that. "I think that for some of the guys who joined early on, when the chorus was quite small, the growth was challenging as it got larger. Through growth there is always transition. Growth isn't about a number, but with growth comes more opportunity, more respect in the community. We have a mission and we want the mainstream community to see gay men making great art. The more people that your organization has, the more resources that you have and the more you can do."

Haus continued on some of the latest changes to SDGMC. "One thing that we have done since I came on board is to start the San Diego Gay Men's Chamber Chorale. The group is 50 to 60 strong already and is devoted to nothing but master works music - wait until you hear them - they are wonderful." He continued, "As a part of the evolution, we also started a dance troupe. I think it's the first ever as far as the GALA Choruses. I felt that as an arts organization, because there were so many gay men out there that were dancers, it was time to organize and for them to have a home. They are so phenomenal, I think it's going to be some of the finest dance that we have ever had."

We asked about the immediate future and what he sees musically on the horizon. "We do three concerts a year, traditionally, and the summer concert is our big, pop-driven dance production concert kind of thing. This year we are doing 'LUV Madonna.' She is such an icon and friend to the LGBT community, and we are doing a bunch of her hits and Oscar-winning music she's done. Things like 'You Must Love Me' and 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' from 'Evita,' to some of her classics, 'Borderline,' 'Like a Virgin' and 'Papa Don't Preach,' it's going to be a lot of fun." He added,"We've never done a whole concert devoted to one performer, so we commissioned world- renowned arranger, David Maddux, to help us."

We can't wait to see what's in store!

For more information regarding SDGMC or to purchase tickets for their LUV Madonna concert on Saturday and Sunday, July 12 and 13, go to sdgmc.org