On June 12, 2016, a gunman killed 49 people at Pulse, an LGBTQ+ nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The attack shook the Chorus to its core, and it was a painful reminder that the fight for equality is not over.
That Sunday, the Chorus gathered with thousands of people in the Castro for a candlelight vigil. Community leaders, activists and elected officials came to mourn together. And when words failed, the Chorus sang.
“Dedication”
The next evening, led by Artistic Director Dr. Timothy Seelig, the Chorus recorded “Dedication” by Richard Burchard for Orlando. The text is by Mark Twain, adapted from a poem by Robert Richardson. The Chorus raised its voice for the lives lost, for those injured, for first responders and counselors, and for every community that rallied. “Shine brightly here.”
A community gathers
Bay Area Reporter columnist Donna Sachet described the impromptu Harvey Milk Plaza vigil and the chorus lifting those assembled in song. The gathering brought public mourning and community solidarity together, echoing the chorus’s first public performance after the 1978 assassinations.
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