On April 10, 2022, the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus returned to Davies Symphony Hall for the first time since the pandemic began, and premiered Songs of the Phoenix, a work about hardship, rebirth and justice.
Thirteen voices
The San Francisco Examiner reported that the piece brings together ten songs by 13 composers and lyricists, curated by Andrew Lippa and produced by Bruce Cohen, with narration and choreography by the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Company. Playbill’s Andrew Gans listed the contributors: Ty Defoe, Alexandra Elle, Siedah Garrett, Joriah Kwamé, Daniel and Patrick Lazour, Melissa Li, Andrew Lippa, Ingrid Michaelson, Stephen Schwartz, Stephen Sondheim, Diana Syrse and Kit Yan.
The concert also marked the tenth anniversary of Stephen Schwartz’s “Testimony.” The Examiner recalled the chorus’s path back to singing together, from a single outdoor rehearsal in May 2021 to masked, distanced rehearsals that fall.
The album
Broadway Records released the live recording on June 24, 2022, conducted by Dr. Timothy Seelig, with songs including Ingrid Michaelson’s “We Rise,” Sondheim’s “Flag Song” and Schwartz and Elle’s “Bloom.”
“A chorus like the Gay Men’s Chorus is really a family.”
— Dr. Tim Seelig, as quoted by the San Francisco Examiner
Recommended media: the Songs of the Phoenix album cover (Broadway Records).
Sources
This post summarizes reporting by the San Francisco Examiner and Playbill. Details attributed to those outlets are their reporting; see the sources below.
- San Francisco Examiner, “S.F. Gay Men’s Chorus premieres “Songs of the Phoenix” featuring 13 composers and lyricists”, April 2022. Read the original story
- Playbill, “Songs of the Phoenix, Featuring San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, Released June 24” by Andrew Gans, June 24, 2022. Read the original story
