Conductor, December 1978–January 1982

Dick Kramer became SFGMC’s first permanent conductor in December 1978. He helped shape the young ensemble’s musical discipline and public voice, co-directing its inaugural concert at Everett Middle School and leading performances in concert halls, community spaces and Pride events across the Bay Area.

Under Kramer, SFGMC embarked on Tours America ’81, a landmark national tour that introduced audiences across the country to an openly gay chorus and encouraged the formation of new LGBTQ+ ensembles. After leaving SFGMC in January 1982, he founded the Golden Gate Men’s Chorus and later helped establish the Oakland Gay Men’s Chorus. Kramer died in 2007, leaving a lasting legacy in Bay Area choral music.

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