New York City Men's Gay Chorus set to perform at Sunday's Pride March
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- We are just days away from New York City's Pride March, where thousands of people will return to the streets of Greenwich Village, including the New York City Gay Men's Chorus.
The chorus will perform at the historic Stonewall Inn on Friday, and then Times Square on Sunday at the Pride March.
For more than four decades, the New York City Gay Men's Chorus has been a pioneering voice for the LGBTQ community.
"Over time we've gone from performing in parks to performing on some of the largest stages in the world," Executive Director John Carrion said.
They made their debut in 1980 at Cooper Union. Not only was it a success, but it was the start of "something bigger" said Carrion.
"It just became a place for gay men to ... at the time, exclusively meet, find fellowship, to make music and provide a voice for the LGBT community at that time," Carrion said.
Over the years, the non-profit has greatly increased its scope and reach.
"We've had cisgendered women, trans people, people who are bisexual -- anywhere on the LGBTQ spectrum or not and allies as well," Carrion said.
Due to the pandemic, the chorus took a break, but reunited in January. In May, the chorus had its first in-person performance.
"It's amazing, really watching not only the performers but the audience, you forget that people are hungry on both sides of the stage," Carrion said.
This year, there are roughly 200 people in the chorus. They added 70 new members, and in late August, will hold auditions hoping to add several dozen more.
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