GALA – the organization

The mission of GALA Choruses is to support GLBT choruses as we change

our world through song. GALA Choruses is open to all GLBT and GLBT-

allied choruses. Through workshops, festivals and ongoing networking and

administrative support services, GALA Choruses fosters the continued

artistic and organizational growth of its member choruses.

Plans for GALA 2012 Denver -- July 7-11 -- are well underway and we have new and exciting programming in place including:

• three incredible performance halls• late-night cabaret venues for ensembles• new evening Block Buster concerts• new programming for women delegates• and the option for choruses to choose their own flexible performance set length.

We have shortened the length of Festival 2012 to 4.5 days in order to reduce costs for delegates and make it possible for singers to experience the entire Festival. Suggestions for additional vacation options will be available on the GALA website for delegates who wish to extend their Festival experience through the entire week.

Boettcher Concert Hall is a 360-degree-surround concert hall placing the audience close to the stage while surpassing traditional symphonic sound quality. The hall, which seats 2,634, offers five areas of seating surrounding the stage which is also designed for choral groups performing with a symphony. 80% of the seats are within 68 feet of the stage. There are no true vertical or horizontal surfaces inside the Boettcher; the walls are canted at a slight angle to disperse sound and prevent flutter echoes.

The Ellie Caulkins Opera House, colloquially known as “the Ellie,” seats 2,225. The Ellie, a world-class acoustical hall designed in the lyric style, encompasses four levels: the balcony, loge, mezzanine and orchestra. This magnificent space provides state-of-the-art technical support as well as acoustical excellence and clean sight lines. The Ellie is one of only three opera houses in the United States with seatback titling at every seat in the house.

The Buell Theatre is a 2,882 seat state-of-the-art theatre designed to provide the audience with a first rate theatrical experience featuring incredible acoustical enhancements. From hosting major national Broadway tours to stand-up comedy, the Buell can facilitate almost any show. Its stage accommodates the most lavish sets and most ambitious productions.  Every seat in the house has excellent sight lines and provides a sense of closeness to the stage.

July 7 Festival Opening Event

• Opening concerts• Flash performances by the Colorado choruses• Ensemble Festival in the Ellie Opera House• Food and drink vendors in the Galleria and Sculpture Garden• Piano bar for delegates looking for a quiet space• Outdoor stages• Youth delegate party

Ensemble Performance VenuesEnsembles performing during the opening day (July 7) will likely perform in the Ellie Opera

House since this venue offers an intimate main floor setting for smaller audience. Late-night ensemble performances (evenings July 8-10) will be held in one of the smaller cabaret-type settings throughout the Denver PAC. The Chambers Grant Salon, an

extraordinary space enclosed in original sandstone walls, is one of the late-night venue options.

Evening “Block Buster” Concerts

•The Big Gay Sing: an evening of Broadway, pop, choreography and LGBT-themed sing-along music

•Songs of the Soul: a sacred concert exploring the connections between spirituality, sexuality, and musical expression.

•Classical Masterworks Sing-Along: here’s your chance to sing famous classical masterworks with orchestra. Music provided and no rehearsal required

•GALA Commissions History & Highlights: a concert celebrating GALA’s LGBT history through stories, photographs, narration and with music commissioned by GALA Choruses over our 30-year history.

•Women’s Chorus & Mixed Chorus Singin’ in the Round: join our GALA women’s choruses and mixed choruses as they sing for each other in two events at Boettcher Concert Hall.

• Men’s Chorus Sing-along: join our men’s choruses as they sing through favorite commissioned works performed by many of the GALA men’s choruses in Buell Concert Hall.

Additional Performance Options

• Outdoor stage during the July 7 Opening Festival Event (max of 25 singers)

• 1-2 Broadway or LGBT-themed songs as a part of the Big Gay Sing

• Core-chorus for the Masterworks Sing-Along

• Perform a song for the Songs of the Soul evening

• A commissioned song for the GALA Commission History & Highlights

• Buell Theatre lobby between performances (small choruses or ensembles)

• Flash mob performance in downtown Denver (individuals or full-chorus)

• Women’s Chorus Singin’ in the Round (Boettcher Hall)

• Mixed Chorus Singin’ in the Round (Boettcher Hall)

• Shabbat service in Denver (arrive by Friday afternoon)

• Sunday morning worship service in Denver

Highlights for Women at Festival 2012

• a schedule of women’s gathering places

• shared meal opportunities, walks and hikes

• special events to facilitate community building across women’s choruses

• Women’s Chorus Singin’ in the Round

• Women’s party in the sculpture garden

• Festival women late-night dance

• Opportunities for women to sing in the community

• Morning workshops feature workshops for women and women’s voices

International Choirs at Festival 2012

• Opportunities for collaboration

• Potential for a mass chorus from Europe to increase participation

• Potential for a mass chorus from Australia

• Men’s chorus from Rio planning to attend

Festival Workshops

A variety of workshops will be held each morning for registered delegates.

• Singer workshops: vocal-focused training, musical issues

• Artistic Directors: programming, conducting

• NEW! Workshops for non-singing board members

• NEW! Workshops for chorus volunteers and administrative staff

Start now to encourage your non-singing volunteers to join your chorus for the Festival experience!

Festival Village Layout

Chorus Member Scholarships

In order to make Festival as accessible as possible, GALA Choruses is offering one waived registration for every 20 delegates registered from your chorus.

Your chorus may decide how to best use that free registration within your singing membership.

We welcome any choruses that have raised sufficient funds for their singers to attend Festival to “donate” their free registrations to a chorus with fewer resources.

Festival Countdown

Oct 2011 Chorus Performance Schedule AnnouncedNov. 30, 2011 Early delegate registration endsJanuary 2012 Housing opensApril 2012 Music Program, recording information and rehearsal space

requests dueApril 2012 Performance introductions & Production worksheets due