LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Sing, Serve, Sponsor. That’s what the Louisville Gay Men’s Chorus lives by, not just during Pride Month, but 365 days a year.
What You Need To Know
- Louisville Gay Men’s Chorus was founded in 2013
- The chorus’ mission is to sing, serve and sponsor
- The group has provided a sense of community to members
- The chorus hopes to start practice back up again in the fall
“Every time you take that stage, every time you open your mouth to sing with the chorus, you are going to touch someone. You may not know it, you may not know who it is, you may not know in what way but you’re going to touch someone,” Sam Bell, president of the board of directors/member said.
Since 2013, members of the Louisville Gay Men’s Chorus have been using their voices to not only entertain but to build a bridge between the performer and the audience.
“It really started as something where we just wanted to get together because we didn’t have a men’s chorus, just creating that type of music is just a different feeling. When it’s the men’s voices it just creates a different sound, but also the comradery,” member James Butterfield said.
For the most recent members, the group has brought them a sense of community.
“For the both of us, it helped us come out both to ourselves, to the community and be more mature,” member Michael Smith said.
“I came out not too long after joining the choir, so having that platform where we could go in and have a shared interest of music and singing that so many other people got to share as well was a really great way for me personally to launch into being part of the gay community,” member Luke Griffin said.
The chorus inspires to be more than just a group of men singing. Members say if their performances make a difference in the life of just one person in the audience, then it’s worth it.
“I was sitting up there thinking, ‘I should be on that stage, that should be me.’ I realized how incredibly impactful those words are because it’s absolutely true. Whether we’re singing a small concert at pride or something at one of the bars, just our presence is a huge impact to anyone that’s in that audience,” Bell said.
The Louisville Gay Men’s Chorus hopes to start practice back up again in the fall for a winter performance. If interested in joining, email leadership@louisvillegaymenschorus.com.
