For the second year in a row, the Indiana Landmarks Center will be the site for the annual IndyChoruses fundraiser — this year titled “Take Heart: It’s Getting Better.” The event, for which arts patron Marianne Williams Tobias is serving as honorary chair, will be held on Sunday, Jan. 27.
The benefit will begin with a social hour, featuring live entertainment, heavy appetizers, a cash bar and a silent auction, from 5–7 p.m.
From 7–8 p.m., there will be live musical performances by the Indianapolis Men’s Chorus, Indianapolis Women’s Chorus, tenor Doug Dilling and others.
Dessert will be served, the cash bar will be available, and the silent auction checkout will take place from 8–8:30 p.m.
IndyChoruses is a nonprofit musical organization, founded in 1990 to promote diversity, equality and justice, and to strengthen the spirit of pride within the LGBT community through music.
According to the IndyChoruses mission statement, its two choral groups — the Indianapolis Men’s Chorus and the Indianapolis Women’s Chorus — “strive to achieve the highest caliber of musical excellence in order to provide enjoyment, inspiration and enrichment for the people of Indiana.”
Recently, Examiner.com spoke with Rex Camp, board chair for Crossroads Performing Arts, about IndyChoruses and its contributions to Indianapolis’ cultural life.
What kind of impact does IndyChoruses wish to have on Indianapolis?
As representatives of the LGBT community and our supporters, we believe — as people who contribute to the economy of the community, as people that contribute to the social structure and to the social fabric of our community — we can help our community become more understanding and more tolerant.
What are some of the biggest strides the IMC has made this past year?
We have taken some pretty significant and important steps. First of all, Greg Sanders is in his second year as our artistic director and has quadrupled the size of the IMC. Greg is a very talented conductor and very demanding as an artistic director, and that is exciting for us all. We are now 83 men strong. Many of the singers have terrific, excellent, trained, musical backgrounds. The excitement that provides is the flexibility we have in terms of artistic programming. Certainly it challenges us as an ensemble to be more disciplined and to be able to express the broad range of musical genres.
Secondly, we have created excellent collaborations with other performing arts organizations. The collaboration with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra — a year ago this month — with the concert production of “Hello, Dolly!” with Sandi Patty was a milestone for us. And certainly there was also the release of the “It Gets Better” YouTube video that was a part of our initial fundraising event last January.
What about the Women’s Chorus?
They continue to grow. It has not been as dramatic as the IMC, but the IWC is now sporting 45 singers, which is significantly more than it was two years ago. Scott Buchanan, who is the director of choral activities for Indiana State University, has done a wonderful job of strengthening the artistic programs for the women. They have responded, and each year the auditioning for the chorus increases.
Has your demographic grown beyond the LGBT community? Is there a wider participation?
Absolutely. The IMC Christmas concerts this year were sold out for the first time in our history. We performed for over 800 people during those two concerts at St. Paul. Not only did that help us in terms of building our own community and creating overall community awareness, but it also had a significant impact on our financial strength.
Admission for IndyChoruses’ 2013 Annual Fundraiser, “Take Heart: It’s Getting Better,” is $50 ($95/couple). VIP patron tickets are $100 per person (open bar and reserved premium seating). To purchase tickets online, visit www.indychoruses.org.
Do you wish to become a regular reader of this column? Receive e-mail alerts when new articles are available. Just click on the “Subscribe” button above. Also, "Like" Tom Alvarez on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.
