These are challenging times. The Portland Gay Men’s Chorus’s mission is all about bringing people together to share the joy and empowerment of choral music; however, the health and well-being of our patrons, artists, staff, volunteers, and the larger community remains our most important priority. With the current ban on large, in-person gatherings, many arts organizations in Portland are being forced to cancel performances previously planned for the spring and summer. With deep regret, I must inform you that we are canceling our final production of the season – Turn the Radio Up! – previously scheduled for June.
This is the first time we have canceled a concert in our 40-year history. Not only are we prohibited from performing, but the way in which our singers rehearse has also been upended. Without in-person rehearsals, it’s simply not feasible for us to be performance-ready with an all-new concert by June.
The concert originally planned for March – Reflections – is scheduled to be performed in August (date and time to be announced). Your tickets for Reflections will be honored in August.
Music brings hope to our community during tough times, and we are committed to working hard to navigate this crisis and emerge on the other side, singing stronger than ever. In the meantime, we ask for your consideration and generosity, if you are able; these will be tough financial times for us as well. We are a fiscally lean organization, and are looking at every expenditure and paring back in every way possible without harming our ability to rebound when the pandemic resolves.
If you have tickets to Turn the Radio Up!, you can visit here for information about ticket options. One option that will help PGMC right now is donating the value of your ticket back to the organization. Please consider this as your first choice in helping us weather this storm – converting your ticket to a donation will allow us to focus on our future by planning for our next season of uplifting, inspiring music. Learn more.
PGMC has survived one pandemic; we will survive this one, too. You – our audiences, supporters, and fans – are the reason we exist and the reason we are able to enrich our community through music. Your continued support is appreciated more than you know, and is needed now more than ever.
With sincere thanks,
Richard Jung
Executive Director
