To open its nineteenth concert season, the Empire City Men’s Chorus,

New York City’s only predominantly gay men’s choir dedicated to the performance of classical music, is excited to present “Renaissance Men:  A Polyphonic Christmas from the Empire City Men’s Chorus” in Manhattan and Brooklyn Heights.  Returning to a more traditional musical celebration of the holiday season, the Chorus will add its distinctive style and artistry to a tapestry of captivating choral gems from the High Renaissance.  The resplendent realm of Music Divine will be represented by signature works of Palestrina, Lasso and Taverner, among others.  Complementary pieces from modern masters influenced by the stile antico (“antique style”) will balance a program that may also include a few light-hearted surprises!

While these concerts mark the official start of the 2011-2012 season, the men of the Chorus spent the last weeks of their summer break preparing for a very special concert on September 10^th.  At the invitation of the distinguished New York Master Chorale, the ECMC performed in a “9/11 Remembrance Concert” at the Church of St. Paul the Apostle, which brought together singers from New York and Washington, D.C. for an afternoon of musical reflection, healing and community spirit.  

Under the continued leadership of Artistic Director Christopher Clowdus, the Chorus enjoyed an especially busy and productive 2010-2011 season.  Two well-received and diverse concerts -- "Better Day A Comin': Songs of Hope From The Gospel and Spiritual Traditions" (December 2010) and “Song Is A Strong Thing: Music of Freedom and Remembrance by Living Women Composers" (May 2011) -- anchored the year.   Additionally, in the fall of 2010, the Chorus performed with comedian and activist Margaret Cho in her "Cho Dependent Tour" at the Beacon Theater in Manhattan, and was invited to the United Nations to premiere a commissioned piece in support of the UNiTE to End Violence against Women Campaign.  In the spring of 2011, the Chorus traveled to New Haven, where the stage was shared with the New Haven Community Chorus in a sold-out performance at Yale University.

This year, the Chorus is embarking on an ambitious plan to bring its music beyond the walls of concert halls, and will be exploring performance opportunities in public spaces, at weddings and other celebrations, and with like-minded musicians.

You can follow all of this and more at the chorus website, www.empirecitymenschorus.org, on Facebook (www.facebook.com/empirecitymenschorus), and on Twitter (@ecmcsingers).  Music from recent concerts, including the highly acclaimed 2010 world premiere commission exploring marriage equality, PROTHALAMIA, is available for purchase via the chorus website and at all performances in December.

Wednesday, December 7^th at 8 pm

Church of Saint Joseph – 371 Sixth Avenue between Waverly and Washington Place, two blocks south of Eighth Street. 

Subways:

1 to Christopher Street, walk east to Sixth Avenue

A,C,E,B,D,Q,F to West 4^th Street, walk north along Sixth Avenue