Santa Barbara Gay Men’s Chorus Presents ‘Tomorrows: Songs for a Better Future’ Concert
Photo by Carolyn French
The Santa Barbara Gay Men’s Chorus this past week presented its second concert, “Tomorrows: Songs for a Better Future,” with sung and spoken messages to future generations of the queer community.
As a space for queer people in Santa Barbara County, the chorus not only uplifts local talent, but creates a community among both performers and spectators.
“There aren’t a lot of queer spaces in SB, so having this made me feel much more connected,” said Andrew “A.J.” Rawls, a board member for the organization.
He said the Gay Men’s Chorus has given him, along with other performers, a chance to form solid friendships when they may find one another otherwise scattered throughout the county.
Artistic Director Nicole Lamartine, who founded the Gay Men’s Chorus in fall 2021, chose the theme and repertoire of the concert to explore the concept of time in the past, present and future, and how individual actions influence the world.
“I think that choir can be a metaphor for life,” Lamartine said. “When we join our voices, everyone’s individual voice, we validate everyone’s humanness. And when we come together in song, we create a community not only for people of Santa Barbara but for everyone to celebrate each other and what each of us has to bring to life.”
The spring concert featured songs in both Spanish and Ukrainian in addition to English. Both the Ukrainian national anthem and the somber folk song “Plyve Kacha” represented the chorus’s support of Ukraine.
“We have a couple members of our chorus who have friends who are currently in Ukraine,” board vice president Seth Taylor said. “We actually recorded a rehearsal of the anthem and sent it to them literally while they were trapped in a basement during the early days of the invasion. Later, once they were in a safer place, they actually helped us by sending recordings of accurate pronunciations of everything so we could do our best to make it sound as authentic as it should.”
Last fall’s concert was holiday-themed, and both Lamartine and Taylor said they have appreciated watching the multigenerational group’s members bond and improve. Lamartine’s motto of “we will sing together as well as we know each other” shines true given the group’s friendly demeanor and incremental cohesiveness.
“We are leaps and bounds ahead of where we were in the fall,” Lamartine said. “I think that concert called introduction was exactly that — it was an introduction to who we are and what we hope to bring to the community — whereas this concert is really a highlight of what we’ve been able to achieve since September, which is a relatively short time.”
In the weeks following the concert, the Gay Men’s Chorus is continuing to look for new members. People interested in joining can reach out through the website or the group’s social media pages.
“This choir is y’all come, which means anyone can join us if they love to sing,” Lamartine said. “They don’t have to be a man, they don’t have to be gay, we’ve got straight people in the choir. We love to create a community for all, no matter who you are or what background you have.”
