PORTLAND, Ore. — The Portland Gay Men's Chorus is making harmony with a brand new season and they're kicking it off with the hiring of a new artistic director and auditions to bring in new members.
KGW caught up with PGMC's new artistic director and conductor Dr. Braedan Ayers to find out what brought him to the Rose City.
"The Portland Gay Men’s Chorus is a legendary choir. People know about it all over the country — I knew about it long before coming out here to audition for this job," Ayers said. "It’s one of those institutions that bring people together, forges new connections across the community and then gets to do really amazing artistic work at the same time."
He says PGMC combines three things he loves: community, social justice and choral music.
"Being a member of PGMC means that you’re a part of something bigger than yourself in a way that is really, really powerful," Ayers said. "Being part of a queer choir, specifically, allows us to sing things and put on presentations that literally no one else is doing."
Auditions for new members begin this weekend. PGMC is looking for singers of all different backgrounds, genders and sexual orientations. The main requirement is a love of music and community.
"If you like good music and want to be a part of that ... we’re not just camp and fun — there’s a lot of that, but we get to the heart of things and we sing with a purpose," Ayers said.
Auditions take place on Saturday, Sept. 10, and Saturday, Sept. 17 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sign up to audition and learn more about the process at PDXGMC.org.