The chorus continues building on our roots to forge new ground and create change in many ways. In 2014 we helped to raise $25,000 to support the first LGBT mental health facility in Brattleboro, Vermont. In 2015 we became the first gay chorus in New England to perform at a gubernatorial inauguration, and the first in the nation to perform at the inaugural of a Republican governor.
After our European tour, we originally planned to do a tour every five years. Unfortunately the economic downturn in the years that followed made that extremely difficult, and we delayed our second tour. With the improved economy and back to having a permanent executive director, we started planning for another tour where we could help create change in the world.
In the summer of 2015, the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus toured the Middle East, becoming the first openly gay group to perform in Turkey. We commissioned Joshua Shank to create a work for us. One movement was written prior to our departure. Members of the chorus were asked to complete the phrase “I was at peace when. . .” The responses were combined to create a work about peace that would not seem preachy. Joshua came with us on the tour to experience it with us. After his return he would finish the rest of the movements.
We started the tour in a kibbutz at Ein Gedi, near the Dead Sea. After a day playing in the sea, we returned to the kibbutz for our first performance. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming, and we even met some ex-pats from the states. The next day, after touring Masada, we travelled to Jerusalem. We toured the old city, seeing incredible sites such as the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Western Wall. That night we performed to a capacity crowd.
The next morning we were off to Tel Aviv and a few days of relaxing before performing. Our performance was in the courtyard of a performing arts complex. Originally told there would a crowd of hundreds, we were somewhat disappointed to see only a couple dozen chairs set up in front of our stage. We rehearsed, then moved behind the buildings for a catered dinner. We changed into our costumes and got ready to walk around the building to the stage, prepared to give a great performance no matter how small the crowd was. As we turned the corner, we were shocked to see a crowd of thousands facing us. There was not a square inch of space left in the courtyard. It was an exciting, magical performance.
Now we were off to the airport to fly to Istanbul. The troubles started before we left Boston. Targeted by a leader trying to grab power and become a dictator, we lost our venue. A local university stepped in and provided us with an outdoor space that held twice as many people as our original venue. The first day, however, was dedicated to tourism. We arrived at the Hagia Sophia. Originally a Greek Orthodox Christian basilica and later a mosque, it is now a museum. As we waited outside to enter, our phones started buzzing with messages. On the other side of the world, the Supreme Court of the United States handed down its decision. Equal Marriage was now the law of the land. Being in a conservative nation, we were forced to be subdued in our reaction. The U.S. consul held a reception for us at his home that evening.
We performed in a beautiful outside venue at the university, surrounded by armed guards, bomb-sniffing dogs, airport-style metal detectors for the audience to pass through, and even security drones overhead. Another capacity crowd filled with singles and families, people of all ages and genders. We had them dancing in the aisles! And the U.S. consul joined us onstage to sing and perform the choreography to Firework.
The next day we were to march in the gay pride parade. Our presence had caused much more publicity than usual for the event. As we walked up to Taksim Square to join the march, we were stopped by police in riot gear. The federal government had caused the permit to gather to be withdrawn, and brought in police from around the country to enforce the order. We were told to return to our hotel or face arrest.
We returned to the hotel, where our translators explained to us more fully what was happening. We could not march or we would be arrested. It was not safe to be out and about at that time. Wearing our BGMC shirts, we were advised to change before leaving the hotel again. News reports were coming in. The police were using rubber bullets, tear gas, and water cannon on those who would not leave. Some of our members decided to change into casual clothes and explore. They reported seeing the gassing and water cannon. After the wonderful reception at our concert the night before, this drove home exactly how dangerous it was for LGBTQ people elsewhere in the world.
After returning home, Joshua Shank went to work on the rest of the movements. The final work, capable of anything, shared our stories of visiting the Dead Sea, getting the news of the SCOTUS decision, and the hate we faced in Istanbul. We premiered the piece at our spring concert in 2016. The performance include a multimedia presentation with interviews, and background images from the tour to illustrate our experiences.