Biography: Golden Gate Men’s Chorus was founded by Dick Kramer bringing together gay men from the San Francisco Bay Area who wanted to sing with a more classically-oriented men’s chorus. Golden Gate Men’s Chorus is 50 singers, ages 18+ and their current members are 20s to 70s. They have been performing continuously since 1982. The Golden Gate Men’s Chorus is dedicated to the art of male choral music and the vast range of repertoire from the historical and stylistic periods, specializing in Early Music, Renaissance polyphony, and early and late Romantic composers, along with contemporary music from Eastern Europe, the Baltics, and the United States. Golden Gate Men’s Chorus prides itself in the ability to perform music from around the world in its original language.
Over the past 36 years, Golden Gate Men’s Chorus has performed at a variety of venues, including symphony halls, theatres, churches, weddings, outdoor ceremonies (including the 1982 and 1986 Gay Games), awards events, Pride celebrations, and collaborations with other music and dance groups. Of these the most memorable experience has been on tour in the country of Lithuania and as participants at the world Choir Games in Riga, Latvia in July of 2014. In Lithuania they were greeted by audiences eager to hear American choral music and who were inspired to hear music that GGMC had commissioned from Lithuanian composer Vytautas Miskinis.
The long-standing reputation of the festival for outstanding choral performances, combined with an opportunity to tour the United Kingdom and sing in venues where the literature they perform is well suited, helped them make the decision to join this year’s Eisteddfod.