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Although Men Alive is only nine years old, its story begins nearly two decades ago with a concert in Dallas and a vision by Artistic Director Rich Cook. In The Beginning... In the early 1990s, Rich Cook attended a performance of the Turtle Creek Chorale, a prominent gay men's chorus from Dallas, Texas. Inspired by the performance, he began thinking about the need for a similar chorus in his home of Orange County. His vision for a gay chorus to create joy & healing, and build bridges between communities was born.
Enlisting the help of friends and reaching out to AIDS Services Foundation Orange County (ASF) for support, Rich began the work to make his vision a reality. With ASF helping greatly in the initial stages helping publicize the nascent chorus, Rich posted notices around Orange County announcing auditions in September. Then he crossed his fingers and hoped the singers would come. "I made an agreement with myself: if you have 12 guys, go ahead," Rich recalled. On that first rehearsal night in early September, 13 men came & joined the chorus. Men Alive - The Orange County Gay Men's Chorus was born. By December the Chorus had grown to 24 singers and presented their debut concert to a standing room only audience in a local church. Over the Years... By the time of the Chorus' next concert six months later in June 2002, the Chorus had almost doubled again in size to 45. The concert, appropriately titled This is Our Time, heralded Men Alive's "arrival" in Orange County and Southern California. The Orange County & Long Beach Blade acclaimed that the Chorus and the concert "captivated the audience with its perfect blend of musical precision and heartfelt emotion." During that first season, Men Alive established the "Founder's Circle" for those supporters who shared the Men Alive vision and could assist financially. More than 50 persons, couples and businesses each donated $1000 or more to ensure the success of the newborn chorus. We will always be grateful to those who helped launch Men Alive. Second Season: During the second season, Chorus membership continued to grow, reaching more than 70 members. By the end of the season, in the summer of 2003, Men Alive made the leap from holding its concerts in church venues and presented its summer concert at the South Coast Repertory Theater. Third Season: In the spring of 2004, in the middle of its third season, Men Alive was presented at the Pacific Chorale Invitational Choral Festival at the Orange County Performing Arts Center where they performed with the Pacific Chorale and other distinguished choruses. This was a wonderful accomplishment for such a young chorus less than three years old at the time. To close its third season in early July 2004, the Chorus performed before near-capacity audiences at the beautiful Irvine Barclay Theatre. And a week later, Men Alive traveled to Montreal to perform at the Gay and Lesbian Association of Chorus' 7th International Choral Festival, an event that attracted nearly 200 choruses and 6000 people from around the world. Fourth Season: In August 2004, only weeks after its return from Montreal, the Chorus held its annual donor appreciation party where Carl St. Clair, Conductor of the Pacific Symphony, and his wife, were the featured guests. A last minute surprise found Men Alive singing under the baton of Maestro St. Clair, to the delight of those in the audience. Starting its fourth season, Men Alive held its annual chorus retreat in October 2004. The choristers were privileged to have John Alexander, conductor of the Pacific Chorale, join them at the retreat as their guest clinician. Before closing its fourth season, Men Alive traveled to Portland, Oregon, where the Chorus performed jointly with the Portland Gay Men's Chorus (PGMC) and the Vancouver Men's Chorus in celebration of PGMC's 25th Anniversary. Fifth Season: In the fall of 2005, Men Alive performed with Debbie Reynolds & Ruta Lee at the star-studded Thalians' 50th Anniversary Ball in West Los Angeles. With the purpose of raising funds & awareness for mental illness, the Thalian Gala Affair drew more than 800 attendees including a long list of noted celebrities. In December 2005, Men Alive performed two sold-out performances of its holiday show at the Irvine Barclay Theater. And in July 2006 the Chorus closed its season with its 5th Anniversary Celebration concert, its first ever all-Broadway show, with special guest noted Broadway & Cabaret singer Michael Feinstein. Sixth Season: Entering its sixth season, membership in Men Alive topped 100 singers for the first time, and season subscribers exceeded 700 patrons. In December 2006, Men Alive presented its holiday concert at the newly opened Renee & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, the first gay-identified organization to perform in the new venue. Seventh Season: Men Alive began its 7th Season with a very special cabaret show in October 2007, with special guest Sam Harris. This was followed by three performances of the holiday show, Holly, Jolly Hollywood at the very beginning of December. This was the first season that Men Alive began offering three (3) performances of every show to meet audience demand. Later that summer, Men Alive traveled to Miami to perform at the Gay and Lesbian Association of Chorus' 8th International Choral Festival. This was Men Alive’s second appearance at the quadrennial festival. Eighth Season: During the eighth season, Men Alive added a new bonus show to its annual show schedule: the classically-driven Masterpiece Matinee. The season concluded in July 2009 with Wicked to Oz, the fastest selling show in the chorus’ history. Celebrating the magical Land of Oz, the concert featured the great songs from the beloved classic The Wizard of Oz, the enduring The Wiz, and the Broadway smash hit Wicked. The show performed to sold-out, SRO audiences. Today & the Future... Today the Chorus numbers more than 130 singers and 180 overall members, and regularly performs its shows to audiences of more than 2000. Men Alive is proud to be recognized as a major partner in the arts community of Orange County. Entering its 9th Season, Men Alive looks forward to a season of love & laughter, beginning with the its holiday show Laughing All The Way in December 2009, Fever of Love in March 2010, and Comedy Tonight! in July 2010. Stay tuned for even more accomplishments as Men Alive continues to grow due to the enthusiastic support of audience members like you. Thank you! |
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Over the years, Rich oftentimes returned to the idea but the timing never seemed right. Then in the summer of 2001, he went to a concert of the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles. Sitting in the audience, he again thought about the need for a gay chorus in Orange County. He knew the time had finally come.
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