The members of the Rainbow Voices Choir rehearse under the direction of Michael Gardner, who accompanies them on keyboard. Photo by Jennifer Baldwin

The Rainbow Voices Choir practiced its public performance skills at a graduation ceremony for the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation on Friday, May 14. Photo by Enrique Acosta

By Jennifer Baldwin

I like to sing. In the shower, while driving, and – more recently – to my baby boy. I always figured in my later years I would join Sweet Adelines or another choir as an outlet for my hobby. (I left karaoke behind in my 20s.)

So when I heard of a new choir forming – the Rainbow Voices Choir, organized within the local gay and lesbian community but open to anyone – I thought, “Now there’s a campy, non-intimidating venue to sing my heart out.” Their first performance had been a holiday show at The Empty Space Theatre, which seats maybe 100.  I could do that. Sing a few tunes to family and friends in a dark little theater with my voice drowned out by the rest of the group.

Little did I know a plan was brewing that would turn my little debut with Rainbow Voices into a marquee-splashed performance with one of the nation’s top men’s choruses on the stage of the Fox Theatre, which seats 1,500!

You can imagine my surprise when it was announced at rehearsal that we would be singing with the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus on Sunday, May 23. Furthermore, not only would we be singing a song with them, we would also be opening their second act with our own numbers.

I’m intimidated!

But I am also excited to be part of a performance that promises to be an amazing experience. I saw the Gay Men’s Chorus perform in San Francisco several years ago and they are GOOD.  With more than 250 members, the choir has been in existence for 32 years and performs internationally. The fact that a choir of this caliber is coming to Bakersfield is a cultural boon to our community.

It’s also a benefit for Bakersfield’s gay and lesbian community, as the chorus’ visit is one of five concerts it’s giving in select conservative areas of the state as part of the 2010 California Freedom Tour. About 100 of the chorus members volunteered for the Fresno-Bakersfield leg of the tour this weekend. All profits will benefit the local chapter of PFLAG (Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbians and Gays) and Bakersfield LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning).

This Saturday, May 22, which just happens to be Harvey Milk Day, the S.F. Gay Men’s Chorus will perform in Fresno. It says a lot that the chorus chose to celebrate California’s first openly gay, publicly elected official in the Central Valley rather than at home. (Milk was a San Francisco County Supervisor who was shot and killed in 1978.)

“There is still a great deal of work to be done for the acceptance of LGBT people in our state,” said the chorus’ executive director, Teddy Witherington. “We believe that to accept us, you must know us, and you can get to know us through our culture and our stories. This is a role that the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus plays.”

Witherington said the idea of taking the chorus on the “Freedom Tour” came out of the 2008 passage of Proposition 8, which outlawed gay marriage in California. The hostility surrounding the campaigns resulted in a major breakdown of communication between the opposing sides.

“The universal language of music can be healing,” Witherington said. “So we said, ‘OK, let’s see what we can do if we go on tour in our own state with a message of acceptance and freedom.’ It would also galvanize and re-energize the grassroots social justice (movement).”

So far, the tour took the chorus to Redding and Chico in January. After Fresno and Bakersfield this weekend, they will head to Vallejo in July.

Witherington said the Redding performance was life-altering for some in the audience, who remarked afterward their prejudices melted away with the music. One woman who was brought to the concert by her gay son said, “I love God and I love these guys too.”

The director of Rainbow Voices, Michael Gardner, said the S.F. Gay Men’s Chorus is like a big, grown-up version of Glee.

“It’s entertaining. Every now and then you’ll find a word altered in a song,” he said. “A love song sung by men takes on a whole new context.”

Rainbow Voices has taken their cue and altered a few lines as well – but I’m not giving away any surprises. I will say, though, I have to suppress a chuckle each time the men in the group sing “My Heart Belongs to Daddy.” We’ll be singing a mix of sappy and snappy Cole Porter selections and one by Stephen Sondheim that makes fun of marriage, “The Little Things You Do Together.”

“Our show focuses on the various aspects of love,” Gardner said. “The serious side, the fun side, and even the tragic, bitchy side.”

Whitney Weddell, the chair of Bakersfield LGBTQ, said that while the S.F. Gay Men’s Chorus is paying for travel and lodging, her organization has spent about $8,000 on theater rental, advertising and other expenses. She’s hoping ticket sales (which range from $10 to $40) recoup that amount plus some. They’ve even bought radio and TV ads to reach out to the greater Bakersfield community.

“My catch phrase is ‘You don’t have to be Mormon to enjoy the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. And you don’t have to be gay to enjoy the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus,” she said.

Personally, I get butterflies in my stomach at the thought of sharing the stage with these guys. But one thing’s for sure: the audience will be entertained.

Witherington puts it a little more emotionally: “This is much more than a musical performance. It really is an inspiring experience. There is so much heart and soul in every performance. There will be laughter, tears and goose bumps. Hopefully everyone who attends will leave changed, after getting a glimpse of what the world could look like, what freedom really is like.”

San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus 2010 Freedom Tour

With the Rainbow Voices Choir of Bakersfield

When: 2 p.m. Sunday, May 23

Where: The Fox Theater, 2001 H Street

Tickets: $10 to $40, plus service charges, www.vallitix.com or at the door

Information: www.foxtheateronline.com/events.php, (661) 324-1369