Meet the New Mexico Gay Men’s Chorus
By Web staff
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ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico (KOAT) — During Pride Month, the New Mexico Gay Men’s Chorus is set to have several shows to close out June.
The singing group stands with its community as a beacon of inclusion and harmony. Singer Brian Lantern is one of its founding members and has been involved for more than four decades.
Lantern said the group has been like a habit that stuck due to its impact on him. The group started in 1981.
“Chorus is like church, it’s something that you do once a week faithfully and with joy,” Lantern said.
Aaron Howe, choir artistic director, has held that title within the New Mexico Gay Men’s Chorus for 14 years.
“Our motto is changing the world through music because we kind of believe that it’s very difficult to be super contentious when somebody is singing a song at you,” Howe said. “There’s something very disarming about that. And so we sing concerts to show that we are people, and we show our issues to talk about things that are important to us.”
The choir group works to provide a safe place for gay men looking to join and grow a welcoming community.
“If you are experiencing stress from being gay,” Lantern said. “When you come here, you’re in a room full of friends, you know you are safe.”
Their next performance is set to take place at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 21, at the Lensic in Santa Fe. The next day will see to group perform there at the same time.
Another performance will take place in Albuquerque at 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 23, at the National Hispanic Cultural Center.
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