The Boston Gay Men’s Chorus has a new CD called “In Need of Music.” It’s the first recording the chorus has done since I’ve joined.  Most of the pieces are from our March 2009 concert series, Outside the Box. One piece is from our December 2008 concert series. There are two pieces that are from series prior to my joining the chorus.

I bought my copies of the CD last night. It’s pretty amazing. Honestly, I had forgotten how much really great music we did for Outside the Box. My absolute favorite piece is track 7, Chad Weirick‘s brilliant arrangement of “A Love that will Never Grow Old” from Brokeback Mountain. We performed that with a string quartet and Chad at the piano. It’s absolutely gorgeous.

In listening to the CD this morning on my way to work, “What Matters” from the Matthew Shepherd story had me in tears. It’s fantastic. I remember thinking how difficult that piece was, and it came out amazing. It has a lot of syncopation, and with 150 voices, that’s not easy to do.

I think everything was recorded at Jordan Hall at the New England Conservatory of Music. As I’ve stated before, Jordan Hall is a sacred place to me.

I could blather away for quite a while about this CD. Instead, head over the chorus’ website and listen to some of the clips yourself. And while you’re at it, buy yourself a copy of the CD.

After every concert, I say that I’m so proud to be part of such an amazing group of men. This CD has to be one of the proudest moments in my life. It feels absolutely amazing to be part of a group that has performed such stunningly beautiful music. Perhaps, I’m just a bit biased. If that’s the case, I’m perfectly okay with that.

One of the best things about being part of the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus is rehearsals. Sure, they’re a lot of work. They’re also a lot of fun.

Tuesday night, we had a rehearsal on stage in Jordan Hall at the New England Conservatory of Music. I hold Jordan Hall with a great deal of reverence. It’s a beautiful hall, and the acoustics are incredible. Like many members, Jordan Hall was the site of my first concert with the BGMC.

Jordan Hall brings out the very best in us. The acoustics are so amazing that if we don’t get something quite right, it sounds sloppy. Reuben will occasionally have us sing something incorrectly so we can hear just how bad it sounds there. And that makes us get it right.

For our upcoming concert series, Our Home for the Holidays, we’ll be performing Fred Small’s “Not in our Town” with our guest soloist, Kerry Dowling. It’s going to be fantastic in Jordan Hall. This concert series has a lot of really good stuff. We have lots of good seats available for the December 18-20 concerts. Seats for the December 13 concert are limited. Tickets and more details are here.