Portland Gay Men's Chorus
The Portland Gay Men's Chorus (PGMC) is a gay-identified, non-profit choral group based in Portland, Oregon, United States. The group was founded in 1980 and formally incorporated in 1981, and is the fourth oldest chorus to publicly identify as gay by using that description in their official name. Today, the PGMC is open to all adults regardless of gender or sexuality, and currently includes singers who are women, transgender, and/or straight.
Since its founding, PGMC has been active in the civic and cultural life of Portland and Oregon more broadly. The group holds an annual holiday concert and performances for Pride Month in June, and regularly appears at the Portland Pride Festival. PGMC has also performed at places and events as varied as the openings of Pioneer Courthouse Square and the Oregon Convention Center, the Oregon Zoo, Portland City Club, and the Oregon State Legislature. The group sang at the 1985 inauguration of Oregon Secretary of State Barbara Roberts, making it the first LGBTQ chorus to sing for the inauguration of an elected state official.
PGMC is a charter member of the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses and has performed with other LGBTQ choruses, including local counterparts, like the Portland Lesbian Choir, an LGBTQ youth choir called Bridging Voices, and Rose City Pride Bands, as well as national and international groups like the Beijing Queer Chorus. PGMC has collaborated with the Oregon Ballet Theatre and the Oregon Symphony, and has commissioned pieces by composers such as Kate Campbell, Lou Harrison, Anne LeBaron, Robert Seeley, Tom Simonds, Tomáš Svoboda, and David York.
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