The Triangle Gay Men’s Chorus (TGMC) is set to host four open rehearsals to welcome people interested in joining the group from the end of August through September, according to the group’s website.
TGMC’s “open invites” will be held at 7:30 p.m. on August 29, September 5, September 12, and September 19 at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church at 1801 Hillsborough St. in Raleigh.
“New members are encouraged to join at any of these events to participate this season,” the website states. “If you enjoy singing a lower voice section and being a part of an LGTBQ+ focused community, we want you in our chorus!”
The TGMC was founded in 1995 and is a nonprofit performing arts organization where members can have “a safe place and … an avenue for LGBTQ+ persons and their allies to develop and display their musical talents.”
“We proudly affirm the value and worth of the LGBTQ+ community while also promoting acceptance, pride and equal rights for all,” reads the organization’s mission statement.
The group orchestrates around three concerts a season, as well as performs at various events throughout the year, including Raleigh Pride and singing the National Anthem at the Carolina Hurricanes games. The chorus performs a wide array of tunes, ranging from classical music to popular songs, a cappella, jazz, blues, gospel, and music from theater and film.
Unfortunately, this season is shaping up to be a more difficult one after TGMC found their organization had been financially victimized by ticketing vendor Brown Paper Tickets. According to a post on TGMC’s Facebook page, the ticketing agency ignored multiple calls and emails from TGMC, despite owing them more than $1,200 in ticket revenue. After extensive internet research, members of TGMC found multiple companies and non-profit arts organizations were owed money and had also been ghosted by the ticketing company.
TGMC launched a fundraising campaign to help raise the lost money after members spoke with attorneys about what the next steps should look like.
“After consulting with an attorney we were advised that it would be too expensive to pursue legal action against them, and would still likely not guarantee that we’d see our funds,” the TGMC’s GoFundMe page states. “As we prepare to begin another season we are faced with a cash shortage that makes it difficult to support ourselves and continue our mission. We need support to help us purchase music, pay our musical director and accompanist, and afford our other administrative tools.”
At the time of this writing, TGMC had met over 80 percent of its donation goal. The organization took to Facebook over the weekend to thank its supporters.
“We are so humbled and thankful to our community for how quickly we’ve managed to raise so much,” the post reads. “From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to all.”