A Letter to Our Community

A Letter to Our Community

For over four decades, Portland Gay Men’s Chorus has brought people together through music, storytelling, and the shared belief that visibility, joy, and belonging matter. This year, as we prepare for Together in Song, we are excited to have Peachy Springs as our MC, Terry Bean and Barbara Roberts with a joint video message, a special presentation by Senator Jeff Merkley for one of our own singers, and special numbers performed by members of the Chorus.

A gala is much more than a dinner or an evening of entertainment. For organizations like ours, a gala serves as one of the few opportunities each year to bring together supporters, artists, business leaders, community partners, and advocates in one room. It is where relationships are built, where new supporters discover our mission, where longtime friends reconnect, and where our community visibly demonstrates that the arts — and LGBTQ+ voices — deserve to be celebrated and sustained.

Ticket pricing reflects more than the meal or venue. It helps underwrite the experience, yes — but more importantly, it creates the philanthropic foundation that allows us to serve our mission year-round: presenting concerts, commissioning new work, expanding outreach, and ensuring our music reaches audiences who need it most.

Just as importantly, events like Together in Song create something a donation alone cannot always accomplish: community. In a time when spaces of affirmation and belonging matter more than ever, gathering together is itself an act of visibility, celebration, and collective strength.

We also know that meaningful support takes many forms. If the gala isn’t the right fit for you right now, we’d love to connect you with our concerts, volunteer opportunities, individual giving options, and other events throughout the year. There is a place for you in this community — whatever that looks like.

Whether you join us in the room, support from afar, or champion our work in other ways, thank you for standing with us.

Together, we do more than sing. Together, we build community.