Loading...
Date
2-21-2021
Particpants
Fithian, Bruce; Anderson, Glenn; Caron, Jeff; Small, Delmar; Colpitts, Paul; Linscott, Bob; McDonald, Mark; Ronco, Jason; Diamante, Robert; Hurley, Ed; Carr, Jonathan; Perry, Rick; Anderson, Neil; Cryan, Tom; Fereira, Jim; Lescault, Martin; Poulin, Michael; Jackson, Larry.
Document Type
Video
Abstract
Facilitator: Dr. Wendy Chapkis USM Professor of Women and Gender Studies and Sociology
This two-hour collective oral history interview focuses on the 1992 founding, and first year of operation, of the organization The Maine Gay Men’s Chorus, in Portland, Maine. The conversation opened with a brief discussion by each of the three founders (Bruce Fithian, Glenn Anderson, and Jeff Caron) about what led them to create the Maine Gay Men’s Chorus in 1992.
Then the focus shifted to the half dozen members who have since died – Matthew Batten (baritone), Greg Bunny (second tenor), Greg Carroll (bass), Kevin Geel (baritone), David Harvey (baritone), and Robert Lebel (baritone) – with brief stories shared about each of them. Following the “in memoriam” section of the event, a broad-ranging discussion took place involving all of the founding members present: Bruce Fithian (founding director), Glenn Anderson (founder), Jeff Caron (founder), Delmar Small (accompanist), Paul Colpitts (bass), Bob Linscott (bass), Mark McDonald (bass), Jason Ronco (bass), Robert Diamante (baritone, and first president of the board), Ed Hurley (baritone), Jonathan A. Carr (second tenor), Rick Perry (second tenor), Neil Anderson (first tenor), Tom Cryan (first tenor), Jim Fereira (first tenor), Martin Lescault (first tenor), Michael Poulin (first tenor). In addition, Larry Jackson, the current director, shared some thoughts on the current status of the group.
Keywords
Founding of Maine Gay Men’s Chorus; normalization; camp; community-building; Carolyn Cosby, Concerned Maine Families, and anti-gay activism; music.
Recommended Citation
USM LGBTQ+ Collection, "FROM THE VAULTS: The Founding of the Maine Gay Men's Chorus" (2021). Events. 29.
https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/spcoevents/29
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
