The Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus may well be the first gay men's chorus ever to take such a bold step in pushing for tolerance and acceptance for the gay community in this country when they take their song on the road in July 2006. The Chorus is planning a whirlwind tour that includes five stops in six days beginning in Nashville, Tennessee and ending in New Orleans, Louisiana. This will be the first national tour for the 25 year-old Chorus.

"Turning 25 has made us reflect upon where we have been and examine where we would like to be as an organization," said Joann Usher, Executive Director of the Chorus. "Outreach has always been an important part of our mission. We have worked hard to bring awareness and acceptance of the gay community in the Twin Cities and around the state and region. Now more than ever, though, we feel it is time to send an even stronger and louder message. By touring the South, we hope to raise a national awareness," she added.

The tour will include stops in Nashville, Tennessee; Birmingham, Alabama; Jackson, Mississippi; Mobile, Alabama and New Orleans, Louisiana. The Chorus plans to fly to Nashville where the tour will begin at the Historic Ryman Auditorium, home of the original Grand Ole Opry and then travel by bus to each of the stops on the tour, ending in New Orleans. The Chorus is taking 130 men on the tour.

"There have been a few tours by other gay choruses over the years. Most have focused on international tours. But when we began looking at doing a tour, it made sense to us to focus our energy in the U.S. ," said Dr. Stan Hill, Artistic Director of the Chorus.

"There is a lot of work to do right here at home, and we thought a tour of the South would be a perfect opportunity," he added.

Beneficiaries in New Orleans include:
* The New Orleans Gay Men's Chorus
* Metropolitan Community Church of Greater New Orleans
* GLBT Community Coalition

The men of the chorus have also taken up a collection of over 1,000 personal care items to be donated to NO/Aids Task Force during their performance in New Orleans.

The Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus is an award-winning Chorus that has built a solid reputation for musical excellence and adventuresome programming. The organization was formed to build community through music, with the primary purpose of TCGMC being the pursuit of musical excellence in performance. In addition, Twin Cities Gay Men's Chorus seeks to provide its members with rewarding musical experiences and to promote social exchange among a group of men with a common purpose. As an organization that celebrates diversity and uses music as a way to transform, educate and heal, TCGMC works towards the elimination of homophobia and intolerance through community outreach.

The men of the chorus are committedto fulfilling our mission of "Gay Men Building Community Through Music" by providing outreach concerts in support of other GLBT organizations throughout the United States. The men's committment to this tour is proof that we take this mission seriously and we will embrace this opportunity to reach out to other communities across the U.S.