Stonewall Chorale marks 50 years with three-concert anniversary season

The Stonewall Chorale is launching its 50th anniversary season, LOVE OUT LOUD, with three concerts, a new three-year composer residency and a collaboration with Heartbeat Opera. The season also introduces newly appointed Artistic Director Nick Sienkiewicz and expands the group’s community performances across New York City.

Why it matters: - The Stonewall Chorale is using its 50th anniversary to deepen its role as a cultural institution for LGBTQIA+ artists and audiences. - The season pairs legacy programming with new commissions, which can expand the choral canon and create new work centered on LGBTQIA+ experiences. - The anniversary also broadens the Chorale’s reach through partnerships and community performances beyond the concert hall.

What happened: - The Stonewall Chorale announced its 50th Anniversary Season, LOVE OUT LOUD, for 2026–2027. - Nick Sienkiewicz is the choir’s new Artistic Director. - The season includes three concerts in New York City, a new three-year Composer-in-Residence program, and a partnership with Heartbeat Opera. - Tickets for LOVE OUT LOUD are on sale now.

The details: - The first concert, Love Endures, is set for Dec. 5, 2026, at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. at Church of the Holy Apostles in New York City. - Love Endures will feature works by Carlos Cordero, Christian Velasquez, Susan LaBarr, Rina Sawayama, Nancy Wilson and Madonna. - Christopher Tin’s Transfigurations, with text by Charles Anthony Silvestri, anchors the program. - The second concert, Considering Matthew Shepard, is scheduled for March 20, 2027, at 7 p.m. at St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York City. - The program will present Craig Hella Johnson’s oratorio on the life, death and legacy of Matthew Shepard. - The third concert, Carmina Burana, is scheduled for June 5, 2027, at 7 p.m. at St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York City. - The final concert is a collaboration with the Queer Big Apple Corps. - The season’s three concerts are designed around themes of endurance, remembrance, joy and collective expression. - The Chorale’s new Composer-in-Residence is Jake Landau. - Landau will write one new work for the Chorale each year of the three-year residency. - The Chorale will also perform selections from Landau’s existing catalog. - Landau is a graduate of The Juilliard School and Oxford University. - His work has been performed by the New York Philharmonic, Houston Grand Opera and Broadway artists. - After Landau’s term, the residency will open to emerging LGBTQIA+ composers through a competitive, no-cost application process. - The Chorale is also collaborating with Heartbeat Opera on QUEENEY TODD: The Demon Bottom of Fleet Street for the company’s 11th Annual Drag Opera Extravaganza. - That production runs Oct. 22–31, 2026, at Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich Village. - The Chorale will also perform for older adult audiences at SAGE and Hudson Guild. - Those community performances will include selections from the December and March concert programs.

Between the lines: - The anniversary season signals a shift from commemorating the past to building infrastructure for the next generation of LGBTQIA+ choral work. - The composer residency suggests the Chorale wants to generate lasting repertoire, not just stage one-off premieres. - Partnerships with Heartbeat Opera and community groups point to a strategy of audience growth through cross-genre collaboration and direct outreach.

What’s next: - The Chorale will open the season with Love Endures in December 2026. - The next major milestone is Considering Matthew Shepard in March 2027. - The season will close with Carmina Burana in June 2027. - The Chorale will begin its new composer residency under Landau and later transition it to emerging LGBTQIA+ composers. - Additional community performances at SAGE and Hudson Guild will extend the anniversary season beyond the mainstage.