BARCELONA GAY MEN’S CHORUS

Since 2014, BGMC has been an independent, non-profit association focused on lifelong learning, shows that are accessible for the Deaf community, and charitable causes. Made up of male voices, it has performed in top venues in Barcelona, Alicante, and Palma (Majorca), as well as on TV. It was the winner of the Clavé Audience Award for Best Video Production in 2020 and Best Live Performance in 2021. In 2022 it also became Spain’s first LGBTQIA+ choir with a studio record “We Have a Voice”.

BGMC’s founding charter sets out five core values: Show, Commitment, Visibility, Accessibility, and Solidarity. Together with the importance of music, these have allowed BGMC to make a positive impact on society for almost nine years now. The value of Show is perhaps the flashiest, but it’s certainly not the easiest. With each new performance and musical arrangement, we strive to raise the artistic bar we’ve previously set in front of audiences. This value is tied to Commitment to its members: with each weekly rehearsal, our singers train to achieve excellence, regardless of their past experience, and to improve through continuous learning and teamwork. What’s more, the choir mixes fun with social involvement, renewing the standards of leisure and activism within the LGBTQIA+ community.

However, for BGMC, transformation doesn’t happen through conventional choir practices alone. For audiences who are less familiar with sex-affective and gender diversity, Visibility is expressed through our lyrics and choice of repertoire, performances, and representative singers. For the queer community, these artistic subjects defend plurality beyond stereotypes, deconstructing the frameworks in which ageism or aesthetic standards have marginalised certain realities and differences.

BGMC’s aim to improve the Accessibility of its shows has been successful thanks to the help of Conxita Patricio, a Sign Language interpreter, CODA, and pioneer of the signed musical method. In BGMC, we interpret songs with both our voices and our hands, offering an immersive experience that both Deaf and non-Deaf audience members can enjoy. This makes BGMC unique in Spain and one of the few inclusive leisure resources in the field. Synergies created with all sorts of partners have made it possible to develop the value of Solidarity, through which BGMC strives to ensure that its activity contributes positively to society.

An opportunity to meet our choir family. For BGMC, it’s a chance to build new relationships by sharing our music and to discover new passions for music through art, activism, and togetherness. Led by our musical director Gerard Ibáñez, at Various Voices Bologna 2023 we hope to sew new alliances, face unknown challenges, put our understanding of choir music on display, and make unforgettable memories with everyone there.

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