The Moorestown Library and the township’s department of parks and recreation have collaborated to host a concert featuring the Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus (PGMC) at the Church Street Recreation Center at 2 p.m. on Saturday. This free event is sponsored by the Friends of the Moorestown Library and Wegmans.
“The Philadelphia Gay Men’s Chorus, they entertain audiences, they support communities and foster acceptance through musical performances, so it’s just an afternoon of choir music through the PGMC,” said Caitlin Hawe-Ndrio, head of adult services at the library.
The PGMC values consistent engagement with the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) and broader communities; values accepting all people and ensuring that all people feel accepted; and values its leadership in the Philadelphia artistic community, with entertaining and artistic productions covering a variety of musical genres, according to its website. The PGMC’s history goes back to 1981, when founder Gerald Davis and three other members toured Philadelphia’s gay bars at Christmas time, singing carols. The PGMC gave its first official concert performance on April 25, 1982, at the DCA club (Now Voyeur) in Philadelphia.
A portion of all the money earned through the PGMC’s fundraising efforts supports the group’s outreach program including outreach concerts, complimentary concert tickets for local youth and smaller workshops and events that bring their members and LGBTQ-plus (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning) youth and allies together.
“I really like the overall mission and vision of the group,” Hawe-Ndrio said. “We have a new concert series that we started in January, and the goal was to offer new and diverse types of music with all different types of performers, so I think offering this type of a program is a very positive, fulfilling experience for our community and it helps meet their diverse interests in music.”
This weekend’s show is one of many. The library’s concert series is held one Saturday a month and will continue through 2025.
“We’ve had all different types of musical performers and it’s been really successful,” Hawe-Ndrio said. “I’ve got to meet and listen to all different types of music and musicians and our community has been responding to it really well, so it’s been going great.”
Following the PGMC, Pennsylvania-based singer/guitarist Charlie Zahm will be performing at the library on Saturday, Nov. 9. For more information, visit www.moorestownlibrary.org.
“We try to open up our programs to as many people as possible,” Hawe-Ndrio said. “We’re always looking for ways to meet our community’s interests and needs and I think there’s something for everybody.”
