Digital Program
Welcome to the Austin Gay Men’s Chorus Spring Concert, “Freedom, Unfinished: From Reckoning to Joy”. This concert will last approximately 2 hours including a 15 minute intermission.
Table of Contents
(Tap to jump to each section)
A Special Foreword from
The Last Seven Words of the Unarmed Composer, Joel Thompson
In the last 10 years, the social and political landscape of this country has been overwhelmed by metastases of cruelty, hatred, and fear. It feels even more dangerous to sing this piece now than it did in 2015 when it premiered.
We have since heard the echoes of Eric Garner's last words in the dying breath of George Floyd. We have seen pledges to change and the ensuing backlash against those same pledges. We now see a willful self-induced amnesia of our country's past sins and a purposeful blindness to our precarious fascist present, so it seems selfish and cruel at this point to consider bringing another Black child into this world. But that despair evaporates when I realize that my very existence is evidence of the impossible hope of my ancestors who were stolen from everything they had ever known, crammed into the hull of a ship and smuggled to another world.
It is that hope that sustains me now and it is the hope that we all need to persist and resist in this unjust world. Seven Last Words of the Unarmed is still a difficult listen, but I invite you today to hold on to the hope that this piece will no longer be relevant 10 years from now.
Let us sing it until that day comes.
Program Setlist
THE LAST WORDS OF DAVID
Randall Thompson
FREEDOM
arr. Sharon Udoh
FROM THE TESTAMENT OF FREEDOM
Randall Thompson
I. The God Who Gave Us Life
FROM THE SEVEN LAST WORDS OF THE UNARMED
Joel Thompson
I. Kenneth Chamberlain
II. Trayvon Martin
III. Amadou Diallo
(TAKE NOTE! FT. DANNY MCKAY)
VII. Eric Garner
FROM THE TESTAMENT OF FREEDOM
Randall Thompson
IV. I Shall Not Die Without a Hope
GLORY FROM SELMA.
arr. Eugene Rogers
FT. AUSTIN POWELL, ZACHARIAH WHITED,
NIC KEY, ANDREW ENGROFF, AND SIMON GUO
INTERMISSION
UNTIL ALL OF US ARE FREE
Mark Burrows
FT. ERIC WYATT
BELLOW
Moira Smiley
TAKE NOTE!
RISE UP
arr. Chad Weirick
FT. SCOTT WALLACE AND JUSTYN FLORIE
THE DOG DAYS ARE OVER
arr. Charlie Beale
FT. SIMON GUO
A CHANGE IS GONNA COME
David Maddux
THEY CANNOT ERASE US
Pax Ressler
FT. FINN MCMILLAN, ATLAS WOODS-SMITH,
ADRIAN LANCASTER, AND LU VILLARREAL
WE SHALL BE FREE
arr. Dave Volpe
TAKE NOTE! Ft. DOUGLAS HALLAM
FREEDOM! ‘90
arr. Steve Milloy
FT. WALKER ZUPAN
Orchestra
LAURAL BUTLER
VIOLIN I
AMY HARRIS
VIOLIN II
JOHN HOLGUIN
VIOLA
BRIGID DEVER
CELLO
GARY JAMES
BASS
ANDREW MALAY
WOODWINDS
RACHEL SPENCER
TRUMPET
ANDY HEGER
TROMBONE
ANDREW FUHRMAN
PERCUSSION
DOMINIC LEGEZA
PERCUSSION
KARL LOGUE
PIANO
AUDREY BARRETT
PIANO
Staff
THOMAS J. STANDISH-RINN
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
J. CHRISTINE LINSCHOTEN
ASST ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
KARL LOGUE
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR / PRINCIPAL ACCOMPANIST
ANDY HEGER
CHORUS MANAGER
JOE ROEL
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
DARIUS WILEY J
DIRECTOR OF CHOREOGRAPHY
JORGE IBARRA
DECORATIONS
DARRELL WIGGINS
COSTUMING
Dancers
Adrian Lancaster
Alejandro Aristizabal
Atlas Woods-Smith
Darius Wiley Jr.
Danny McKay
Johnny Vargas
Kevin Ebach
Lisa Fastow
Simon Guo
TAKE NOTE!
Adam Buttyan
Baritone
Andrew Engroff
Bass
Andy Heger
Baritone
Austin Powell
Tenor 1
Chad Hildal
Bass
Collie Roland
Tenor 1
Dakota Dively
Tenor 1
Dale Sandish
Tenor 2
Danny McKay
Tenor 2
Douglas Hallam
Baritone
Glen Langford
Tenor 2
Joe Roel
Baritone
Keith Hale
Bass
Mark Flores
Baritone
Nic Key
Tenor 2
Chorus
-
Adriel Barrera
William Blake
Richard Cutler
Kendall Diaz
Dakota Dively
Wade Eernisse
Simon Guo
Michael Harrison
Justin Johnson
Glen Langford
Nathan Linn
Jeff McCoy
Chris Nicholson
Aerik E. Pachicano
Austin Powell
Jim Riddle
Collie E. Roland
Nikki Sanders
Nico Silvian
Miguel Angel Venegas
Sage West
Eric Wyatt
Walker Zupan
-
Sergio C. Bedford
Yancey Breazeale
CJ Conlogue
Marc Cote
Angel Del Mar
Kevin Ebach
Juan Escobar Jr.
Joseph Flaten
Justyn Florie
Douglas Hallam
Robert Heinz
Jorge Ibarra
Spencer Jones
Nic Key
Jason Kutac
Chase Law
Mark-André Limón
Kerry McGowne
Danny McKay
Addison McMillan
Patrick Moloney
James Monroe
Brian Ortiz
Alexander Osborne
Dennis Perez
Jacob Preece
Joseph Ringuette
Dale Sandish
Matthew Satterfield
Alan Schlichting
Steven Self
Murray Sexton
Adam Stanford
Colton Treadwell
Scott Wallace-Luck
Grayson Watkins
Zachariah Whited
Darrell Wiggins
Elliot Williams
Craig Wilson
Adriel (Atlas) Woods-Smith
-
Michael Agapos
Steven Brockman-Weber
Rew Butler
Adam Buttyan
Randy Cantú
Davis Covin
David Crisp
Seth Curlee
Scott Dai
Michael Duhan
Jonathon Flores
Mark Flores
Brandon Garcia
Jerry Garcia
Christopher Gonzalez
Alex Goram
Mario Guajardo Clark
Eddie Guzman
Raul Hernandez
Randy King
J. Jeffrey Kosewski
Adrian Lancaster
Debarun Majumdar
Jonathan Mataev
Christopher Matthews
Gabriel May
Finn McMillan
Julio Montalvo
Noah Ogelsby
Matt Pattillo
Willow Perry
Thomas Pierce
Aaron Robinson
Carlos Valladares
Luis Villarreal
Jeffrey Wagers
Darius Wiley Jr.
-
Dennis Bordelon
Samael Bredow
Benjamin Coghan
Andrew Engroff
Garrett Evenson
L. Keith Hale
Ryan Hart
Chad Hildal
Evan Kelley
Kairos Looney
Kyle D. Marriott
Christian Muana
Scott Pham
Brandon Reim
Delvin Rennoldson
Joe Roel
Rick Roemer
Dan Smith
JaMichel Smith
Patrick Stanford-Galloway
Jonathan Swinney
Jordan Tauber
Johnny Vargas
Joseph Vasquez
Letter from the Board Chair
On behalf of the Board of Directors, welcome to our Spring show, Freedom Unfinished. This show invites us to consider freedom as a journey that is still unfolding.
During the past six decades, I have seen both the strides we have made, and the setbacks that remind us that true progress is an ideal that we must continue to work toward. Barriers have fallen, voices have risen, and communities have grown stronger through perseverance and hope. Now, more than ever, we need to continue carrying that work forward, shaping a future where freedom belongs to all of us, in the fullest sense.
Thank you to our singers, artistic team, staff, volunteers, donors, and community partners whose dedication makes evenings like this possible. Most of all, thank you for being here. Your presence affirms the importance of our art, inclusion, and community.
We hope tonight’s performance moves you, inspires you, and reminds you that the pursuit of freedom is ongoing - and that the ability to live authentically, while respecting and enhancing the freedom of others, remains one of its most powerful expressions.
My wish for us all tonight is peace, love, and light.
- Fred Lugo, AGMC Board Chair
Letter from the Artistic Director
As a choral artist I often find that the greatest gift I can provide to both performers and audiences is the opportunity to use music to reflect on something bigger than themselves. In the community of queer choruses, we regularly advocate for marginalized voices. The history of our existence is rooted in this idea that creating a place of safety and significance is at the center of our mission. As we have grown and reacted to the community around us the vision of who we serve has developed and expanded. One small reflection of this is the diversity of gender and sexuality you see on stage in this concert. As I often communicate, we are not all gay and we are not all men in the Austin Gay Men’s Chorus.
It is in this spirit that we offer Freedom Unfinished. As we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we offer this concert to honor the ideals on which this country was founded, while also examining who has been included in, and who has been excluded from, the privileges of freedom in America.
Part of our effort to engage in authentic dialogue with these artistic works lies in commissioning new works and arrangements for TTBB chorus. During the concert you will hear the world premieres of Mark Burrows's Until All of Us Are Free, Charlie Beale's arrangement of Dog Days Are Over, and David Maddux's arrangement of A Change Is Gonna Come. You will also hear new text created for Pax Ressler's They Cannot Erase Us, developed through a collaboration between our lyricist Joseph Shapiro and trans members of our chorus. These partnerships have deepened our artistic connection to these messages and provided another opportunity to widen the influence of these important works.
At the heart of the program is a pairing of two landmark American works: Randall Thompson's The Testament of Freedom, setting the words of Thomas Jefferson on the occasion of the bicentennial of Jefferson's birth, and Joel Thompson's The Seven Last Words of the Unarmed, setting the words of seven young Black men who were killed by police. Together, they form a stark reminder that while Jefferson's words espouse lofty ideals, they were written by a man who enslaved other human beings. When he proclaimed life and liberty as divine rights, it is vital to recognize whom he was excluding and the lasting repercussions of that exclusion.
We reflect on this and other moments in our nation's history not as an endpoint, but as markers on a continuing journey toward the ideals this country was founded on. Ours is not only a somber program — we also sing with strength and defiance, and at times with joy, as we envision the future. In the words we sing of Emma Lazarus: "Until all of us are free, none of us are free." Two hundred and fifty years into the American experiment, our journey toward freedom remains unfinished.
- Thomas J. Standish-Rinn, Artistic Director
The Last Seven Words of the Unarmed
Joel Thompson
Dear Listener,
In November of 2014, a Staten Island grand jury chose not to indict the officer who murdered Eric Garner. To me, the message was clear: if I were to be killed in some interaction with authority figures, my loved ones should not expect justice. There could be a video recording of my futile attempts to describe my distress - “I can’t breathe” - with the arm of the law around my neck and the life fading from my eyes, and still, my death wouldn’t matter. My death wouldn’t matter enough to warrant a formal charge of even manslaughter or negligent homicide. This was not an isolated incident - this was a trend. The color of my skin is a capital offense. Seven Last Words of the Unarmed wasn’t written to be heard. It was essentially a sonic diary entry expressing my fear, anger, and grief in the wake of this tragedy. I was serving as a choral conductor at a small college in south Georgia, but I occasionally composed pieces and hid them away. Finishing this work in early January 2015 was a much-needed catharsis; I felt exorcised of the emotions that had drained my spirit. However, Freddie Gray’s death the following April impelled me to try to bring Seven Last Words of the Unarmed to life. A Facebook post asking musician friends to sightread the work, a phone call by a friend to Dr. Eugene Rogers of the University of Michigan, a commission from Andre Dowell to fully orchestrate the work for the 20th anniversary of the Sphinx Organization, and the piece is alive several years later and I am very grateful.
Liturgical settings of the Seven Last Words of Christ are not trying to demonize the Roman soldiers that orchestrated the crucifixion, but they are designed to stir within the listener an empathy towards the suffering of Jesus. Inspired by that template, this piece is a meditation on the lives of seven black men and an effort to focus on their humanity, which is often eradicated in the media in an attempt to justify their deaths.
Listening to Seven Last Words of the Unarmed can be uncomfortable. As you listen, I ask that you try to remain open. It can be easy to let a spirit of defensiveness pollute the experience of the piece. I ask that you revisit the last moments of these men with fresh hearts:
-
Kenneth Chamberlain, Sr.: the retired Marine who accidentally pressed his Life Alert necklace which recorded the police calling him a n***er before he was killed. (“Officer, why do you have your guns out?”)
-
Trayvon Martin: the teenage boy with his bag of Skittles being chased in his own neighborhood. (“What are you following me for?”)
-
Amadou Diallo: the young immigrant who called his mother in Guinea after he had saved up enough money to pursue a degree in computer science. (“Mom, I’m going to college.”)
-
Eric Garner: the 43-year-old grandfather who was choked to death on camera on the streets of New York City. (“I can’t breathe.”)
When the music is over, let us continue to listen. Let us listen to each other with love and hope for a more just future. Thank you.
With love,
Joel Thompson
Song Lyrics
(Tap each song to expand the lyrics)
-
He That ruleth over man must be just
Must be just
Must be just
Ruling in the Fear of God
Ruling in the Fear of God
The Fear of God
And he shall be as the light of the morning
when the sun riseth
Even a morning without clouds
As the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining
After rain, after rain, after rain
Alleluia
Amen
-
Ah
Tryna rain, tryna rain on the thunder
Tell the storm I'm new
I'mma walk, I'mma march on the regular
Painting white flags blue
Lord forgive me, I've been running
Running blind in truth
I'mma rain, I'mma rain on this bitter love
Tell the sweet I'm new
I'm telling these tears, "Go and fall away, fall away"
May the last one burn into flames
Freedom! Freedom! I can't move
Freedom, cut me loose! yeah
Freedom! freedom! Where are you?
Cause I need freedom too!
I break chains all by myself
Won't let my freedom rot in hell
Hey! I'mma keep running
Cause a winner don't quit on themselves
(Na na na)
I'mma wade, I'mma wave through the waters
Tell the tide, "Don't move"
I'mma riot, I'mma riot through your borders
Call me bulletproof
Lord forgive me, I've been runnin'
Runnin' blind in truth
I'mma wade, I'mma wave through your shallow love
Tell the deep I'm new
I'm telling these tears, "Go and fall away, fall away"
May the last one burn into flames
Freedom! Freedom! I can't move
Freedom, cut me loose!
Singin', freedom! Freedom! Where are you?
Cause I need freedom too!
I break chains all by myself
Won't let my freedom rot in hell
Hey! I'mma keep running
Cause a winner don't quit on themselves hey
(Repeats chorus: Freedom! Freedom! I can't move
Freedom, cut me loose!
Singin', freedom! Freedom! Where are you?
Cause I need freedom too!
I break chains all by myself
Won't let my freedom rot in hell
Hey! I'mma keep running
Cause a winner don't quit on themselves hey)
-
The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time (at the same time)
The hand of force may destroy
The hand of force may destroy
but cannot disjoin them
cannot disjoin them
Cannot cannot disjoin them
(This text is repeated two more times)
-
Officers, why do you have your guns out?
-
What are you following me for?
-
Mom, I’m going to college
-
I can’t breathe
-
I shall not die without a hope that light and liberty are on steady advance
And even should the cloud of barbarism and despotism
again obscure the science and liberties of Europe,
this country remains to preserve and restore light and liberty to them
The flames kindled on the 4th of July, 1776,
have spread over too much of the globe to be extinguished by the feeble engines of despotism;
on the contrary, they will consume these engines and all who work them
all who work them
The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time (at the same time)
The hand of force may destroy
but cannot disjoin them
cannot disjoin them
Cannot cannot disjoin them
Liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty
Liberty, life, liberty, life, liberty, life, liberty
-
One day when the glory comes
It will be ours, it will be ours
One day when the war is won
We will be sure, we will be sure
Oh glory
Glory, glory
Oh, glory, glory
One day when the glory comes
It will be ours, it will be ours
One day when the war is won
We will be sure, we will be sure
Oh glory
Glory, glory
Oh, glory, glory
Now the war is not over, victory isn’t won
but we’ll fight on to the finish and then when it’s all done
Now the war is not over, victory isn’t won
but we’ll fight on to the finish and then when it’s all done
We’ll cry glory
This is not a problem for one group or one party,
each person must strive to end what was started.
MLK had a dream of a table where we'd all sit,
and moving toward this dream, we cannot quit.
Each man and woman deserves their justice.
You can't believe that it's just us,
that's being persecuted eve1ybody's got a story.
I know one day everybody's going to see the glory.
The glory is us, united as one
neither hate, ignorance, judgment, or guns
can win this war against division and discrimination.
Can't you see the greatness that's in all of us?
Especially when you give love, honor, and trust
so let's stop this abomination,
and stem loving as one, giving as one, caring as one,
feeling as one, growing as one.
Yeah, that's right. I'm talking living as one!
-
Until all of us are free, we are none of us free. (this text is repeated several times)
-
Sometime, anytime you wanna bellow at the sky - Call on me, call on me
We’ll unzip the hori-i-i-i-zo-o-o-on with our voices.
Unzip the hori-i-izon with our voices
You ask me why I sing softer now, and did the world beat me down?
Cuz back then I sang hard, I sang proud, but where are the edges now?
Ukrainian summer before the revolution. I sat at the knees of the grandmother
Her daughter told me we could lift the veil between the worlds by singing.
We were sat outside in the dawn light of the midsummer feast and the short night.
Singing to the dead so they’d bless the crop, bless the young, bless the year
We’ll unzip the hori-i-i-i-zo-o-o-on with our voices.
Sometime, anytime you wanna bellow at the sky - Call on me, call on me
We’ll unzip the hori-i-i-i-zo-o-o-on with our voices.
This is the way we call the unknown, and lift the veil to the other side
We’re singing to break the walls down the walls down. Throwing the gate open wide
Every breath I take has been taken before
Every note’s been sung………
Who can I sing them all again for? Baba, Baba Baba….(Baba is a lift/a call)
Please don’t give up - please don’t lose that sound
So many people fought to gain that ground
Please don’t give up – please don’t hide your voice
So many people did not have that choice.
She told me the power of song was in the unison. She gathered her friends all around her
And they pierced the sky with a call - one melody from many voices
And from then til now, I remember, when the year is fat, and full of shadows.
I’m singing to the dead so they’ll bless the crop, bless the young, bless the year.
Unzip the hori-i-izon with our voices
-
You're broken down and tired
Of living life on a merry-go-round
And you can't find the fighter
But I see it in you, so we gonna walk it out
Move mountains
We gonna walk it out
And move mountains
And I'll rise up
I'll rise like the day
I'll rise up
I'll rise unafraid
I'll rise up
And I'll do it a thousand times again
And I'll rise up
High like the waves
I'll rise up
In spite of the ache
I'll rise up
And I'll do it a thousands times again
For you
For you
For you
For you
When the silence isn't quiet
And it feels like it's getting hard to breathe
And I know you feel like dying
But I promise we'll take the world to its feet
Move mountains
Bring it to its feet
Move mountains
And I'll rise up
High like the waves
I’ll rise up
In spite of the ache
I’ll rise up
And I'll do it a thousand times again
For you
For you
For you
For you
All we need, all we need is hope
And for that we have each other
And for that we have each other
We will rise
We will rise
We'll rise, oh, oh
We'll rise
(repeats chorus several times, ending with And WE will rise)
-
Happiness hit her like a train on a track
Coming towards her, stuck still, no turning back
She hid around corners and she hid under beds
She killed it with kisses and from it she fled
With every bubble, she sank with a drink
And washed it away down the kitchen sink
The dog days are over
The dog days are done
The horses are coming
So you better run
Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father
Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind
You can't carry it with you if you want to survive
The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses?
'Cause here they come
And I never wanted anything from you
Except everything you had
And what was left after that too, oh
(Oh)
Happiness hit her like a bullet in the back
Struck from a great height
By someone who should have known better than that
The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses?
'Cause here they come
Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father
Run for your children, for your sisters and brothers
Leave all your love and your longing behind
You can't carry it with you if you want to survive
The dog days are over
The dog days are done
Can you hear the horses?
'Cause here they come
The dog days are over
The dog days are done (Here they come)
The horses are coming
So you better run (Here they come)
The dog days are over
The dog days are done (Here they come)
The horses are coming
So you better run
-
Ooh
I was born by the river
In a little tent
Oh, and just like the river, I've been running
Ever since
It's been a long
A long time coming, but I know
A change gon' come
Oh yes, it will
It's been too hard living
But I'm afraid to die
'Cause I don't know what's up there
Beyond the sky
It's been a long
A long time coming, but I know
A change gon' come
Oh yes, it will
I go to the movie
And I go downtown
And somebody keep telling me
"Don't hang around"
It's been a long
A long time coming, but I know
A change gon' come
Oh yes, it will
So, I go to my brother
And I say, "Brother, help me, please"
But he winds up knockin' me
Back down on my knees, oh
There been times that I thought
I couldn't last for long
But now, I think I'm able
To carry on
It's been a long
A long time coming, but I know
A change gon' come
Oh yes, it will
-
I Learned my truth from deep within
The voice came from my soul
The path ahead was so unclear
And out of my control
But the gift of understanding
Was growing in my heart
No one can take it away from me
I know that from the start
No, they cannot erase us!
No matter how they try
Our truth is our power
To deny us is a lie
No law the pass can take away
Our authenticity
Our lives are not debatable
We’re thriving and we’re free
Transition is a promise
To ourselves we’ll be true
And love and strength will light our way
We blaze this trail for you
No they cannot erase us!
No matter how they try
Our truth is our power
‘Cause history doesn’t lie.
Transition is a promise
These words we sing are true
Yes, love and strength will light our way
We blaze this trail for you
No they cannot erase us!
No matter how they try
Our truth is our power
We cannot be denied
No they cannot erase us!
No they cannot erase us!
No they cannot erase us!
No they cannot erase us!
-
This ain't comin' from no prophet
Just an ordinary man
When I close my eyes I see
The way this world shall be
When we all walk hand in hand
When the last child cries for a crust of bread
When the last man dies for just words that he said
When there's shelter over the poorest head
Then we shall be free, yeah
When the last thing we notice is the color of skin
And the first thing we look for is the beauty within
When the skies and the oceans are clean again
Then we shall be free
We shall be free, we shall be free
Stand straight, walk proud
'Cause we shall be free
When we're free to love anyone we choose
When this world's big enough for all different views
When we all can worship from our own kind of pew
Then we shall be free, yeah (oh, oh, oh)
We shall be free, we shall be free
Have a little faith, hold out
'Cause we shall be free
And when money talks for the very last time
And nobody walks a step behind
When there's only one race
And that's humankind,
then we shall be free
We shall be free, we shall be free
Stand straight (walk proud)
We shall be free (oh, oh, oh)
We shall be free, we shall be free
(Stand straight) walk proud
'Cause we shall be free
-
Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!
You got to give for what you take
Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!
You got to give for what you take
Heaven knows I was just a young boy
Didn't know what I wanted to be
I was every little hungry schoolgirl's pride and joy
And I guess it was enough for me (guess it was enough for me)
To win the race, a prettier face
Brand new clothes and a big fat place
On your rock and roll TV (rock and roll TV)
But today the way I play the game is not the same, no way
Think I'm gonna get me some happy (Think I'm gonna get me some happy)
I think there's something you should know
I think it's time I told you so
There's something deep inside of me
There's someone else I've got to be
Take back your picture in a frame
Take back your singing in the rain
I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes do not make the man
All we have to do now
Is take these lies and make them true somehow
All we have to see
Is that I don't belong to you
And you don't belong to me (Yeah, Yeah!)
Freedom! I won't let you down
(Freedom!) I will not give you up
(Freedom!) Gotta have some faith in the sound
(You got to give what you take)
It's the one good thing that I've got,
(Freedom!)I won't let you down
(Freedom!) So please don't give me up
(Freedom!)'Cause I would really, really love to stick around
(You got to give what you take)
Heaven knows we sure had some fun, boy
What a kick, just a buddy and me
(What a kick, just a buddy and me)
We had every big-shot good-time band on the run, boy
We were living in a fantasy (living in a fantasy)
We won the race, got out of the place
Went back home, got a brand new face for the boys on MTV (boys on MTV)
But today the way I play the game has got to change oh yeah (Oh, yeah)
Now I'm gonna get myself happy
I think there's something you should know
I think it's time I told you so
There's something deep inside of me
There's someone else I’ve got to be
Take back your picture in a frame
Don’t think that I’ll be back again
I just hope you understand
Sometimes the clothes do not make the man
All we have to do now
Is take these lies and make them true somehow
All we have to see
Is that I don't belong to you
And you don't belong to me (Yeah, Yeah!)
Freedom - I won't let you down
(Freedom!) I will not give you up,
(Freedom!) Gotta have some faith in the sound
(You got to give what you take)
It's the one good thing that I've got
(Freedom!) I won't let you down
(Freedom!) So please don't give me up
(Freedom!)'Cause I would really, really love to stick around
(You got to give what you take)
Freedom! Freedom! Freedom! You got to give what you take!
Freedom! Freedom! Freedom! You got to give what you take!
Freedom! Freedom! Freedom! You got to give what you take!
Freedom! Freedom! Freedom! You got to give what you take!
Volunteer With Us!
Austin Gay Men’s Chorus continues to grow in both the number of singing and non-singing members that make up and run our organization, and that also includes our extended family of fabulous community volunteers that work along side us during our performances and community events. We depend on volunteers to keep things running smoothly. This includes one-time volunteers and our amazing returning volunteers.
We would love to have your help at our next performance. Email volunteer@atxgmc.org for details.
Make a Donation
From our beginnings in the early years of the AIDS crisis, to the recent COVID pandemic, and now the on-going attacks on the LGBTQ+ community, we will continue our mission. To do this, we need to reach larger audiences, pay our musicians better, and create higher production values. We also need a larger profile in Austin and nationally. Your donations will help us reach these goals.
Join our email list to hear the latest about upcoming performances, community events, and opportunities to support AGMC.
Don’t Miss a Beat!
Check out our Merch Store!
Visit out merch store on Bonfire to keep up with the latest apparel, accessories, and must-haves!
