Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles presents
the Season 45 finale
SOLID GOLD: Aretha, Dionne, & Whitney,
celebrating the three legendary Queens of Music and honoring HBO’s groundbreaking series “We’re Here” on June 30, 2024 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium
Special appearances by Superstar Queens of Drag Priyanka and Latrice Royale, and featuring the “Solid Gold Trio,” Summer Nicole Greer, Jenelle Lynn Randall, and Amber Wright
Annual GALA dinner and dance party to follow at Pasadena Convention Center
Tickets NOW on sale at www.GMCLA.org!
LOS ANGELES, CA (March 26, 2024) – Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles is pleased to present the final concert of Season 45, SOLID GOLD: Aretha, Dionne, & Whitney at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 30 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. This musical tribute will celebrate 25 songs from these three indelible and influential voices performed by GMCLA’s 200-member Chorus, superstar Queens Priyanka and Latrice Royale, and the “Solid Gold Trio” Summer Nicole Greer, Jenelle Lynn Randall, and Amber Wright. Immediately following the concert, GMCLA will hold its annual gala dinner and dance party in the historic Pasadena Convention Center. The annual fundraiser benefits GMCLA’s Alive Music Project in the schools and free concert performances in the community.
“This concert is going to be epic – the Chorus gets to sing the soundtrack of our lives, celebrate three of the most iconic artists of all time, and mix it up on stage with two of today’s top drag superstars! What could be better?” shared GMCLA’ s Executive Director and Producer, Lou Spisto. “Honoring HBO’s ‘We’re Here’ with our annual Voice Award, at a time when the drag community has come under fire in so many places, is something we’re especially proud to do. Having the Queens with us for the concert and the after-concert dinner-dance party is going to bring the proceedings to a whole new level of fun and fabulousness!”
SOLID GOLD: Aretha, Dionne, & Whitney promises to be one of GMCLA’s most soulful, joyous, and moving shows ever as it celebrates three of the most legendary and iconic artists in music history. The 200-member Chorus will perform 25 timeless hits by the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, music legend and HIV/AIDS activist Dionne Warwick, and the undisputed voice of a generation, Whitney Houston, with songs like “Respect,” “Freeway of Love,” “Chain of Fools,” “I Say a Little Prayer for You,” “I Will Always Love You,” “The Greatest Love of All,” and “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.” The show will also feature six dance production numbers and an unforgettable three-song medley with Priyanka and Latrice Royale stars of Drag Race and HBO’s groundbreaking series “We’re Here.” The Chorus will also be joined by the “Solid Gold Trio'' for several numbers. The trio includes Summer Nicole Greer (Laguna Playhouse’s Ain’t Misbehavin’, The Bourbon Room’s 44: The Unofficial Unsanctioned Obama Musical), Jenelle Lynn Randall (Broadway’s All Shook Up and Brooklyn The Musical), and Amber Wright (Laguna Playhouse’s Ain’t Misbehavin’, Broadway Christmas Wonderland in Japan)!
This soulful celebration will be conducted by GMCLA’s Music Director & Conductor Ernest H. Harrison, and feature choreography by Tovaris Wilson (Lovers and Friends Festival with Mariah Carey, FKA Twigs Tour 2019).
The one-performance only concert SOLID GOLD: Aretha, Dionne, & Whitney concludes GMCLA’s Season 45 and will take place on Sunday, June 30, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. at Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, 300 E Green St, Pasadena, CA 91101. Single tickets range from $45 to $125 and are now available online at GMCLA.org/SolidGold; or by phone at the Pasadena Civic Box Office: (626) 449-7360.
About GMCLA’s 2024 GALA following the concert
GMCLA’s 2024 GALA will be a truly spectacular event. The celebration begins with photos on
the SOLID GOLD carpet as guests arrive. A fabulous silent auction featuring unique
experiences and exciting travel packages will be available for bidding online prior to the event, and auction items will be on display at the concert and gala. After the concert, gala guests will enjoy an hour-long reception with an open bar before being seated for a delightful gourmet dinner. The evening’s festivities continue with a dessert reception, surprise entertainment, with DJ, live performances, and dancing.
Each year, GMCLA honors outstanding individuals, companies, and institutions with GMCLA’s Voice Award — a longstanding Chorus tradition. This year, HBO's groundbreaking TV series “We’re Here,” starring Priyanka and Latrice Royale, will receive GMCLA’s Voice Award along with the show’s producers.
Individual gala tickets are $750, $1,250, and $2,500 and table sponsorships are available for 10 guests at $7,500 and $12,500, and for 12 guests at $25,000. All gala tickets and sponsorships include prime front orchestra seating for the concert and special recognition in the program and on GMCLA’s website. Complimentary parking and program ads are also included in the upper-level ticket and sponsorship benefits. The 2024 GALA will be held immediately after the concert at the Pasadena Convention Center (Exhibition Hall C), conveniently located directly behind the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.
For Gala reservations and table sponsorships, visit www.GMCLA.org/gala or contact Brian
Tillis at brian@gmcla.org.
BIOGRAPHIES
HBO’s “We’re Here” is a critically acclaimed unscripted series. Its third season won two Emmy Awards, a third GLAAD Award for “Outstanding Reality Programming,” a Peabody Award, and received Television Academy Honors. Season four follows renowned drag queens, Sasha Velour, Priyanka, Jaida Essence Hall, and Latrice Royale, as they continue the show’s mission of spreading love and connection through the art of drag across small-town America. This season, the queens work with participants in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and Tulsa, Oklahoma, as well as in surrounding towns, and take an in-depth, immersive look at recent anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, and the effect it has had on the community.
Latrice Royale (left) and Priyanka (right).
(Stars of Drag Race and HBO's We're Here)
Priyanka is a multi-hyphenated performer, musical artist, and international entertainer taking the world by storm. But that’s no surprise. From hosting as Mark “Suki” Suknanan on the legendary children’s network, YTV, to her iconic 2020 crowning as the first-ever winner of “Canada’s Drag Race,” Priyanka’s star power and charisma have always been obvious. Now, with her debut EP “Taste Test” hitting 15+ million streams, sold-out performances around the globe and becoming a host of Emmy Award winning HBO show “We’re Here,” the big question isn’t “what’s next,” it’s what isn’t?
Latrice Royale captured the hearts of the world and earned the title of Miss Congeniality on Season 4 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” She then went on to appear in other incarnations of the franchise, including multiple guest appearances on the show, “RuPaul’s Drag U” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” Seasons 1 & 4, and represented RuPaul’s Drag Race on “Celebrity Family Feud.” Currently, she is one of four hosts in the upcoming season of HBO’s Emmy-winning unscripted series “We’re Here,” debuting April 26 on HBO and Max. In January 2021, Latrice made history by becoming the first queen to appear in drag on the QVC network, while promoting Ruby Royale nuts by Squirrel Brand. Since that time she has had two successful runs on London’s West End Stage in DeathDrop and enjoyed much of 2022 in her residency at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas as part of the cast of the “RuPaul’s Drag Race LIVE!” show. In addition to her guest star role on the Netflix series, “AJ & The Queen,” Miss Royale served as a special consultant to the writers of that show, helping shape the script and her character of “Faberge Leggs.” The Large and in Charge, Chunky Yet Funky, Bold and Beautiful Queen has toured the world extensively not only in group tours with her RuPaul’s Drag Race sisters, but her autobiographical one-queen-show, Here’s to Life, has seen sold out audiences in major cities all over the world, with an album of the same name available worldwide. Her follow-up live show Life Goes On toured over 30 cities in North America in 2023, before she rejoined the cast of “RuPaul’s Drag Race LIVE!” in Las Vegas, this time as its host. Latrice was also a keynote speaker on the steps of the State Capitol Building of the State of Florida, speaking out against anti-drag legislation as part of the Drag Queen March in 2023, and will return to the Las Vegas stage yet again in 2024 for another three-month residency at the Flamingo Hotel.
The Solid Gold Trio:
Summer Nicole Greer (left), Jenelle Lynn Randall (center), and Amber Wright (right).
(Laguna Playhouse's Ain't Misbehavin')
Summer Nicole Greer is a Southern California native most recently seen in the Laguna Playhouse’s production of Ain’t Misbehavin’ and The Bourbon Room’s 44: The Unofficial Unsanctioned Obama Musical both as the Voice of The People and understudying as Michelle Obama. She’s also appeared in the Musical Theater West productions of Spamilton and Ragtime. Additionally, she’s been featured on FOX’s “I Can See Your Voice,” and plays a number of roles as a live vocalist at the Disneyland Resort. She is also an accredited Los Angeles session vocalist for many acts including world-renown K-POP group BTS.
Jenelle Lynn Randall is an artist with Broadway credits such as All Shook Up & Brooklyn The Musical (1st Nat’l). Jenelle’s Off Broadway credits are: The Joys of Sex, They Wrote That? (Cynthia Weil) and Shout. Jenelle’s regional credits include: Kiss Me Kate (Pasadena Playhouse) and Dreamgirls (MUNY-w/Jennifer Holiday). Most recently, Jenelle performed as “Nell” in Ain’t Misbehavin’ at LPH, and in The Christians and Disgraced at the Taper. Jenelle’s You’re Gonna Hear From Me: A Tribute to Nancy Wilson is performed worldwide (with the blessing of Ms. Wilson.) Jenelle created I Wanna Be Evil: The Eartha Kitt Story and has performed to nine SOLD OUT shows at the LA Fringe, in NYC, the National Black Theatre Festival and Feinstein’s Vitello’s. Jenelle’s jazz album can be heard on Soundcloud.
Amber Wright is a Los Angeles native who just wrapped up Ain't Misbehavin’ at Laguna Playhouse and is returning from Japan in Broadway Christmas Wonderland just before that. She has recently been seen playing the role of Lorrell in Dreamgirls at the New Theatre restaurant in Kansas City, Kansas, Leading lady in RESPECT in Coronado and Narrator in Joseph at the Candlelight Pavilion. She has otherwise been seen at Disneyland as her favorite froggy princess, and has also traveled from Hong Kong Disneyland to Universal studios Japan and various Cruise ships that have taken her all around the world.
Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA)
GMCLA, under the leadership of Executive Director & Producer Lou Spisto and Music Director & Conductor Ernest H. Harrison, is in its 45th year of music and service. GMCLA continues to garner acclaim for artistic excellence while remaining deeply rooted in service to the Los Angeles community and beyond by promoting civil rights, tolerance, and acceptance through music. Founded in 1979 during the emergence of the gay rights movement, GMCLA spreads its message of love and acceptance with concerts across the globe and has raised its collective voice in the movement toward equality, social justice, the fight against the AIDS crisis, the fight for marriage equality, and all those seeking to find their own voice. GMCLA’s free community concert program has provided access to concerts to tens of thousands over the decades, and its research-based education programs have served over 85,000 young people throughout the Los Angeles region. In June 2023, GMCLA returned to Walt Disney Concert Hall to perform the extraordinary multi-media Disney Pride in Concert to two sold-out houses as the finale of Season 44, which also included “I’m With Her,” a celebration of boundary breaking women in music, as well as the beloved and sold-out holiday production, “A Motown Holiday.” In recent years, GMCLA has performed at Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl (with Hugh Jackman). Reaching global audiences, a GMCLA appearance at the 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards has gained more than 7 million online views. During the pandemic, GMCLA presented virtual concerts, special events, and school programs, reaching thousands of new and longtime fans. From Los Angeles and Ireland to Brazil and New Zealand, GMCLA’s streaming concerts were incredibly well received. Critics have proclaimed the Chorus “inspired” and “expressive, innovative and utterly moving,” and hailed GMCLA for presenting “meaningful entertainment.”
For more information about GMCLA visit:
Instagram: @GayMensChorusLA
TikTok: @GMCLA
Facebook: @GayMensChorusLA