a&e features
Sounding good at 35
Gay Men’s Chorus celebrates milestone with Kennedy Center concert
The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington in rehearsal with Gallim Dance at the Kennedy Center. The modern dance outfit from New York City will provide choreography for ‘Carmina Burana,’ a classical work and departure for the chorus. (Photo courtesy GMCW)
Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington
With Gallim Dance
Carmina 35
Sunday, May 8
8 p.m.
Kennedy Center Concert Hall
2700 F St., N.W.
$25-71
For this weekend’s 35th anniversary concert of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, Artistic Director Thea Kano wanted to shake things up. She’s steering the 300-member choir slightly out of its comfort zone by performing the 25-movement Latin work “Carmina Burana.”
Although she says there was “no grumbling” about the Latin or the daunting music — written 80 years ago by Carol Orff — she says it’s been a good chance for the chorus to prove its musical mettle. The New York-based Gallim Dance will join with choreography and members of the New York City Master Chorale, another choir Kano directs.
“We don’t usually perform these sort of larger-scale oratorios, so it’s a departure and a chance to show off our musicianship,” Kano, in her 12th season with the chorus (her second at the helm), says. “It’s not unusual for ‘Carmina Burana’ to be choreographed but usually — at least the times I’ve seen it — it’s been very boy-meets-girl. … Ours will show same-sex relationships but also romantic relationships as well as familial relationships and platonic relationships as well. The dances seek to remove gender and have it be simply about love.”
Andrea Miller, artistic director of Gallim Dance, says she’s enjoying returning to “Carmina Burana.”
“When I was in my teens and I would babysit, I would always do dance classes with the kids and the first section of ‘Carmina Burana’ was always our main dance,” she says. “I’ve listened to it throughout my adult life.”
She’ll bring her company of nine dancers — several of whom are gay — to D.C. for the weekend. Last weekend, about 75 members of the chorus performed the work with the dancers in New York at Lincoln Center where Kano says it was “extremely well received.”
Kano calls the choreography “very visceral” and “very tribal.” Miller says the work was a joy to choreograph.
“The thing about ‘Carmina Burana’ is that it touches on very human emotions,” she says. “The range of the human experience and truth, struggle and passion and lust and even existentialism. I think it makes a lot of sense to see those bodies. It’s so visceral to the music.”
For the second half, the chorus will revisit works that had previously been commissioned for it such as “Build a House” from “Alexander’s House” and “This House Shall Stand,” from “Songs of My Family,” as well as “This Train,” the first song rehearsed at the chorus’s first rehearsal in 1981. They’ll also sing “Make Them Hear You,” from the musical “Ragtime,” one of the chorus’s signature numbers. “There’s a Man Goin’ Round” will pay tribute to chorus members who have died.
“The second half is like a big hug,” Kano says.
Rob Finn, who sings bass two and joined just last year, says the anniversary is a huge milestone.
“I think the mission has changed since 1981,” he says. “It is now our responsibility not only to continue that fight for visibility and equality that we have always fought, but also to remember and teach our history while we do it. We must remember how hard we have fought, honor those brave men and women on whose shoulders we stand and celebrate the achievements so many of them did not get to see realized.”
The chorus has 220 singing members, two vocal ensembles, 100 support volunteers, 400 subscribers, 500 donors and an annual audience of about 10,000. They’ve performed at the White House, Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Memorial and more. It started after Marsha Pearson, a straight woman and former D.C. resident, heard the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus sing at the Kennedy Center and thought D.C. needed its own gay choir.
Despite many accomplishments for both the chorus and gay rights in general, Kano says the chorus’s work is far from over.
“We still have a long way to go,” she says. “We really see that when we go beyond the Beltway to more rural areas. We have a future because until we can get everyone to open their minds for equality, we have work to do. We’re here to stay.”
Robert Boaz is in his 19th season with the chorus and sings baritone. He says the chorus has lasted because “we have a reason to sing.”
“There are countless stories of how family members’, friends’ and loved ones’ hearts and minds have been changed because of our singing,” he says. “We give hope to the LGBT youth out there who might think there is no one like them. We show our audience and the world that we are people just like everyone else. We take the mystery out of being gay for those who think they don’t know any gay people.”
Kano says the chorus hopes to have its new managing director in place by July 1. Chase Maggiano, who’s been with the chorus three years as executive director, will depart this month. She’s already thinking about the next 35 years.
Among her dreams are substantial growth for the GenOUT Youth Chorus, formed last year under the GMCW umbrella, more international trips — they’re going to the Ukraine next month after a trip to Cuba in 2015 — and more recording. She would love to see the chorus sing on a pop single on the radio (“If Lady Gaga needs us, we’re available,” she says with a laugh) and maybe someday even win a Grammy.
“There’s a whole smorgasbord of things I’d like to see us do,” Kano says. “We have so much talent and with 250 people on stage, we really make a huge sound. It’s an absolutely incredible sound that makes a visceral impact. It really hits you in your core.”
Boaz agrees there’s much more for the chorus to do.
“GMCW will be relevant until no one on earth is homophobic,” he says.
a&e features
Queery: Meet artist, performer John Levengood
Modern creative talks nightlife, coming out, and his personal queer heroes
John Levengood (he/him) describes himself as a modern creative with a wide‑ranging toolkit. He blends music, technology, civic duty, and a sharp sense of wit into a cohesive artistic identity. Known primarily as a recording artist and performer, he’s also a self‑taught music producer and software engineer who embodies a generation of creators who build their own lanes rather than wait for one to appear.
Levengood, 32, who is single and identifies as gay and queer, is best known as a recording artist who has performed at Pride festivals across the country, including the main stages of World Pride DC, Central Arkansas Pride, and Charlotte Pride.
“Locally in the DMV, I’m known for turning heads at nightlife venues with my eye-catching sense of style. When I go out, I don’t try to blend in. I hope I inspire people to be themselves and have the courage to stand out,” he says.
He’s also known for hosting karaoke at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington, Va., on Thursday nights. “I like to create a space where people feel comfortable expressing themselves, building community, and showcasing their talents.”
He also creates social media content from my performances and do interviews at LGBTQ+ bars and theatres in the DMV. Follow the Arlington resident @johnlevengood.
How long have you been out and who was the hardest person to tell?
I have been fully out of the closet since 2019. My parents were the hardest people to tell because my family has always been my rock and at the time I couldn’t imagine a world without them. Their reactions were extremely positive and supportive so I had nothing to fear all along.
I remember sitting on the couch with my mom, dad, and sister in our hotel room in New Orleans during our winter vacation and being so nervous to tell them. After I finally mustered up the nerve and made the proclamation, I realized my dad had already fallen asleep on the couch. My mom promised to tell him when he woke up.
Who’s your LGBTQ hero?
My LGBTQ heroes are Harvey Milk for paving the way for gays in politics and Elton John for being a pioneer for the fabulous and authentic. My local heroes in the DMV are Howard Hicks, manager of Green Lantern, and Tony Rivenbark, manager of Freddie’s Beach Bar. Both of them are essential to creating spaces where I’ve felt welcome and safe since moving to the DMV.
What’s Washington’s best nightspot, past or present?
Trade tops the list for me because of the dance floor and outdoor space. It’s so nice to get a break from the music every once and a while to be able to have a conversation.
We live in challenging times. How do you cope?
I’m still figuring this out. What is working right now is writing music and spending time with family and friends. I’ve also been spending less time on social media going to the gym at least three times a week.
What streaming show are you binging?
After “Traitors” Season 4 ended, I was in a bit of a show hole, but “Stumble” has me in a laughing loop right now. The writing is so witty.
What do you wish you’d known at 18?
At 18, I wish I would have known how liberating it is to come out of the closet. It would have been nice to know some winning lottery numbers as well.
What are your friends messaging about in your most recent group chat?
We are planning our next trip to New York City. If you can believe it, I visited NYC for the first time in 2025 for Pride and I’ve been back every quarter since. Growing up in the country, I was subconsciously primed to be scared of the city. But my mind has been blown. I can’t wait to go back.
Why Washington?
It’s the closest metropolitan area to my family, but not too close. I love the museums, the diversity, the history, and the proximity to the beach and mountains. It’s also nice to live in a city with public transportation.
Aging RFK Stadium has come down, but the RFK grounds are still getting lit up. Welcome back to the stage Project GLOW, D.C.’s homegrown electronic festival, on May 30-31. Back for its fifth year on these musically inclined acres, Project GLOW returns with an even more diverse lineup, and one that continues to celebrate LGBTQ antecedents, attendees, and acts.
Project GLOW 2026 headliners include house and techno star Mau P, progressive house legend Eric Prydz, hard-techno favorite Sara Landry, and bass acts Excision b2b Sullivan King, among the lineup of trance, bass, house, techno, dubstep, and others for the fifth anniversary year.
President & CEO Pete Kalamoutsos — born and raised in D.C. — founded Club GLOW in 1999. In 2020, GLOW entered into a partnership with global entertainment company Insomniac Events to produce live events like Project GLOW, which kicked off in 2022.
As in past years, Project GLOW not only makes space, but is intentionally inclusive of the LGBTQ community, one of its most dedicated fan bases. The festival’s LGBTQ-focused Secret Garden stage blooms again — a more intimate dance area that stands on the strength of DJs and musicians who draw from the LGBTQ community. D.C.’s LGBTQ nightlife mastermind Ed Bailey is the creative mind behind Secret Garden again. He joined Project GLOW in 2023.
“Kalamoustos says that “he’s proud of his partnership with Ed Bailey, along with Capital Pride and [nightlife producer] Jake Resnikow. It’s amazing to collaborate with Bailey at the Secret Garden stage, especially after the curated lineup we worked on at Pride last year.”
The Secret Garden will be a bit different from other stages: Eternal (“At the Eternal stage, time stands still. Lose yourself in the dance of past, present, and future, surrendering to the eternal rhythm of the universe”) and Pulse (“Feel the rhythm of the beat pulse through your veins as the heartbeat of the crowd synchronizes into one. Here, every moment vibrates with life as it guides you through a new dimension of euphoria”). The Secret Garden stage is in the round, surrounded by 16 shipping containers. The containers play canvas to muralists from around the world, who are coming in to paint them in a vibrant garden-style vibe. “We gave this stage some extra love with this layout,” K says, “ we finally cracked the code.”
K says that this will be the biggest lineup yet for the Secret Garden, featuring Nicole Moudaber b2b Chasewest, Riordan b2b Bullet Tooth, Ranger Trucco, Cassian, Eli & Fur, Cosmic Gate and Hayla. The stage is also the largest yet, featuring an expanded dance floor and 360-degree viewing.
Across all stages, K says that his goal for the fifth anniversary is “More art and fan interactive experience, more like a festival, strive to be like a Tomorrowland, as budget grows to add more experience.” Last year’s Project GLOW alone drew 40,000 attendees over two days.
K, however, was not satisfied with one festival this spring. GLOW recently announced a “pop-up” one-day event. Teaming up with Black Book Records, GLOW is set to throw a first-of-its-kind dance-music takeover of Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., headlined by electronic music star Chris Lake. Set for April 18, this euphoric block party will feature bass and vibes blocks from the White House. Organizers expect as many as 10,000 fans to attend. Beyond music, there will be food, activations, and plenty of other activities taking place around 6th St and Pennsylvania Ave NW – a location familiar to many in the LGBTQ community, as this sits squarely inside the blocks of the Capital Pride party that takes place in DC every June.
Over the past two decades, Club GLOW has produced thousands of events, from club nights to large-scale festivals including Project GLOW, Moonrise Festival, and more. Club GLOW also operates Echostage.
a&e features
New book celebrates 1970s dance music icons
‘A Night at the Disco’ features interviews with Donna Summer, Debbie Harry, more
If you’re a fan of 1970s-era dance music, don’t miss the irresistible new book by Christian John Wikane and Alice Harris, “A Night at the Disco,” which revisits more than 90 interviews conducted with some of the biggest names in pop culture.
“A Night at the Disco” (ACC Art Books) was published on March 24, and distributed by Simon & Schuster. It celebrates more than 100 artists who sparked a phenomenon in dance music from 1970-1979 and features excerpts from interviews with everyone from Donna Summer to Debbie Harry.
Lost City Books (2467 18th St., N.W.) will welcome author Christian John Wikane for a book signing and conversation about “A Night at the Disco” on Thursday, April 16 at 6 p.m. Details at lostcitybookstore.com. Bird in Hand Coffee & Books in Baltimore (11 E. 33rd St.) )will also host a Q&A with the author on Wednesday, April 15 at 6 p.m. Details at theivybookshop.com.
Below is an excerpt from “A Night at the Disco.”
“I’ll let in anyone who looks like they’ll make things fun.” Steve Rubell is guiding a New York Times reporter through Studio 54 as resident DJ Richie Kaczor dazzles the crowd with records by CHIC, Odyssey, and T-Connection. “Disco, that’s where the happy people go,” The Trammps sing as dancers spin and twirl underneath tubes of flashing lights. Seven months since Rubell and co-owner Ian Schrager opened Studio 54 in April 1977, it’s welcomed untold numbers of “happy people” … at least those lucky enough to pass through the doors.
“We were part of the chosen few,” says André De Shields, who immortalized the title role in The Wiz on Broadway at the time. “We could show up at Studio 54 and the doorman at the velvet stanchion would look over everyone and point to us from The Wiz to come in, that kind of thing.” As the lead vocalist in the GRAMMY-nominated Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band, whose debut modernized big band sophistication for the discothèques, Cory Daye had carte blanche in the club. “The energy was like a New Year’s Eve party every night,” she says. “I would go up to the mezzanine and watch the mechanical light pillars go up and down, metallic confetti falling from the ceiling, the spoon and the moon. I was so fascinated and enamored by it.
“When a certain song came on, the people would just rush to the dance floor. There was no contact dancing — the hustle was pretty much on its way out — but it was just an amazing experience to see all the cultures together. It was a fusion of cultures, which described my life and my band, so I was right at home there.”
“Studio 54 was the place,” adds Linda Clifford. “Crazy parties. If you could think it, you would see it. It was like a circus. Just an amazing place to be. I worked 54 so many times. It was like a second home to me. The people there treated me so well. The crowd always seemed to enjoy my show. I always had a good time with them. That was the most important thing: making sure that they had fun.”
Well before Studio 54 opened, disco had become a business juggernaut. “A four billion dollar market and still growing,” Billboard announced in February 1977, with dance music offering more variety than ever. “There is no longer a single, readily identifiable disco beat, but a kaleidoscope of sounds that are melodic and danceable,” Tom Moulton told the magazine. In the clubs, records by veteran artists like Stevie Wonder and the Bee Gees were mixed in with a range of new acts like Grace Jones, Boney M., and The Ritchie Family, while everyone from ABBA to Marvin Gaye scored number one pop hits with songs that had club-centric storylines.
Beyond the charts, disco itself remained as idiosyncratic as ever, especially on several productions by Laurin Rinder and W. Michael Lewis, whose studio creations, El Coco (“Let’s Get It Together,” “Cocomotion”) and Le Pamplemousse (“Le Spank”), joined their own “Lust” from Seven Deadly Sins (1977) among the most tantalizing releases on AVI Records. Rinder & Lewis also produced acts for the newly hatched Butterfly Records in Los Angeles, where Saint Tropez (“On a Rien à Perdre”) and Tuxedo Junction (“Moonlight Serenade”) reflected the duo’s high gloss sound, spanning everything from European sophistication to a more literal translation of the ’40s sensibilities popularized by Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band.
12-inch singles had also grown as the preferred format to approximate the club music experience at home. Nearly a year after Atlantic Records introduced its series of promotional 12-inch singles for DJs, New York-based Salsoul Records released the industry’s first commercially available 12-inch single, “Ten Percent” by Double Exposure, in May 1976. A year later, T.K. Records was the first label to certify a gold record for a 12-inch single when Peter Brown’s “Do You Wanna Get Funky With Me” tallied one million sales.— Christian John Wikane
(From “A Night at the Disco” by Alice Harris & Christian John Wikane. Published by ACC Art Books.)
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