When Ben Hagen showed up to the Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus 20 years ago, he was new to town and hadn’t come out as gay at work or to his family. His first coming out experience was through the ensemble.
“It made me more confident in all aspects of my life,” Hagen said. “Eventually I wanted my family to attend the concerts, so I had to come out to them.”
Today, Hagen is associate artistic director and principal accompanist for the Des Moines Gay Men's Chorus. He said the group has helped many others find their place and their voice while embracing their identity.
The chorus is celebrating 25 years with two concerts on June 26 and 27, themed The Silver Party.
A version of the group started in the ’80s, named the Des Moines Men’s Chorus. But in 2001, a new era began that more accurately acknowledged the choir's identity.
“That was a huge thing, to put Des Moines Gay Men's Chorus out there and sing music not only amongst a brotherhood of gay men, but just sing music that had a message, something that's part message, part celebration," said Chase Shoemaker, artistic director and conductor for the Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus.
As the movement for LGBTQ rights has evolved, so has the chorus. Despite the official name, Shoemaker said about a third of the makeup includes transgender and nonbinary people, as well as some cisgender straight people who want to be present as allies.
“Y'all come sing,” Shoemaker said.
In his time as an educator, Shoemaker has also been an advisor for the Gay Straight Alliance for schools. During his final year of teaching, the Iowa Legislature voted to remove gender identity as a protected class under the state code, legalizing discrimination of transgender people. He was at the Iowa Capitol with a group of students that day.
“'Your journey continues, and even through these hardships, we can still find joy in community,'” he told those students. “'Today was a hard day, but we get to be together.' And to me that's why I've always loved choir rather than being a solo performer myself. Every single time I get to make music, I get to make music with other human beings who come together to lift one another up."
The chorus also has an ensemble for transgender and nonbinary singers called TRANScendent.
Hagen is the director of another ensemble, HarMANY, which leans into costumes and campiness with their performances, and the ensemble embraces a variety of genres, including musical theatre, country and pop. He said for The Silver Party the group will be digging out their nun costumes for a Sister Act medley.
Shoemaker said in addition to choral singing, The Silver Party will have choreography, staging and light design that will feel like a fully produced party concert.
“You’re going to cackle-laugh, and then you're going to cry, because there's also that importance of understanding who we are as holistic human beings through the struggles that we face, the courage we have and the joy that we get to celebrate when we're in community,” he said.
To hear this conversation, listen to Talk of Iowa, hosted by Charity Nebbe. Caitlin Troutman produced this episode.
