Even as large metropolitan centers as New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, Los Angeles and Chicago were just organizing their first gay choruses, Salt Lake City entered the fold in 1982 with its 13-member ensemble.

Today, the Salt Lake Men’s Choir maintains a veritable presence in the city’s performing arts community with nearly 50 singers whom, according to Michael Aaron, marketing director, exemplify the best of local diversity. “Some have been classically trained,” he says, adding that others have no experience other than singing in their cars or showers. “We’ve had everything from doctors and lawyers to cowboys and cops – peculiarly a bit like the Village People.”

Nevertheless, the choir is serious about its performances, rehearsals, and member expectations. And, the choir’s lasting strength has been its commitment to reflect a local gay community’s challenge of thriving in an environment that was decidedly, at one time, more parochial than other cities. The point is that “gay, straight, young, not-so-young, rich, or barely making rent—our people are as varied as the music we perform,” Aaron says.

The choir opens its 25th season with a concert fundraiser at the Ladies Literary Club (850 E South Temple) on Oct. 5, beginning at 6:30 p.m. with dinner and a silent auction preceding a cabaret-style performance which will run the gamut from comedic turns on Broadway songs to heart-felt torch song renditions. Part of the group’s development campaign for the 2007-2008 season is to give the city a free, public thank-you holiday season concert for its consistent support. Tickets can be purchased through the organization’s website.

The SLMC has solidified its place in the history of gay community choruses, which essentially starts in the middle 1970s when a women’s group formed in Philadelphia. Today, SLMC is among 120 choruses on three continents with more than 7,500 members that belong to the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses.

Among the group’s most memorable performances have been a 10th anniversary concert in Abravanel Hall (the home of the Utah Symphony Orchestra), a 15th anniversary sellout performance at All Saints Episcopal Church, and a 20th anniversary trip to Sydney for the Gay Games Cultural Festival performance at the city’s famed opera house. As an additional symbol of the group’s widespread appeal, the choir performed in 2005 as the state representative at the Washington National Cathedral celebrating the quadrennial Utah Day.

The group is hoping to expand its membership ranks for its four sections – first and second tenors, baritones, and basses. Members rehearse every Thursday evening and the choir presents four concerts each season. Dennis McCracken, the organist and administrator at First Baptist Church of Salt Lake City and the assistant director and accompanist of The Mountain Chorale, is in his second year as the group’s artistic director.