‘Disney PRIDE in Concert’: A Unique Collaborative Event

For many, Disney music carries feelings of nostalgia and coming-of-age. With lyrics centered around embracing identity and overcoming fears paired with appropriate instrumentals, Disney songs can evoke emotions such as comfort and relief for those who have struggled with acceptance and belonging.

It only makes sense, then, that the Twin Cities Gay Men’s Chorus (TCGMC) would be the group approached by the Minnesota Orchestra to bring to life Minneapolis’ version of “Disney PRIDE in Concert.” Gerald Gurss, the artistic director for TCGMC, describes the impact of the men’s chorus on his life.

“I started singing with Heartland Men’s Chorus in 1999 as a 19-year-old, or 21-year-old at Emporia State University in Kansas, and I wasn’t out yet … I figured venturing two-and-a-half hours away from a small town in Kansas to go sing was a safe way to explore that without outed at home,” Gurss shares. “And it just offered me about 150 different viewpoints of what it means to be a gay person … all of a sudden I found people who are more like me and kind of validated who I was just by being in the space, and so I wanted to do something with my music degree that would give back.”

Created in 2020 for the Boston Men’s Chorus, “Disney PRIDE in Concert” is a showcase of musical talent meant to honor Pride and life itself. From its creation, the work was quickly adopted by other choruses, each iteration offering a distinctive style and approach. Gurss explains that while some groups work with full orchestras, others simply have a small group of players.

For the Twin Cities, the idea was brought up around a year and a half ago, when the Minnesota Orchestra approached TCGMC with the project and asked if they would like to collaborate on it. And, as Gurss puts it, “you just don’t say no when the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra asks if you want to collaborate on a concert.”

Throughout each different version, the heart of the event remains true: bringing people together to celebrate life and Pride in a unique visual and auditory display. Selecting songs from earlier Disney movies and more modern ones, the show uses the lyrics and storytelling to highlight Pride and individual experiences of those within the LGBTQ+ community.

“The unique part of this concert and why it’s called ‘Disney PRIDE’ is because some of the songs, or many of the songs actually in this concert, are set up through the lens of queer people. So people will be telling individual stories about their lives,” Gurss says. “It takes queer authenticity and puts it through the lens of Disney, and vice versa.”

Running for a duration of around two hours, audience members can expect to be presented with Disney musical classics shared in a way that reflects the different experiences of individuals within the LGBTQ+ community. A combination of storytelling, instrumentals, chorus and visual effects has been put together to craft the show into a work of art. When the audience leaves, Gurss hopes they walk away feeling seen, learning new perspectives and having enjoyed themselves.

“I want them to leave feeling like, ‘Wow, I’m imagining some of these songs differently now because of that queer lens.’ Or, ‘I also felt that when I saw that,’” Gurss says. “And then for our non-queer friends … if you’re not a queer person, you’re not contextualizing things on the queer experience. … So I feel like that’s something that I want people to leave with, is that visibility.”

In all, TCGMC is a talented group of musicians who put a lot of passion into their work and are truly honored to have been approached with this opportunity.

Gurss believes that each member of TCGMC has stepped up to provide a display of excellent musical talent that can help “elevate” the impressive instrumentals of the Minnesota Orchestra. He acknowledges the hard work and dedication each musician and individual has to have in order to create this event.

“On a personal level, as a studied classical musician, I know some of the names who have conducted and performed in that hall, and the caliber of musicians who live in that hall. The Minnesota Symphony Orchestra is a legacy,” Gurss says. “And what that means for me is that an organization with that kind of legacy of the standard of quality they exude, they don’t want to partner with an organization who is not going to meet or elevate that quality.”

Although one sentence cannot truly cover the totality of the experience of “Disney PRIDE in Concert,” we asked Gurss to try to describe the event in one sentence anyway. He responded, “‘Disney PRIDE’ is not only an afternoon of entertainment and nostalgia, it is also a Pride-centric event where people take the familiar music of Disney and experience it through a queer lens.”

“Disney PRIDE in Concert” is set to take place June 20 and 21 at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. TCGMC and the Minnesota Orchestra will reimagine Disney in a way that embraces Pride and honors what it means to be alive. To learn more about the event, such as specific times and pricing, visit tcgmc.org/disney-pride-in-concert.