By Jeremy Craig
Dr. Jesse Peel has experienced how the music of the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus can move, inform, touch and transpire — almost since the beginning of the organization in the early 1980’s.
The AGMC, which had its first call for auditions in August of 1981, is one of the oldest gay men’s choruses in the United States.
And only a few years after that beginning, Dr. Peel found the beauty of their music.
During the depths of the AIDS crisis — when there were no treatments, and life expectancies after seroconversion were low, with a government that did not care and a community that had to rely on itself and close allies — the AGMC served as a beacon in the darkness, Dr. Peel said.
He’s written profusely about the role the chorus has played in his life — and how it’s impacted the community. After an annual retreat in 2007, he was moved to write about its importance in his life in two paragraphs: “A Love Song: A Reflection On Why We Sing and Why I Love You So.” [Note to readers: It’s listed at the end of this profile.]
As the AGMC prepares to celebrate its 40th season, from darkness to light, from political exclusion to greater political inclusion, the chorus has been there.
And thanks to donors like Dr. Peel, the AGMC, and its sister, Atlanta Women’s Chorus, can continue to perform outstanding music while moving forward for social change.
Dr. Peel established an endowment that supports the work of Voices of Note.
Why?
Well, he quotes a line by Dolly Levi in the musical, Hello, Dolly:
“Levi talks about how money is like manure,” Dr. Peel said. “It’s no good until it’s spread around. And that’s really very true — you give something to someone, and they say, how can I ever
repay you?
“Well, sometime you’re going to have the opportunity to help somebody in the future,” he continued. “So you pay it forward.”
The message of the AGMC — and that of the AWC — is still needed, especially in today’s climate. Acceptance isn’t nearly as widespread as some might think.
Dr. Peel hopes that message reaches further. One example is the AGMC’s summer 2019 venture to the town of Hendersonville, N.C., which celebrated its first pride.
Both the afternoon and evening performances were filled to capacity and attendees found themselves deeply moved, speaking to AGMC members and Voices of Note staff afterward.
Others include past tours the AGMC has taken across its home state of Georgia — the 2018 “Midnight Train to Georgia” series in Macon and Savannah, and the 2010 “The Road Leads Back: Georgia on our Minds,” which took the chorus to Macon, Savannah, Athens and Augusta.
“There’s still an awful lot of homophobia out there, and we can bring a message of hope,” Dr. Peel said.
A reflection on music by Dr. Peel:
A Love Song
A Reflection On Why We Sing
And Why I Love You So
Of course, there is the beautiful music which you sing. But even more so, you are Family, you are Community. You provide love, support, affirmation, and a safe harbor in a world fraught with hatred, bigotry, ignorance and indifference. During the worst days of the epidemic you stood tall and proud as you sang out our anthems proclaiming that we would not be defeated — that we would not go away. You brought a sense of peace and tranquility and you offered hope to so many who had no one. You show the world the very best of our community and you do so with a style and grace and with a sense of fun that is infectious. How can one not love you?
I cannot imagine a world without a Gay Men’s Chorus. It would be like a sunrise without the birds singing — like Christmas without Santa Claus. If there were no Gay Men’s Chorus, then surely we would be moved to create one. For how better could we proclaim to the world our Pride and our Joy at who we are and to show them that the beauty of Men standing together as brothers. Continue to sing and to raise high your voices for all to hear, so that they might know that we are here and to know who we are.
Archived from the original at https://www.voicesofnote.org/2019/11/donor-spotlight-dr-jesse-peel/. Alternate archival version at the Internet Wayback Machine located at https://web.archive.org/web/20210724182655/https://www.voicesofnote.org/2019/11/donor-spotlight-dr-jesse-peel/.
Archived to this website on: 7/24/21