Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles 2024 GALA honors U.S. Senator Alex Padilla and President/Founder of FundaMental Change Angela Padillaalong with HBO’s groundbreaking series “We’re Here,” and supports GMCLA’s education and community programs

PHOTO COURTESY OF SEN. ALEX PADILLA AND ANGELA PADILLA.

2024 GALA follows SOLID GOLD: Aretha, Dionne & Whitney on Sunday, June 30, 2024 at Pasadena Convention Center

LOS ANGELES, CA (May 21, 2024) – Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles is pleased to present the 2024 GALA on Sunday, June 30 at the Pasadena Convention Center immediately following the 3:00 p.m. matinee of Season 45’s final concert, SOLID GOLD: Aretha, Dionne, & Whitney — a celebration of three of the most legendary and iconic artists in music history featuring the 200-member Chorus, special guests Priyanka and Latrice Royale, and the “Solid Gold Trio” performing timeless hits by Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick, and Whitney Houston.

At the annual gala, outstanding individuals, companies, and institutions are honored with GMCLA’s Voice Awards — a longstanding Chorus tradition. GMCLA is excited to honor Senator Alex Padilla with the Civic Voice Award in recognition of his decades of community building advocacy and civil service as previous L.A. City Councilmember, California State Senator, California Secretary of State, and current U.S. Senator for California. In addition to Senator Padilla, GMCLA is also thrilled to recognize Angela Padilla, President/Founder of FundaMental Change, with the Civic Voice Award for her incredible contributions to mental health advocacy in the community. And, as previously announced, this year, HBO’s groundbreaking TV series “We’re Here,” starring Priyanka and Latrice Royale, will receive GMCLA’s Artistic Voice Award. The show’s creators and executive producers Stephen Warren and Johnnie Ingram will accept the award.

GMCLA’s annual gala raises vital funds to support free concert performances in the community and student empowerment programs in the schools.

“We are deeply honored that both Senator and Mrs. Padilla are joining us for the 2024 GALA to receive GMCLA’s Civic Voice Award. Each of them has dedicated many years of their life’s work to make our region a more vibrant and inclusive place, and the lives of all who live here healthier and safer,” said GMCLA Executive Director & Producer Lou Spisto. “As previously announced, honoring HBO’s ‘We’re Here’ with our annual Artistic Voice Award, at a time when drag has come under fire in so many places, is something we’re especially proud to do. Having Queens Priyanka and Latrice Royale with us for the concert and the after-concert dinner-dance party is going to bring the proceedings to a whole new level of fun and fabulousness!”

GMCLA’s 2024 GALA will be a truly spectacular event. The celebration begins with photos on the SOLID GOLDcarpet as guests arrive. A fabulous silent auction featuring unique experiences and exciting travel packages will be available for bidding online prior to the event, and auction items will be on display at the concert and gala. After the concert, gala guests will be treated to a lively cocktail reception with open bar, a gourmet dinner, dessert buffet, and dance party which includes additional performances by Priyanka, Latrice Royale, the “Solid Gold Trio,” and the disco party vibes of DJ Sherpa Slim.

Current gala sponsors include Amazon, L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger, Kaufman Legal Group, The Perlman Family, L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis, U.S. Bank, Greg Weaver & Haig Youredjian, and Scott and Trent Hubbard-Yeilding. Individual gala tickets are $750 and $1,250, and table sponsorships are available for 10 guests at $7,500, $12,500, and $25,000.

For Gala reservations and table sponsorships, visit www.GMCLA.org/gala or contact Brian Tillis at brian@gmcla.org

About SOLID GOLD: Aretha, Dionne & Whitney

GMCLA’s 2024 GALA begins with the summer concert, SOLID GOLD: Aretha, Dionne, & Whitney, which celebrates three of the most legendary and iconic artists in music history. Our 200-member Chorus will perform timeless hits by the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin; music legend and HIV/AIDS activist, Dionne Warwick; and the undisputed voice of a generation, Whitney Houston, with songs like “Respect,” “Freeway of Love,” “Chain of Fools,” “I Say a Little Prayer for You,” “I Will Always Love You,” “The Greatest Love of All,” and “I Wanna Dance with Somebody.” The show will also feature six dance production numbers and an unforgettable three-song medley with Priyanka and Latrice Royale stars of Drag Race and HBO’s groundbreaking series “We’re Here.”

The Chorus will also be joined by the “Solid Gold Trio” for several numbers. The trio includes Holly Jackson (Amazon Prime’s “Unintended; Unlocking a Nation’s Pregnancy,” upcoming South Coast Repertory’s Little Shop of Horrors), Jenelle Lynn Randall (Broadway’s All Shook Up and Brooklyn The Musical), and Amber Wright (Laguna Playhouse’s Ain’t Misbehavin’, Broadway Christmas Wonderland in Japan)!

This soulful celebration will be conducted by GMCLA’s Music Director & Conductor Ernest H. Harrison, and feature choreography by Tovaris Wilson (Lovers and Friends Festival with Mariah Carey, FKA Twigs Tour 2019).

The one-performance only concert SOLID GOLD: Aretha, Dionne, & Whitney concludes GMCLA’s Season 45 and will take place on Sunday, June 30, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. at Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, 300 E Green St, Pasadena, CA 91101. Single tickets range from $45 to $125 and are now available online at GMCLA.org/SolidGold; or by phone at the Pasadena Civic Box Office: (626) 449-7360.

For additional information on GALA honorees’ bios, click here.

For additional information on artists’ bios, click here.

Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA)

GAY MEN’S CHORUS OF LOS ANGELES, under the leadership of Executive Director & Producer Lou Spisto and Music Director & Conductor Ernest H. Harrison, is in its 45^th year of music and service. GMCLA continues to garner acclaim for artistic excellence while remaining deeply rooted in service to the Los Angeles community and beyond by promoting civil rights, tolerance, and acceptance through music. Founded in 1979 during the emergence of the gay rights movement, GMCLA spreads its message of love and acceptance with concerts across the globe and has raised its collective voice in the movement toward equality, social justice, the fight against the AIDS crisis, the fight for marriage equality, and all those seeking to find their own voice. GMCLA’s free community concert program has provided access to concerts to tens of thousands over the decades, and its research-based education programs have served over 85,000 young people throughout the Los Angeles region. In June 2023, GMCLA returned to Walt Disney Concert Hall to perform the extraordinary multi-media Disney Pride in Concert to two sold-out houses as the finale of Season 44, which also included “I’m With Her,” a celebration of boundary breaking women in music, as well as the beloved and sold-out holiday production, “A Motown Holiday.” In recent years, GMCLA has performed at Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl (with Hugh Jackman). Reaching global audiences, a GMCLA appearance at the 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards has gained more than 7 million online views. During the pandemic, GMCLA presented virtual concerts, special events, and school programs, reaching thousands of new and longtime fans. From Los Angeles and Ireland to Brazil and New Zealand, GMCLA’s streaming concerts were incredibly well received. Critics have proclaimed the Chorus “inspired” and “expressive, innovative and utterly moving,” and hailed GMCLA for presenting “meaningful entertainment.”