Tim Gillham tells us about the upcoming performances of The Way We Were at The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC at Atlas Performing Arts Center’s Lang Theatre on February 12th at 8 PM and on February 13th at 5 PM (ASL) and 8 PM.
Joel: Please introduce yourself and tell us ow long have you been in GMCW, and in the Rock Creek Singers?
Tim: My name is Tim Gillham and this is my second year with GMCW. I’ve been with Rock Creek Singers for one year.
What are some of your favorite memories of the performances you have been part of?
It would have to be the audience responses: I’ve had at least one audience member at every performance of GMCW and Rock Creek Singers say that they needed to hear our program. We have a message of love and acceptance, and it’s wonderful to share that through song.
What will audiences be seeing and hearing when they attend The Way We Were?
We have a wonderful variety of music—most pieces will be familiar to the audience, but are presented in new and interesting arrangements.
What has been the most fun so far in rehearsal?
I really enjoy music with depth and challenge that allows me to discover something new at each rehearsal. Those songs usually become my favorites.
What themes run through this evening of songs?
Our program could also be called The Way We Love because most of our songs deal with that very complex, multi-faceted emotion. Our two ensembles explore the theme of love as part of faith, friendship, passion, loss, and self-acceptance.
What have been the most positive changes in your life from’ the way you were’ to now-‘the way you are’?
I was a choral conductor before moving to Baltimore in 2014, and hadn’t seriously sung in 14 years. My upper range was suffering from lack of use, but singing Tenor I in GMCW and Rock Creek Singers has been an exciting challenge, and a reminder of how much I loved (and do love) to sing!
Which song really describes the ‘way you were’ and then ‘the way you are now’-and why and how?
“A Red, Red Rose” (the Robert Burns poem) is not only my favorite piece in our program, but also reminds me how fortunate to be who I am today. I grew up hearing that because of who I was that I was undeserving of happiness and someone to love. I’m so very happy to say that my husband John and I are together going on 26 years and are legally married in all 50 states as of last June.
What do you want the audience to take with them after seeing you and your fellow singers perform in The Way We Were?
I hope each audience member will connect in some way with each piece, and leave with a smile, a laugh, a tear, and lots of chill bumps.
The Way We Were plays on Friday, February 12, 2016 at 8 PM and on Saturday, February 13, 2016 at 5 PM (ASL performance) and 8 PM at Atlas Performing Arts Center’s Lang Theatre -1333 H Street, NE, in Washington, DC. For tickets, purchase them at the door or online.
LINKS:
Jarrod Bennett on The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC’s ‘The Way We Were’ at Atlas on 2/12 & 13.
Tim Gillham on The Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC’s ‘The Way We Were’ at Atlas on 2/12 & 13.
