By Susan Payne
Long Beach’s 80-voice professional choir, the Camerata Singers, are coming back Oct. 9 with Peace Project VI, the annual exploration of LGBTQ issues that impact societal peace.
Under the theme, “Community,” the project will focus on LGBTQ composers, arrangers and lyricists addressing LGBTQ themes, anchored from “Considering Matthew Shepard” excerpts, according to an article released by the Press Telegram.
Shepard, a University of Wyoming student, was beaten, tortured and left to die near Laramie, on Oct. 6, 1998.
This year, Jewels, the iconic Long Beach drag queen, will take center and narrate the project.
“Won’t you come and join us in an exploration of Queer and LGBTQ artists and music from throughout the ages,” Jewels said in a video promoting the event, “from prehistoric, medieval times to the present day. They’ve always been around and among us.”
Last year, Vice Mayor Rex Richardson was the moderator for Peace Project V, which took place at Jordan High School and themed “Reconciliation.”
“The Camerata has begun the last six artistic seasons with a performance of works collected around the concept of peace,” Artistic Director James K. Bass said in a release. “Our intention is for this to be a journey through a particular concept as an avenue towards peace.”
On Sunday, Oct. 9, the concert will be held at the Long Beach Arena lobby at 5:30 p.m., after a pre-concert lecture and roundtable by Josh Palkki, a music education professor at California State Long Beach.
The Camerata Singer’s next concert will be held Sunday, Nov. 13. The full oratorio “Considering Matthew Shepard” will be performed and the Catalyst Chamber Ensemble, Camerata’s new all-professional group will debut.
For more information on the group and its upcoming performances, visit longbeachcameratasingers.org. Tickets for the October show are $40 to $65 each. Subscriptions cost $175 to $300 per season depending on seating.
