On March 5, during Women’s History Month, the Gay Men’s Chorus of L.A. (GMCLA) honored L.A. County’s all-female Board of Supervisors for their steadfast support of the arts and the LGBTQ community at a private event at the residence of board chair Greg Weaver and board member Haig Youredjian in Toluca Lake.
Alongside 100 other guests including dignitaries, residents and GMCLA members, Supervisors Kathryn Barger, Janice Hahn and Lindsay Horvath attended the event and were presented with the organization’s Civic Voice Award. (Supervisors Hilda Solis and Holly Mitchell were recognized in absentia.)
“Given the current climate and the challenges to women’s health care and individual rights, our executive director and producer, Lou Spisto, saw a wonderful opportunity to honor the five women on our L.A. County Board of Supervisors who are on the front lines advocating for change and progress here at home,” Weaver says.
The event was held ahead of GMCLA’s “I’m With Her” concerts celebrating iconic women in music, including Beyoncé, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Janis Joplin and more, on March 25 and 26 at the Alex Theatre in Glendale. On the first night, Diane Warren was presented with a Voice Award after the chorus paid tribute to her in song. “Her contributions to music are incalculable at this point, evident from her latest Academy Award nomination for Best Song this past March to go along with her honorary Academy Award, Grammy and Emmy,” Weaver says, adding that the GMCLA performed a medley of her songs, dating back to 1985’s DeBarge hit “Rhythm of the Night.”
Mayor Karen Bass and Disney Concerts will be presented with a Civic Voice Award and an Artistic Voice Award, respectively, for their advocacy for the LGBTQ community at GMCLA’s concert and gala at Walt Disney Concert Hall on June 25. For information on tickets, visit GMCLA.org.