SEATTLE — For the first time, Disney will be partnering up with the Seattle Men’s Chorus to bring Disney PRIDE in Concert to the historic Paramount Theatre.
“The goal is to celebrate who we are as LGBTQ people, and being able to do that through popular songs we grew up with, with characters we identified with as we were coming of age. That’s a very special experience,” said Interim Executive Director of Seattle Men’s Chorus and Seattle Women’s Chorus, Craig Coogan.
For some, that connection to Disney started early on, and performing in this concert feels like they’ve come full circle.
“When I was I think, in fourth grade, I forced my family to sit on the patio with me while I did every part of “Part of Your World” from memory perfectly with my two younger cousins, who couldn’t do it, but I was like, ‘Come on, you’re my backup!’ You don’t know how Disney touches your life until you get back around the horn and something like this happens,” said Seattle Men’s Chorus member, Luke Preston.
Seattle Men’s Chorus Artistic Director, Paul Caldwell, says the men’s chorus is all about sharing happiness, love, excitement, and joy. He describes directing Disney PRIDE as an unbelievable dream come true.
“It’s really humbling and also kind of unbelievable. It’s a Pride show and I grew up as a gay kid in the rural south, and the idea of Disney to one day say, ‘We need to celebrate Pride and we need to do it with gay choruses,’ it was unthinkable, right?” Caldwell said.
Overcoming obstacles, barriers, and difficulties while staying positive and spreading joy — that’s what Caldwell says LGBTQ people identify with the most in Disney’s stories, characters, and music.
“When you have a cast of 200-plus LGBTQ performers standing on stage, joining hearts and hands and voices to make the world a more beautiful place, I mean that’s what PRIDE is all about,” said Caldwell.
Catch Disney PRIDE in concert on Friday, Jun. 9, and Saturday, Jun. 10. You can get tickets at SEATTLEMENSCHORUS.ORG.
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