good morning. welcome to "viewpoint." i'm pat lawson muse. they are entering their 34th season and they are 250 voices strong. they performed at international aid conference human rights inaugural ball and the white house. they are the gay men chorus of washington and they are here this morning to share their latest project. welcome the assistant director. chase, executive director of the chorus and julia burn is a member of the chorus. welcome all of you to

"viewpoint." the they first thing we want to do is hear you sing. let's take a look at this. ♪ ♪

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the gay men's chorus of washington. beautiful. >> executive director, do you sing with the chorus? >> i don't actually. no no. >> do you sing at all? >> no. i play the violin though. >> so you are, we mentioned 250 voices strong and you've got quite a reputation in the nations capital, a very busy season. tell us about the performance we were watching. >> that was the iconic alleluia song. what's cool about it, it's used in churches. it was used in shrek the movie conferences for raising awareness. it very much speaks to what we do in terms of trying to sing for all communities issues that feel like they need a voice.

>> you've been around. the adult chorus has been around, as we mentioned, for 34 seasons. you've got a new chorus. paul, you are co-director. >> that's correct purchase tell us about it. >> we started the chorus, it came to vision last year after one of our school visits. we have a school visit program that's about 10 years old. we go out to about 10 schools in the washington, d.c. area every year. after one of our school visits the gsa adviser pulled us aside and said do you have a youth choir. we decided we needed one. there was a need for it. in the fall we laid out the infrastructure for the chorus and began in january. >> i understand it's the first of this kind in this area. >> we believe it's the first lgtb youth chorus in the area. it's one of only about 12 in the

nation. we're very proud of that. >> julia tell us about your participation. tell us about the choir what you love about it. what part do you sing? >> i'm a soprano. i think it's really important to be part of something like this. being able to act with other members of the community helps you with your self-esteem and helps you come to terms with who you are. it's good to be able to know that you're not alone and that things really can get better for you. >> so the chorus is about more than just music. >> definitely. it definitely is. it's about connection and community and knowing that you're not alone. it's about acceptance for everyone. >> chase, how important is that today? >> oh, gosh, so important. i think you hit it on the head when you said acceptance for everyone. i think if you look around in the past few years, possibly

past few days what's happening in the news, it's clear a lot of people don't feel accepted. we use music as a means to make sure that everyone feels some kind of voice or some kind of inclusion. >> all right. we're talking about the gay men's chorus of washington and their brand-new project. we'll continue our discussion after this. stay with us.

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yoplait. smooth, creamy, and craved by the whole family. . welcome back. we're talking about gay men's choir in washington and genout chorus started in january. we were talking a moment ago about youth programs. paul, you also touched on how genout chorus was an outgrowth of programs you have in school. talk about programs you have been working on and why it's so important to have this kind of connection with you who are

experiencing the problems in schools. >> we feel it is important for youth today to have a chance to share their voices with the community. we also felt it's important for us as a community to hear those voices. so the genout chorus not only provides that safe space for young people to talk about the issues that are important to them, things like bullying, things like finding a community coming out process, supporting those that are struggling but also for us to hear those voices and to understand that our community is larger than our adult members but they include young people. they give us hope for the next generation. >> julia do you want to be heard? do you feel like you're not being heard? >> absolutely. i think there's a big problem especially with marginalized communities where you feel like no one is listening to you. it's frustrating. i think especially when you're young, the coming out process

can be really scary because you feel alone. being part of something bigger being part of the chorus, it means you're not alone and you know you're not alone. there are people you can go to. >> you're 16. >> i am. >> did you sing before joining the chorus? did you participate, for example, in your school coral. >> i've done some musicals. >> she has a great voice. all of our singers have wonderful voices. we've been very fortunate to have nine singers who just are outstanding singers and they are going to really make a big difference in the program we present coming up in may. >> let's talk about that program. chase. >> gosh, it's a great program. it's very indicative of where the chorus is going. we're doing a concert called "born this way." it's a collection of songs that represent multiple civil rights movements throughout history. we wanted to use this kind of programming to show that even though maybe in d.c., for

instance, gay rights has come a long way we can't pull up the ladder. there are still a lot of people out there seeking justice or seeking a greater place in society. we're using music to reflect that in this concert. >> the concert takes place in a couple weeks. >> it does mai 15th and 16th at the lincoln theater on u street. >> you guys have been rehearsing. so i know that it's too late to get into the chorus for this concert. >> it is too late to get into genout chorus. we would love to hear from young people who would like to join the chorus. we're going to hear from youth pride and advertising genout chorus throughout the summer and we hope to build a new program in the fall and welcome new members at the time. >> talk about music and how music is sort of the great equalizer. there's so many things that divide us as people and so many different points of view out there. there's so much negativity in

the news. recent incidents are great examples. when it comes to music, it doesn't matter what the language is. the music makes you feel good and sort of puts everybody in a similar place. >> i can't think of a civil rights movement that can't be identified with the first few bars of a song. it's something that anyone can share whether it's the voice or instrument. in baltimore a few days ago, baltimore symphony held a performance because they knew that could reach multiple people. maybe disagree on some things but not everything. maybe music is one of those somethings. >> what do you think, julia. >> i think music is something we can agree on. it's also something that can make you feel happy and safe. i think when you hear a song and you can identify with the words,

it really helps people out. i think that's the reason so many civil rights movements turn to music is because everyone can identify with it. because when you hear a song and you know that it's about equality then you feel better. >> paul how do you choose the music for the chorus? >> well, we look to the seen that is being developed and try to find music for the genout chorus that's age appropriate in terms of the developing boys but also in terms of a piece that would integrate well with the adult chorus. the pieces we selected for genout, "beautiful city" and "beautiful" by christina aguilera. those are the two pieces we'll be performing with them may 15th and 16th. >> all right. we've got to take a break but we'll continue our talks. genout and gay men's chorus right after this break.

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welcome back. we're talking with gay men's chorus of washington and, chase you're about to take an historic trip and perform on a historic tour. in cuba of all places. >> it's still hard to believe. this will be the first artistic cultural ambassadorship of gay rights in cuba. >> how did that come about? >> a series of connections. primary one being a good partner of ours youth for understanding, multi-cultural international exchange program. we not only share space with them. we also are very friendly. we share some -- a lot of simpatico is going on between us. what we decide to do with them, they are taking their first adult trip to cuba and we kind of got together and thought we

can take this a little bigger. let's dream a little bit. very fortunately actually received an thftinvitation from mariel castro to come and sing with a new chorus in cuba. there's a lot of ambassadorship here will it's really special. >> this is historic. in fortunately the genout can't go. >> unfortunately because of age experience. >> that would be a wonderful experience for you, wouldn't it joann? >> absolutely. definitely. i hope that maybe when i'm older i can go and participate. >> you're outreach is quite well-known here in washington. you talked about your school programs. the thing, around holidays you're very booked. of course you're booked in the summertime as well. and you participate in the aids walk. tell us about some of the outreach you participate in. >> once a week -- sorry, not

once a week, once a month, food for friends help us with that endeavor. we have an annual tour drive. of course there's genout chorus our school visits which we attend schools every year. chase, what are some other things you would know about. >> we also have a budding new program called beyond the beltway to take our singers and mobilize them to go out of d.c. and go to cities and towns in the region that maybe need or want to hear us a little bit more. it's going to be a special program for us. it's sort of an extension of what we're already doing. now we're going to really go full hog on it. >> why is community outreach so important to the chorus. >> it's how we started. we started as a community group that was there to support the community. and as the years have gone by we have grown to one of the largest choruses in the city indeed, the country. our budget has grown, staffing has grown. it's really important to stick to our roots and follow through on the mission that we've

carried for 34 years. >> i understand you also have a new artistic director. >> we do, yes. she's been with us as an assistant several years. she also has a chorus in new york. we have we had appear seven-month search to find her. it was wonderful come work with her on that level. >> julia, what are your dreams for yourself? for your musical singing career but your life in general. >> i do like to sing but my favorite thing to do is write. i hope to someday have a career in writing. i feel like that's one of the ways you can really communicate with people. it would be great to sing professionally. i would be happy just being part of the genout chorus and maybe when i'm a little older helping other young people out. maybe working with them.

>> do you have a favorite kind of music? a favorite genre, favorite songs? >> i like broadway music. that's my favorite kind. >> how much is that in their music? how much will you incorporate that into their repertoire. >> i'm not spur of the repertoire, we're expanding our programs that century we have memberships that include students from all the wards and district of columbia and all the neighborhoods around in montgomery county and virginia and are truly representative of all the communities that make up the metro area. >> we talked about the fact genout chorus is not just about the music but about programs, helping young people find their voices. but learning about art and music and broadway it's all part of

our cultural expansion and part of -- can be a part of growth and enrichment in the life of a person, any person, in fact. >> i would agree with that. it's all part of developing that community, with an apology for overusing that word. it's central to what we're doing. music is part of our history, legacy and who we are as people. i think that connecting young people to the music through actually creation of art is such an important way to connect with them and leave a lasting legacy for the next generation. >> all right. the genout chorus. we'll continue our talk right after this. stay with us. dude totino's blasted rolls. sweet. totino's blasted crust rolls...

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welcome back. we continue our talk about genout. paul, what role do parents play? >> parents are very important. of course there are permission forms for any program and we have one here as well. one particular consequence of this ensemble, the community, parents, they are welcome to attend our performances. we see them talking to each other and sharing stories and learning from each other. i think that impact -- well, i don't know this but it must impact the way they parent and the way they understand their kids. so we are happy to provide that unintended vehicle for expression. >> julie, your parents are part of the group. >> yes. they are very supportive. i'm very lucky to have them. i know they came to our fundraiser. i think it's really important for parents to support their children, really important. it's their job as a parent.

it's 100 times easier when you know your parents are there for you. >> how do your parents, how does it help them? >> i think they know other people and can communicate and how schools with the children and how good the programs are, how affecting people can be. my dad got ideas for summer internships talking with people. >> that's cool. chase it is very important for parents. >> yeah as paul said, what's so nice about it it sort of buds on that community. we're not just reaching singers, audience members but families too. i think so much of what we do as a chorus, we feel like a family. to be able to sort of open the doors and extend our arms to other people to join that family is really special. >> that's exactly what you're hoping to do between now and september, paul?

>> yes. we're opening the doors to new members. we hope all genout will return in september and we're hoping to increase our membership and reach more kids so they can go to the website and log in and sign up. it's open to all youth. >> once again, your big performance takes place may 15th at the lincoln theater. >> and the 16th as well. >> you've got an important panel discussion. >> we do. we do. because this concert is focusing on civil rights for all communities, we put together a panel of national leaders after the matinee on may 16th. this panel will discuss the through lines that all equality movements have in common. it will be led by bishop robinson, norton, other major leaders. >> chase paul and julia thank you so much for being with us. >> thank you. >> we wish you luck with the chorus and with your soprano singing.

we hope you'll be on broadway someday julia. thank you for being with us. stay with us. "news 4 today" is next.

good morning. welcome to "news 4 today." i'm adam. >> i'm angie. today is may 3rd. get to meteorologist chuck bell. a great nice and sunday. >> yesterday couldn't have been any niecer -- nicer 70 yesterday and today warmer than that. if you thought yesterday was too chilly don't worry. summertime has arrived early in washington. temperatures in the 40s in some cooler suburbs, manassas, gaithersburg, going to be a nice