The Oakland East Bay men’s Chorus performed at Dick Kramer’s Celebration of Life. Photo by RInk.

The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus hosted a Celebration of Song in Memory of Dick Kramer on Aug. 25 at St. John’s Episcopal Church. Kramer was the founder of, among other choral groups, the SF Gay Men’s Chorus. In 1978, he was appointed by Jon Sims to be the director of the brand new SF Gay Men’s Chorus.

Kramer conducted the first formal concert at Everett Middle School on Dec. 20, 1978, nurturing the group as music director for three years, from its infancy to its acclaimed 1981 national tour. In May 1981 in Chicago, he was among a small group of music directors who met to form what is now GALA.

The ceremony began with Ken Agar, an alumnus of SFGMC and member of GALA (Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses), acting as emcee, who read a 1963 quote by Martin Luther King, Jr. from “Strength to Love”: “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” It was by no means comfortable nor convenient to conduct the first out and open choral group in the world, where homophobia was constantly rearing its ugly head.

Agar introduced Jay Davidson, SFGMC’s first general manager and the founder and president of GALA Choruses and Stephen Zendt, SFGMC’s first volunteer stage manager as well as stage manager for the 1981 Tours America. The two stood at the podium in an odd stance – pressing one finger against the nostril and breathing deeply. After much laughter from those who knew the back-story, this was explained as an exercise Kramer made his singers do as a warm-up before singing. Davidson and Zendt explained that when Kramer moved to the Bay Area in the ’60s, he began training and involvement with Sensory Awareness, “a philosophy based on concepts of impermanence, freedom from clinging to established ideas or preset goals, surrendering to the very moment, and awakening to what is.” Kramer incorporated these principles into his vocal coaching technique, resulting in a spiritual as well as musical experience. Alternate nostril breathing was part of that experience. “The student doesn’t always understand the methods of the teacher,” said Davidson. “He had the big picture; but most of us - who were several years his junior – did not.” Sims, the more lighthearted of the two music leaders, wanted to call the new group “Men About Town.” But the sterner Kramer insisted the group be named so as to be out and proud to be from San Francisco. Zendt elaborated on how the group filled a need – after the assassination of Supervisor Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone – for cohesion in troubled times through the healing quality of singing. “Many of us were still doddering around in the doorways of our closets,” said Zendt. “Dick formed a musical organization that came bursting out of the closet.” He said Kramer had a philosophy of cooperation, not competition, which led to the concept of ensemble singing. Davidson told an amusing anecdote about a straight, well-meaning woman on the first tour who naively asked, “What key do you people sing in?” (as if perhaps it was an odd key of Q), and Kramer’s gentlemanly, calm reply was, “We sing in whatever key the music was supposed to be in.” Zendt said Kramer demanded order in the group, “because you can’t have 150 flaming faggots and not have to impose some kind of discipline on them.” Zendt said the result was his experiencing an energy and synergy “that made my hair – when I had some - stand up, being transfixed by this gang of guys who sang like angels.” They weren’t always disciplined, as could be witnessed when the entire group jokingly made moo and ba-a-ah sounds of cows and sheep as they moved along as herds and flocks in airplane terminals. Or when a couple of them acted as stewardesses on a plane, donning makeshift airline hostess drag to pour coffee, tea, and milk.

Not all experiences were as pleasant. FSpectators were for the most part very closeted – ducking behind hymnals and even diving under pews when cameras panned the audience – terrified of being identified on TV at a queer concert. The coup de gras was when they had a credible bomb scare in the Seattle venue, but they all voted to go ahead and finish the concert, kissing the ground once they got back to the safety of the Castro.

In August 1982, Kramer founded the Golden Gate Men’s Chorus, then known as the Dick Kramer Gay Men’s Chorale (yes, he did have a bit of an ego), and served as its music director for six years. GGMC dedicated its 5th Anniversary Gala Concert to the memory of its founder. Kramer also formed the Oakland East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus in 1999. All of these choruses continue to thrive and enrich the Bay Area’s cultural life. The Oakland East Bay Gay Men’s Chorus sang “God Be in My Head,” conducted by Interim Artistic Director Brandon Adams. One chorus member recalled a curious technique of Kramer - constantly reminding the chorus not to sing from the diaphragm - which is the customary practice for singers - but rather to breathe from the asshole. “Would you mind giving us a demonstration,” was the wisecrack of one of the choristers.

Kramer returned to Southern California for health reasons in 2006. With his passing on May 11 this year, we remember his exuberance, celebrate his many contributions to choral music, and honor his legacy. The audience stood and sang the traditional Latin canon, “Dona Nobis Pacem,” which really challenged this reporter’s sight-reading skills. Members of SFGMC and its alumni sang “An Irish Blessing” by Robert Seeley, conducted by SFGMC Artistic Director Kathleen McGuire.

“Dick will be sorely missed,” said McGuire. She said he was a pioneer of SFGMC as well as the gay choral movement as a whole. “I will remember with great fondness the times I met with him and chatted on the phone - especially his reminiscences about the National Tour and the early days of SFGMC.” She noted that Kramer conducted “Stout-hearted Men” at their 25th anniversary concert, so it was appropriate that the memorial closed with members of all the choral groups, past and present, singing that song. The lyrics are exquisitely fitting for an all-male chorus of gay rights activists: “Give me some men who are stout-hearted men, who will fight for the right they adore; start me with ten, who are stout-hearted men, and I’ll soon give you ten thousand more; shoulder to shoulder and bolder and bolder they grow as they go to the fore! Then there’s nothing in the world can halt or mar a plan; when stout-hearted men can stick together man to man!”