13 FUN OR UNKNOWN FACTS

(We tried for 10. Couldn’t do it.) 

•  1955 Singing debut at 4 standing on a piano bench in his living room in Fort Worth, Texas surrounded by a family of professional Southern Baptists.

• 1965 Voice changed dramatically. Takes up string bass while waiting.

• 1974 Moved to Salzburg Austria for two years receiving the Diploma in Lider and Oratorio from the Mozarteum. Consumed lots of apple strudel.

   

• 1980 Moved to Switzerland as the lead baritone in the Swiss National Opera in St. Gallen. Switched to cheese.

   

• 1990 Performed for….(leave the rest of this one the same)

   

• 1994 Narrates as PBS chronicles TCC coping with grief through music in After Goodbye: An AIDS Story. I won the Emmy for best documentary.

   

• 1996 Carried the…Leave rest the same

• 1999 Conducted the Guinness World Record Longest Choral Concert in history at just over 20 hours.

• 2009 Planned his friend, Dr. Maya Angelou’s, 80th Birthday bash.

• 2011 Featured on the John Stewart show defending San Francisco’s fall to 11th gayest city in the U.S.

• 2018 Became the first openly gay conductor of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir – one night only.

• 2019 Travels the world to premieres of the documentary GAY CHORUS DEEP SOUTH.

• 2022 Retires with a glorious sendoff accompanied by the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra.