The Minnesota Orchestra’s Bold and Brazen New Directions

The Minnesota Orchestra pulled out all stops Saturday night for their production of “At The Oscars.”  It’s not the orchestra I remember from the past. The Minnesota Orchestra’s newest incarnation, “Sounds of Cinema,” is playing though the month of January and is sure to please the gay orchestra-goer.

The performance began with the announcement besieging the audience “To preserve the decorum of the Minnesota Symphony Orchestra, please turn off your damn phones!”  This was the first indication that, although the audience was still representative of the traditional patron of the arts (older and stodgier), informality was the new black.  The evening was a celebration of the music of Hollywood and was very well played.  The juxtaposition of an immense screen situated above the orchestra playing favorite scenes from Oscar winning films was another indication that this was a special event at Orchestra Hall.

The guests were greeted in the west entrance by a big screen playing old favorites of Laurel and Hardy with a live accompanist brining them back to the era of silent film.  The lobby was filled with the sites and sounds of the theater.  There were popcorn carts and vendors hocking cotton candy and theater sized boxes of Dots.  From time to time the conflicting fragrances of Chanel #5 and caramel corn was a bit much for the senses but overall the effect was pleasant.  With a 15 foot replica of Oscar tucked in the corner by the beautiful onyx bar, attention to detail was not spared.  One of the highlights of the evening was the use of a trivia game relating little known facts about the films highlighted in the concert, shown on the big screen before the show and during intermission.  The shows included Ben Hur, Citizen Kane, An American in Paris, Gone With the Wind, The Adventures of Robin Hood and none other than The Wizard of Oz.  Whether intended or not, this was a show that was sure to please the GLBT community (especially gay men)!

Between Robin Hood’s merry men in tights and Ben Hur’s beefcake was a healthy dose of grit with Scarlet O’Hara delivering her infamous line of “As God is my witness, I will never go hungry again”!  Perhaps the best of all was the inclusion of The Scarecrow Dance from the Wizard of Oz had been left on the cutting room floor in post-production. 

But the producer of this show, John Goberman, found the footage and the orchestra played the original score while we were treated to this rare piece of lost celluloid.  The talents of both Mr. Goberman and the conductor Osmo Vanska were put to great task with this multimedia extravaganza. 

The Minnesota Orchestra will be showcasing concerts highlighting the music of classic Hollywood films through January 17, 2010.  The lobby also boasts a Judy Garland Museum display running through January 31, 2010.  For an added treat consider attending the Costume contest being held on January 16, 2010 at 7 PM in the Orchestra Hall Lobby.  Their website states ”Lions and tigers and bears oh my! Come dressed as your favorite Wizard of Oz character and compete to win great prizes – presented by Cities 97 with host Brian Oake”.  Further information and a complete listing of events at minnesotaorchestra.org.

Glori Halleluiah Cover Girl!

Glori Halleluiah Cover Girl!

Holiday Baking with Martha and Mrs. P!

Hello all:  With the holidays upon us I thought I would take a quick moment to show you what Martha and Margie recently cooked up in the kitchen.

Martha and Mrs P do some holiday baking!

Changes in fertility standards open doors to gay men

Image: Santarosa

Until recently, fertility services for gay men were lacking as most clinics only provided services to women including lesbian couples. But that is slowly changing across the country — and specifically in Minnesota. Locally, there is a clinic that as recently as two years ago was electing to not provide reproductive services to gay men. They would provide services to single individuals and lesbian couples however. So what changed?

In early October, the Ethics Committee of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) released an opinion on infertility treatment provided to single individuals, lesbians and gay men (either coupled or single).

The ethics committee of ASMR issued the statement which called the practice of discrimination against single individuals, gays and lesbians unacceptable. Further, in order to be compliant with terms of membership to the ASRM, fertility providers and clinics must adhere to the published guidelines.

Locally, the Reproductive Medicine and Infertility Associates, a clinic specializing in infertility and reproductive medicine both in Minnesota and in Wisconsin states the following on its website:

“The research mission of Reproductive Medicine and Infertility Associates (RMIA) is to conduct research in reproduction that incorporates scientific discovery with patient care to maximize pregnancy outcome in women wishing to conceive.”

Dr. Jacques Stassart, who specializes in obstetrics and gynecology at RMIA, has been the director of the In Vitro Fertilization Program since 1999. Dr. Stassart completed his residency at Columbia University, also in New York in 1981. He sub-specialized in reproductive medicine from 1990 to 1992, which he has been practicing since.

Responding to the question of whether RMIA only served women, Stassart stated, “Reproductive medicine is a sub-specialty of the OB GYN specialty, so we treat women. Male Infertility is treated by urologists that sub-specialize in male infertility — it is also a two to three year fellowship after residency… However, in practice, most forms of male infertility wind up being treated through IVF [in-vitro fertilization] with ICSI [intracytoplasmic sperm injection].”

In part, because of the decision made by ASRM ethics committee instructing members of the ASRM not to discriminate against single individuals, unmarried heterosexual couples, and gay and lesbian couples, RMIA has now adopted a new stance on the individuals they will serve.

Stassart identified that as recently as two years ago, RMIA’s standard practice was to provide services to serve lesbian women but but not gay male individuals and couples. But that has shifted recently, even before the decision by ASRM.

“We‘ve been treating single and lesbian women with donor insemination and, sometimes, with IVF (using donor sperm) since I started RMIA in 1999… On occasions, we’ve used the eggs from one woman, and transferred the fertilized eggs (or embryos) to the other one,” said Stassart. “Over the years, we’ve had the occasional inquiry from gay couples, and, after group discussions, RMIA would decline.”

Stassart added, “I was able to change that approach about two years ago, and we’ve since have been approached by a Green Bay couple. Treatment was initiated about six months ago (they used an egg donor AND a gestational carrier, and provided the sperm), but haven’t been successful yet (only one completed attempt).”

Would a single gay male now would be likely to receive clinic services should they choose RMIA? Stassart said “He would be evaluated just like a single woman.”

Change is incremental and continues to move toward full acceptance of GLBT individuals in all areas of life, including fertility. Over the years the assertion made by those who oppose reproduction by single persons or gay or lesbian couples out of concern for the welfare of the child is that the best rearing environment for a child is a two-person, married, heterosexual family.

But the authoritative voice in fertility disagrees. In its October announcement, the ASRM wrote: “The ethical debate over whether a program may —or must— assist single women and men as well as gay and lesbian couples to have children depends on the balance among three important values. The first is the reproductive interest of unmarried and gay and lesbian persons. The second is the protection of the welfare of offspring. The third is whether professional autonomy, combined with prevailing law, provides a limit on the duty not to discriminate on the basis of marital status or sexual orientation.”

It continued, “As a matter of ethics, we believe that the ethical duty to treat persons with equal respect requires that fertility programs treat single persons and gay and lesbian couples equally to heterosexual married couples in determining which services to provide. Other professional organizations have expressed support for nondiscriminatory access to assisted reproduction, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists…”

Thanks to the actions of the ASRM and RMIA, this is no longer reflected in their standard of care. In fact, the ASRM statement says, “There is no persuasive evidence that children are harmed or disadvantaged solely by being raised by single parents, unmarried parents, or gay and lesbian parents.”

For further information about the services provided locally by RMIA go to rmia.com.

Editor’s note: In the interest of full disclosure, this article was written as part of an agreement between Keith Pederson and RTIA as part of sponsorship for an upcoming event, Twin Cities’ Got Talent, being organized by Pederson. The editors of TheColu.mn, with the exception of Pederson, were not involved in that agreement.

Meefers is on the move!

Recently, TheColu.mn caught up with Meefers.com, an online GLBT multimedia website aimed at connecting queer communities across the United States. The publication has a presence in Minneapolis and St. Paul for about a year. We checked in with them to see how the site is going and what is in store for the future.

TheColu.mn: When was the one-year anniversary?

 Meefers.com: Meefers.com had its anniversary on May 1st.  We’re happy to say that we made it and are continuing to grow and expand our website.

TC: Who started and owns Meefers?

M: Clay Ebert and I, life partners of five years, and Co-Founders.  Meefers recently purchased our business partner’s remaining shares and are now 100 percent owners of the business. I work as the President, Executive Creative Director, and Editor-In-Chief.  Clay is the Chief Financial Officer and Editor. 

TC: How many cities now? And any new ones for the future? 

M:  We are up to 11 cities currently. We are hoping to add San Diego and Los Angeles by the end of the year.  We are hopeful to add some more cities after that.  

TC:  Last summer Meefers held a big three-city concert tour.  Pretty ambitious stuff for a start up! Any more big events on the horizon and if so, where?

M: We held a nice event in Michigan a few months back, entitled, “We Are Michigan”. We combined gay and gay-friendly musical acts together with gay-rights speakers to promote LGBT equality.  We definitely want to do more events and parties across the nation…maybe Minneapolis could be next! 

TC:  On the development of communities Meefers had this to say…

M: We are excited to be apart of the gay industry and gay culture as gay men. It’s so nice to be “out of the closet” and to be doing business and commerce with other gay folks–a dream come true.  Meefers wants to help promote gay culture to gays and to allies across the country.  We “gays” are still second-class citizens in this country, and that alone should encourage all of us to work together, to help one another, as best we can, until we truly have equality.  News states that gays will account for close to $2 trillion in ‘buying power” by 2012 (right now we are close to a trillion).  So let’s, as a gay collective, use that money to support gay business and commerce, and use the energy of that money to make our demands for equality.

TC: Future plans?

M: On a film note, we donated some funding to a Chicago LGBTQ advocate lecturer (and freelance writer for Meefers), Greg Baird, for his full length documentary, Second Class Citizen: Gay Rights in the New Millennium, which is in post-production and will hopefully be ready for film festivals by late winter or early spring. 

Also in the works is a national “social network” that we are working on, which hopefully will launch by the end of the year, similar to Myspace or Facebook, respectively.  The code is currently being worked on as we speak–but the site (which I cannot say the name of just yet) will be an LGBT focused social network.  We are very excited to launch it. 

 And if that isn’t enough!

I guess I should mention that Clay and I are also co-founders and now 100% owners of FoxonaHill Productions , which currently acts similar to a music label. Our goal is to promote arts and culture by supporting artists, musicians, and filmmakers.  Mostly that’s been through micro-loans and distribution deals, licensing, etc.  We are currently working on a “Hollywood” music licensing deal that will be groundbreaking for us in terms of our expansion.  We’ve produced over 30 albums these past three years, mostly contemporary folk-rock music. We did Executive Produce a full-length documentary called “La Curacion” (The Healing), by filmmaker Yoni Goldstein, examining the shamanic health practices of Quito, Ecuador.

  We really want to expand our film and art section of FoxonaHill in the months to come. 

TC: There you have it, a couple of queers moving and shaking their Meefers!

Community Spotlight: Minnesota Freedom Band

Source: Minnesota Freedom Band

Ensemble director Eric Dollerschell-Petry talks about the Minnesota Freedom Band, a place for LGBT musicians. A non-profit community concert band comprised of gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and allied volunteers, the band has a long history of performing at both LGBT events and hosting performances in the broader community.

The Minnesota Freedom Band is a Twin Cities-based, non-profit community band comprised of musicians affirming as being gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and straight ally.  Since 1982, we have provided concerts and other performances for Park House, Rainbow Family Conference, TC Pride, Duluth-Superior Pride, Southwest Minnesota Pride (Mankato), Target Holidazzle parade, MAP Oscar Night, and other events.

Apart from the large concert band, the organization has reformed and packaged two small ensembles for the past three years. The Take Five Big Band and the Indigo Notes Jazz Combo are two alternate performing groups that are making their way though the music and art scene in the Twin Cities. Take Five Big Band gets its name from the signature piece by Dave Brubeck. Indigo Notes’ name derives from Duke Ellington’s lush ballad “Mood Indigo.” Both ensembles perform the signature works at least once a year.

As director of the ensemble, we are a tie-knit group that is comprised of varying levels of musicians. Take Five Big Band is composed of a typical rhythm section, five saxophones (2 altos, 2 tenors, and a baritone), 6 trumpets, and 4-5 trombones.  What separates us from other big bands is that instrumentation of the group and the music I select.

For me, I wanted Take Five to advocate, and facilitate the continuation of jazz as a genre of music as well as raising awareness of jazz education through our performances. How do I do that? Take Five has a flutist and an euphonium in the ranks that are non-traditional “jazz” instruments. I select music from varying styles within jazz such as Blues, Swing, Bebop, Hard Bop, West Coast, Fusion, Latin, and Afro-Cuban. I am very big advocate to reintroduce the public to timeless classics from the big band era from “Sing, Sing, Sing” to “One O’clock Jump; “On Green Dolphin Street” to “My Funny Valentine.”

If you sit in on a rehearsal, I direct the charts for upcoming gigs, however I teach the fellow musicians how to improvisation (improv for short), how to really listen to what they are playing, and to make magic come through their sound. Jazz can be a hard genre of music to listen too because improv is so deeply involved with a person’s “feeling” in the piece, music theory, and spontaneity.

The Indigo Notes is a smaller 4-7 piece small jazz ensemble with the primary focus on improvisation and create new “works/interpretations” of the “head” chart. Did you know that 60-70% of all jazz music recorded was created in jazz combos jammin’ after hours? From Dixieland to Jazz-rock, there really is not a style of music a combo could not perform…. Minus a polka here or there.

I am really proud of what these two groups has accomplished in a short amount of time. We are currently looking for gigs and events to perform at. Not only to support the community, but to get us out and provide quality music for the audience.

Visit the Minnesota Freedom Band website or follow them on Facebook.

Brass Rail reopens: Goodbye Grungy Bathrooms, Hello Luxury

Long known as one of the diviest of dives among Twin Cities gay bars, the Brass Rail’s stained carpeting is gone and the bathrooms — dank, dirty and smelling of urine — have been completely replaced with natural stone treatments and an upscale look.

The Brass Rail has long had a regular clientele — old-timers ogling strippers and dive-bar aficionados — but its future seemed bleak when the owners of the Saloon sold it and the new owner couldn’t generate enough business to keep it afloat (let alone make the needed updates).

Enter Peter Hafiz. Hafiz owns several strip clubs on the block as well the the Gay 90s — he practically owns the entire block at 5th and Hennepin Ave. He also owned the building that the Rail is housed in. It seems a natural fit for the adult entertainment mogul to revamp one of the dingiest bars on the Hennepin strip.

Hafiz, who has begun a major remodel of the Gay 90s has done a fantastic job on its neighbor, the Brass Rail. And while wrangling with the city, it took 9 months to complete.

It is opulent with granite on the bar, walls and stage, and is ready for bigger and better things than that space has seen in a long time. The World Famous Brass Rail reopened in late September and is one magnificent addition to the downtown lineup. When you first walk in you are immediately welcomed to the newly defined space with warm tones of natural stone. The front facade is a nice touch — the front completely opens to the sidewalk (weather permitting of course). Further the upscale with bar treatment of marble and a private lounge in the back specifically designed for bottle service. The management wanted it to be known that they have yet to host their official launch as they still have surprises in store including a talent line up to be managed by none other that the Gay 90′s show lounge director Nina Diangelo. Even the outside facade managed to take the best of the old (the original sign) and blend it with a new eye catching burst of color lighting up the side of the building and showing off the new windows. The Brass Rail has magically transformed a sow’s ear into a silk purse.

The Brass Rail
422 Hennepin Av.
The Brass Rail needs a Facebook page and website to add to the new improvements!

Visit TheColu.mn’s Flickr pool for more images of the new Brass Rail. And if you have some pics to share, feel free to add them to our pool!

St. Paul, MN – 09/26/09