Acapella teacher Joe Piazza slowly raises his arms as countless patrons wait for his cue. He drops them quickly, ushering a maestro of voices that resound throughout the auditorium. This talent he commands is known as the Golden Gate Men’s Choir.
Directed by Piazza for five years and counting, the Golden Gate Men’s Choir, or GGMC for short, is comprised of adults ranging from their early twenties to late fifties who have had multitudes of choral music experience.
“The age variability truly diversifies the group”, Piazza said, “It’s incredible to see such a wide range of singers.”
Apart from directing the Acapella classes, he has led the GGMC to win distinguishing awards. Recently they participated in the 2014 World Choir Games in which they achieved two gold medals and one silver medal. The World Choir Games bring together over four-hundred and sixty choirs from about sixty countries that often compete professionally at global levels. The GGMC won in the “Male Choir Division” and “Music Sacre” categories for their outstanding performances.
“There are many indicators of success, recognized achievement being one, but the most important factor is fulfilling your organization’s mission goal,” Piazza said.
The GGMC’s goal is to provide a comfortable atmosphere for the members’ self-expression as well as to expand the ongoing tradition of male choral music. Piazza also personally sets goals for his choir and himself to continue to strive for improvement.
“Like any sports coach, I tell people to come up to the bar that I have set,” Piazza said, “then once they have reached it raise it higher.”
As active competitors in the choir scene the GGMC is constantly busy preparing challenging pieces, but they also find time to perform non-competitively throughout the year during three seasons. Apart from being impressive, Piazza also believes that performance can be a dynamic form of communication.
“We communicate beyond music,” Piazza said, “We emulate world citizenship and universal cultural interests; everyone can understand [it].”
Although incredibly stressful, Piazza said that directing a choir of such prestige definitely makes his efforts totally worth it.
“The best part is when things come together,” Piazza said, “Everyone in the room feels it. You realize that’s the beauty, that’s the sound, that’s the music.”
Seniors Carson Stewart and Lucy Faust have attended GGMC concerts and they agree the choir is incredibly talented.
“Usually directors of choirs try too hard to make their concerts overly formal,” Stewart said. “Mr. Piazza makes it fun and interactive with the crowd.”
Stewart explained how diverse the origin of the GGMC song choices truly expand the variation in music.
“My favorite part was the main soloist singing Baba Yetu,” Stewart said. “I’ve never heard anything like it.”
Faust reiterates how outstanding Piazza’s choir is and highlights her favorite part of their past performances.
“All the men are really talented and I am always impressed by the wide range of voices,” Faust said. “It is truly an incredible experience.”
