Photos by Marco Solorio of OneRiver Media
In the intimate setting of The Chan National Queer Arts Center, composer, lyricist, and pianist Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Pippin, Godspell, and more), members of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC), and solo artists Michael McCorry Rose (Schwartz’s partner, who is an accomplished performer in his own right), Taylor Iman Jones, and Schwartz himself performed many of the legendary composer’s most memorable songs. They included “Defying Gravity” from Wicked, “Beautiful City” from Godspell, “Corner of the Sky” from Pippin, and numerous others.
It was especially powerful to hear Schwartz’s interpretations, revealing layers of added meaning to the songs he wrote. He has a lovely voice that many in the audience had never heard before, having been more familiar with cast recordings of the well-known songs. All of the other singers were remarkable as well. Tears were flowing, both onstage and in the audience, when the SFGMC sang the first of two numbers previously associated with Schwartz collaborations: “Testimony” (with lyrics inspired by the It Gets Better Project) and “Bloom” from the song cycle Songs of the Phoenix that also involved a collaboration with poet Alexandra Elle.
Schwartz agreed to bring The Songs + Stories of Stephen Schwartz to The Chan National Queer Arts Center after learning that his close friend, SFGMC CEO Christopher Verdugo, would be stepping down from his position this year. Verdugo mentions this in a compilation of clips from the evening produced by SF Classical Voice: https://bit.ly/4usNDhp
Arts & Entertainment
Published on May 7, 2026
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