Long Island Gay Men’s Chorus begins rehearsals for holiday season
By Lauren Feldman
The Long Island Gay Men’s Chorus held its first rehearsal for the 2024 holiday season on Wednesday, Sept. 4, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in East Northport.
The chorus aims to entertain audiences with high-quality choral performances, while affirming the contributions of Long Island’s LGBT+ community. Programs include challenging contemporary music, and performances of an ambitious, traditional repertoire alongside music from various world cultures.
The chorus affirms, by example and through song, the worth and dignity of a cross-section of the diverse population that is reflective of Long Island and the nation as a whole.

Christian Cederstrom, chorus treasurer and member of the baritone section, joined the group around eight or nine years ago. “This group is so special because it really is the culmination of a brotherhood coming together to create something beautiful. The people are here for that shared mission,” he said.
“You never know what someone’s life is like,” he added. “Being able to retreat into a safe space, especially a queer safe space, makes it all the more lifesaving. It’s a means of survival for some people, and even having that one or two hours a week where they can just be is so important. The climate out in the world is so dog eat dog, but here it’s about creation and beauty.”
Michael Conley, a tenor 1 and founding member of the LIGMC over 17 years ago, said the chorus holds a lot of value as an LGBT+ space on Long Island. “We’re in the shadow of New York City. And yes, we have Fire Island, we have the village, but Long Island is a conservative place. So it’s nice to have these spaces where we can come together. And then by practicing and having something really special, we’re able to go out and share it with others.”
Practices are led this year by Jeanette Cooper, artistic director and accompanist of the LIGMC. Cooper will also lead the chorus through its concert series, as she has for the past few years. She is looking forward to an exciting season, the first half of which is themed after the joy of singing and the second half around Christmas.
She is glad to return for another series after a break following the chorus’ summer series. Of all her hats to culminate a season, Cooper said she enjoys working directly with the members of the chorus most. “My favorite part of them is them. Because they are a group of wonderful men. No matter who joins us, they seem to fit right in. They are a delight, they are the reason I come back every week.”
The partnership with St. Paul’s has been ongoing for four years, and members of both the church and chorus have celebrated its success. Cederstrom said, “I’ve been very thankful to be housed by different churches in the community who have been really affirming to the queer community. St. Paul’s of East Northport has been very supportive of our mission here, and I’m very thankful that we are able to have a safe queer space to create music.”
Cederstrom’s father, Bob Cederstrom, has served as an associate pastor at St. Paul’s for 18 years. He said it has been a blessing to house the chorus over the last few years. “This is a very generous congregation, who opened their doors and welcomed [the chorus], and they’ve been here now for four years. They’re a blessing to have here. And we’re blessed to have them.”
For the elder Cederstrom, welcoming the Long Island Gay Men’s Chorus is simply following his faith. “Jesus welcomed everybody. He didn’t say ‘but’ or ‘if’ or ‘maybe.’ Everybody is welcome. … This is a wonderful, inviting congregation here.”
The group will continue practicing weekly at St. Paul’s. Rehearsals will lead up to the Sunday, Oct. 27, afternoon fall cabaret and concerts in December.
Interested singers can follow LIGMC on Instagram and Facebook or email LIGMC’s board of directors at [email protected] for more information.