ArtistDirect News
Gregory Marks: From Opera Stage to Singing Activist in San Francisco's LGBTQ History
Gregory Marks, a retired opera singer who once graced the chorus of the San Francisco Opera, has become a living chronicle of how music can fuel resistance and remembrance. A lifelong queer man, Marks first discovered that his voice could echo far beyond the concert hall when he joined the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus (SFGMC) in the late 1970s, a time when the city’s queer community was grappling with political marginalization and a looming health crisis.
Born into a Portuguese immigrant family in the Mission District, Marks grew up in the shadow of his father’s butcher shop. Every Saturday, the family would huddle around the kitchen radio for the Texaco Metropolitan Opera broadcasts. Those broadcasts became his early masterclasses, igniting a passion that would later shape his career. Marks pursued formal training at San Francisco State University, where he joined the College Opera Guild and became a regular attendee of San Francisco Opera productions. In 1977, he witnessed Luciano Pavarotti’s debut of “Nessun Dorma” in Turandot, a moment that cemented his commitment to opera.
After earning a master’s degree in music, Marks joined the San Francisco Opera Chorus as a union chorister, a position he held for 24 seasons. During that time he sang alongside many of the era’s leading opera artists, gaining experience that would later inform his work with the SFGMC.
Marks’ transition from classical stage to community activism began with the SFGMC. He refers to himself as a “singing activist,” a phrase that captures how he used vocal performance as testimony. The first public act of this new mission came in the aftermath of the murders of Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone in 1978. Marks recalls standing at the candlelight march that culminated on City Hall’s steps, where the chorus performed Mendelssohn’s Lord, Thou Art My Refuge for the first time in a public space. He described the act as “pure defiance,” a gesture that marked the birth of the gay chorus movement.
The 1980s and 1990s brought the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which devastated San Francisco’s queer community. Marks sang at countless funerals and memorials, stating that music was “the only way I could express my grief, my rage, and my love.” His performances became a lifeline for those mourning loved ones and for a community grappling with loss and stigma.
In 2013, Marks and the SFGMC commissioned composer Andrew Lippa to write the oratorio I Am Harvey Milk. Marks has called the work “the greatest thing I ever had the privilege to sing.” The piece serves as both a memorial to Milk and a political statement that honors the courage he embodied, reflecting the broader movement that grew from Milk’s legacy.
Marks’ career illustrates how opera and community activism can intersect. From early mornings in a butcher shop to the stages of the San Francisco Opera and the streets of the Castro, his voice has bridged artistic expression and social justice. The oratorio I Am Harvey Milk remains a staple of the SFGMC’s repertoire, and Marks continues to perform with the chorus, ensuring that the memory of Harvey Milk and the struggle for LGBTQ rights endure.
The story of Gregory Marks underscores the power of music as a tool for resistance and remembrance. His journey—from a “fat queer kid” who knew who he was to a celebrated singing activist—demonstrates how personal identity and professional skill can combine to influence cultural history.
Born into a Portuguese immigrant family in the Mission District, Marks grew up in the shadow of his father’s butcher shop. Every Saturday, the family would huddle around the kitchen radio for the Texaco Metropolitan Opera broadcasts. Those broadcasts became his early masterclasses, igniting a passion that would later shape his career. Marks pursued formal training at San Francisco State University, where he joined the College Opera Guild and became a regular attendee of San Francisco Opera productions. In 1977, he witnessed Luciano Pavarotti’s debut of “Nessun Dorma” in Turandot, a moment that cemented his commitment to opera.
After earning a master’s degree in music, Marks joined the San Francisco Opera Chorus as a union chorister, a position he held for 24 seasons. During that time he sang alongside many of the era’s leading opera artists, gaining experience that would later inform his work with the SFGMC.
Marks’ transition from classical stage to community activism began with the SFGMC. He refers to himself as a “singing activist,” a phrase that captures how he used vocal performance as testimony. The first public act of this new mission came in the aftermath of the murders of Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone in 1978. Marks recalls standing at the candlelight march that culminated on City Hall’s steps, where the chorus performed Mendelssohn’s Lord, Thou Art My Refuge for the first time in a public space. He described the act as “pure defiance,” a gesture that marked the birth of the gay chorus movement.
The 1980s and 1990s brought the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which devastated San Francisco’s queer community. Marks sang at countless funerals and memorials, stating that music was “the only way I could express my grief, my rage, and my love.” His performances became a lifeline for those mourning loved ones and for a community grappling with loss and stigma.
In 2013, Marks and the SFGMC commissioned composer Andrew Lippa to write the oratorio I Am Harvey Milk. Marks has called the work “the greatest thing I ever had the privilege to sing.” The piece serves as both a memorial to Milk and a political statement that honors the courage he embodied, reflecting the broader movement that grew from Milk’s legacy.
Marks’ career illustrates how opera and community activism can intersect. From early mornings in a butcher shop to the stages of the San Francisco Opera and the streets of the Castro, his voice has bridged artistic expression and social justice. The oratorio I Am Harvey Milk remains a staple of the SFGMC’s repertoire, and Marks continues to perform with the chorus, ensuring that the memory of Harvey Milk and the struggle for LGBTQ rights endure.
The story of Gregory Marks underscores the power of music as a tool for resistance and remembrance. His journey—from a “fat queer kid” who knew who he was to a celebrated singing activist—demonstrates how personal identity and professional skill can combine to influence cultural history.