Intersections Artist Snapshot: Richard Weinberg

Hey there,

Bringing you another inside-scoop with one of the artists performing at Intersections. Richard Weinberg is a member of Potomac Fever, one of the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington's small ensembles. They will be joining Tom Goss on stage in concert, this evening, with You Don’t Question Love:

A nationally-known unique voice among gay singer-songwriters is joined by the a cappella pop ensemble from the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, DC.

And here's my disclaimer.  GMCW is actually how I first met Ricky, but DC being the small town it is, we have a number of friends and acquaintances from the performing arts scene in common.

Also a funny story about the first time I ever came across Tom Goss. I was actually introduced to his work when I sat on the panel for the individual artist grant program at the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and he was one of the applicants.

Small world, right?! Anyway, without further ado, here is my exchange with Ricky:

JR: When did you start singing?

Richard: I started singing in elementary school choir and always remember music being my favorite class. I was fortunate to grow up in Northern Virginia where the public school arts programs are relatively thriving. Choir class and school musicals gave way to madrigal choir and private voice lessons in high school when I ultimately realized that singing is what I always wanted to do.

JR: How did you become involved w/ Potomac Fever?

Richard: This is my second season singing in Potomac Fever and my third season singing with the Chorus. I had been doing professional opera chorus in Baltimore and D.C. for nearly 10 years when I decided that taking a break would be good for me. Music had become too much of a job, and I what I didn't realize but ultimately found with the Chorus was that singing was supposed to be fun. I've had friends in the Chorus for a long time, had seen many shows, but simply never had the time to consider joining. I auditioned for Potomac Fever when a vacancy became available, and ever since, Potomac Fever for me has been the ultimate musical experience within our community.

JR: What inspires you to sing?

Richard: Just like any medium in art, singing draws upon many sources of inspiration. As a singer, part of what we get to do is embody the text of the song we're singing and learn how the composer was inspired by the words. When we add our own experiences in life to how we might relate to the text and the music, then we find our own personal inspiration. With good music, in any given song the audience could be reacting to the inspiration of multiple people, which is why I think singing can have such an emotional impact. What inspires me to sing in Potomac Fever are my fellow singers; we are such a close-nit group (we refer to each other as brothers), that making music with each other and touching our audience with it is an inspiration in of itself.

JR: What is one of your favorite memories with Potomac Fever?

Richard: I think my favorite memory with Potomac Fever is yet to come. I have a feeling that years from now, when I'm no longer a part of the group, that I will look back on the time I sang with Potomac Fever and recall some of the most cherished memories of my life. I'm sure we may all take it for granted week to week while juggling an intense rehearsal and performance schedule, but the memories I'll treasure will simply be when we're singing together, the music clicks, the harmonies sound perfect, and we are all fully present with each other.

JR: What is Potomac Fever an intersection of?

Richard: I would say Potomac Fever is an intersection of the fun, the serious, the lighthearted, and the emotional. Probably what's found in the middle of this intersection is love.

If you're reading this, I'm probably preaching to the choir when I say how thrilled and blessed I am to be a part of this community, having met awesome artists and people like Ricky and many others involved in the festival. What's crazy is how much we've already crossed paths before, and for me, that is one the main affirming things about the festival, this celebration of community, and coming together, across race, culture, class, etc. To share with each other and to move forward together.

But I digress. Also, with the group pic, you probably picked out Ricky in the middle, but if you look carefully to the bottom right corner, you'll see the Atlas' own Program Manager, Robert T. Boaz :-)

Wanna go to tonight's 9:30pm show at the Atlas Performing Arts Center? You can buy tickets here (of the handful that are remaining). And if you'd like to see a video from a rehearsal for GMCW's last holiday show of Potomac Fever singing, check out the clip below.

- J Street Jr