KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For 25 years, Rick Fisher stood alongside the Heartland Men's Chorus Kansas City as the group's first and only executive director to date.
“When I first started in this role, I knew about pride. I knew the term, I knew the celebration, I didn’t know the feeling, and doing this job for so long has helped me to grow into my own sense of pride and what that means,” Fisher said.
As a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Fisher and members of the chorus have played a key role in changing the narrative for the community through song.
“Nobody is afraid of a choir, so when we take the stage and sing, people are moved and their hearts are changed,” he said.
Sunday the men's chorus performed "Unbreakable," one of two showcases at the Folly Theater.
“It tells the stories of several LGBTQ people through history, so it’s a great pride concert,” said Randy Hite, baritone section leader and founding member.
Belting lyrics of love, members like Jonathan Doram help assure the message is received by the audience.
“Literally we talk about the shouts and the shame, I experienced a lot of those growing up even into my adulthood," Doram said. "So I think being a part of HMC has helped me to let go of the shame because people come here and they embrace each other."
The HMCKC has been around since 1986, and Hite, who happens to be married to Fisher, says his partner's retirement is tough.
“It’s emotional for him, it’s emotional for me because we’ve been just kind of been a team," Hite said. "... We’re a team in marriage, and so I have done all I can to help this chorus as well as volunteer. So it’s like I’m losing my partner. He’s going to still be around, but he won't be a part of the chorus.”
After not only a career but a "calling" fulfilling Fisher for the last quarter-century, he's set to take his final bow at the end of June.
“Our work isn’t done. We see what’s happening in the political landscape right now, in the backlash against the trans community," Fisher said. "There are still people that need to know that all people are worthy and deserving to be accepted and loved and that we are all one."
