Before personalities like Melissa Etheridge and Carol Channing take the stage at the 2010 OUTMusic Awards in New York City next month, a transgender Philadelphia organist will be in the spotlight as the night’s opening act.
The LGBT Academy of Recording Arts, which stages the annual awards ceremony, invited local performer Desiree Hines to open the Dec. 1 show, marking the first time a classical musician has been included in the event lineup.
Hines, founder of the annual Philadelphia GLBT Arts Festival, said she discussed the need for a classical-music element at the event with OUTMusic executive director Diedra Meredith, who suggested Hines put a face to the classical community.
“We really connected well: We’re both black women from the South, and she was like, ‘Wow, you’re a black woman from Mississippi who plays the pipe organ. We have to talk,’” Hines said. “We started talking about how they’re working on redeveloping OUTMusic and LARA, and she told me that she has a real deep appreciation for classical music, and that conversation eventually turned into her saying that it was about time to add classical music to the OUTMusic Awards.”
Hines will perform a four-minute toccata on “Amazing Grace,” written by J. Christopher Pardini on a virtual organ donated to her by a gay couple in Manhattan.
“I’m preparing very nervously, that’s for damn sure,” she joked. “It’s a lot different because usually in a three-hour practice session, I focus on a whole recital, but with this I’m practicing one short piece for three hours. I think this piece showcases my capability as an organist and the power of the instrument: It starts on fullness and ends on fullness. This [piece] is something people can recognize and attach themselves to.”
The 20-year-old event returned from a two-year hiatus last year with new energy, Hines said, noting the increased emphasis on classical music will give exposure to individual performers and fuel LARA’s own growth.
“They want to show who the musicians are who specialize in this type of music and help support our endeavors to become recording artists,” she said. “I think that’s going to serve as a wonderful opportunity to help the organization develop. It’s going to add a different flavor and perspective to the organization’s goals and give it a presence in places it may not have had before.”
Hines announced earlier this year that she would be stepping down as director of the GLBT Arts Festival to pursue her own music career next year. Hines plans to move out of the city by the summer, and said her relationship with LARA is likely to boost her professional growth.
“Lately, I feel like I see myself three blocks ahead and I need to catch up. Just the other day I already got a call from a major concert hall. I think there are going to be a lot of good things coming my way. I’m so blessed to have come to Philadelphia and get my feet wet, because everything that’s happened here has prepared me for the next stage of my career.”
Organizers of OUTMusic are holding several regional 20th-anniversary parties this month, including one event from 6-9 p.m. Nov. 17 at Tabu, 200 S. 12th St. The party will also help raise funds for LARA’s new initiatives to support HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment efforts among LGBT young adults.
Jen Colletta can be reached at [email protected].