From the Harmonium Choral Society:
Kick off June Pride month with Harmonium Choral Society and the Gay Activist Alliance in Morris County at the NJ premiere of the award-winning documentary film Pieces of Us.
Following the showing, producer Mykel Dicus and Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil, who are both featured in the film, will lead an open discussion. The event takes place at the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Road, Morris Township, on June 4, 2022, beginning at 1 pm.
There is onsite parking, and the venue is a short Uber ride from the Morristown and Convent Station NJ Transit train stations. Here is where to buy tickets.
Pieces of Us juxtaposes the inspirational stories of five different people (including transgender activist and Stonewall Riot survivor Victoria Cruz, and India’s first openly gay royal, HRH Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil, with the powerful connections their public actions have produced, as each chose to be defined by love over hate.
Video: ‘Pieces of Us’ trailer:
It is not just an LGBTQ+ film; these five intersecting stories highlight the shared humanity of anyone impacted by trauma, the importance of visibility in fostering empathy, and how finding the commonality in the straight and gay communities is the way we move society from division to unity.
The film has played in 14 film festivals in the US and Mexico, and has won 16 awards, including three jury awards for Best Feature Documentary, one award for Special Achievement in Directing, three Audience Favorite awards, and awards of excellence for Documentary Feature, Directing, Women Filmmakers, Music Score, and Original Song.
“Films will often address assault but not the [victim],” said director/producer Cheryl Allison.
“I wanted a film about the recovery and the survivor and how it helps when you have the community in support. It’s hard to watch and heartbreaking at times, but ultimately, it’s a film about hope.” –Rich Lopez, Dallas Voice, Sept. 24, 2021.
“Pieces of Us is touching, profound, raw, emotional, and important. We must continue to explore the truth, the pain, the scars, so our LGBTQ+ brothers and sisters can be safer.” Del Shores, writer/director, Sordid Lives.
“This movie is so powerful and full of love, beautifully illuminating the experience of being different and turning pain into joy. The film captures the warm hearts of the storytellers so well that you can’t help but love them, even though they first might appear quite different from you and from each other.” Cecelia B., teacher.
Harmonium Choral Society invites the public to join them for an extraordinary weekend of music, diversity, love and acceptance with two concerts, Pieces of Us documentary film showing, and a wonderful catered dinner with Prince Manvendra and Mykel Dicus as featured guests.
They are looking for community groups to participate in the weekend and partner with them for the presentation of the film on June 4th. Event details are here. If you are interested or have question, please contact us here.
MYKEL DICUS
Producer / Subject in film
Mykel has been an entertainment professional for more than 20 years, with stage performances ranging from Jesus Christ Superstar (with Ted Neely) to Dreamgirls, directed by original Broadway cast creatives. Under his company, Eec! Productions, he’s spearheaded many artistic projects, including Flow & Flair and Broadway to Bombay.
A master at overcoming obstacles, after surviving a hate crime, Mykel created the one man show Pieces of Me and toured the country bravely sharing his story of recovery. Mykel has appeared on Glam Fairy, performed at Radio City Music Hall, and made it to the celebrity judging round on America’s Got Talent. He is featured in the documentary, A Flow Affair (2012).
HH PRINCE MANVENDRA SINGH GOHIL
Subject in film
Prince Manvendra, India’s first openly-gay royal, has been a prominent world advocate for LGBTQ+ and human rights. He will journey from India to New Jersey to perform as a guest musician in Harmonium Choral Society’s Open Hearts concerts on June 3rd & 5th at Our Lady of Sorrows in South Orange.
Manvendra will play the harmonium for a commissioned piece celebrating and honoring the life of his friend Bud Oddsen. He will also be the featured speaker and musician at Harmonium’s fundraising event on Saturday night June 4th.
Prince Manvendra appeared as a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show as one of three persons featured in the show entitled Gay Around the World. In 2000, Manvendra started the Lakshya Trust, of which he is chairman, a group dedicated to HIV/AIDS education and prevention. A registered public charitable trust, Lakshya Trust is a community-based organization working for HIV/AIDS prevention. Lakshya Trust won the Civil Society Award in 2006 for its contribution to preventing HIV/AIDS among homosexual men.
Since July 2010, Manvendra has served as editor of the gay male-centric print magazine Fun, which is published in Rajpipla. In 2018, Manvendra opened up his 15-acre palace grounds to help house vulnerable LGBT people who might otherwise be “left with nothing” when “their families disown them after coming out.”
MORE ABOUT HARMONIUM CHORAL SOCIETY
Harmonium Choral Society, based in Morris County, is one of New Jersey’s leading choral arts organizations. The 100-voice choral society has been recognized for its musical excellence and innovative programming. It has commissioned and premiered works by Amanda Harberg, Matthew Harris, Elliot Z. Levine, Sarah Rimkus, and Harmonium’s composers-in-residence Mark Miller and Martin Sedek, among others.
Directed by Dr. Anne J. Matlack of Madison, Harmonium’s season consists of four concerts, as well as numerous special events and partnerships. Harmonium is known for its eclectic programming, choral excellence, and community spirit, sponsored commissions and musicianship workshops.
The group is also known for its outreach chorus that performs in schools, nursing homes, and other venues. Harmonium has toured internationally to England and Wales, Eastern Europe, Northern Italy, Spain and Portugal, Greece and Turkey, and most recently the Baltics in the summer of 2016. A tour of the Balkans is planned for the summer of 2022.
Harmonium’s funding has been made possible in part by Morris Arts through the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
MORE ABOUT GAAMC
GAAMC is a not-for-profit volunteer-run organization that provides social, educational, and outreach programs. GAAMC also offers opportunities for individuals to become politically active with issues related to the GLBTI community. Their intent is to maintain a positive, healthy, respectful and supportive environment in a safe space. GAAMC is the longest continually-operating GLBTI group in New Jersey, started in 1972 by four people looking for a place to meet others like themselves.
GAAMC publishes 10 issues of their newsletter, CHALLENGE, per year and since 1985 GAAMC has been the official publisher of Pride Guide, a guide to resources for New Jersey’s LGBT community.
