The Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego (GMCSD) will kick off its 16th anniversary season of Singing Out with its spring concert, “Heart and Soul – Music of the ‘50s.” The trip down memory lane will be presented on Saturday, Apr. 12 at 8 p.m. and again on Sunday, Apr. 13 at 2 p.m. Both performances will be hosted at David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre, in the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center.

Tickets are $35 for Saturday evening’s performance and $30 for the Sunday matinee. Discounts are available for seniors, students, and military. Special prices are also available for groups and GMCSD’s season subscribers. Visit www.gmcsd.com to purchase tickets and select seats. For more information about the Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego, call 619-57-GMCSD, send an email to info@gmcsd.com, or visit the group’s Web site www.gmcsd.com.

The David & Dorothea Garfield Theater is located at 4126 Executive Dr. in La Jolla.

With tax returns due April 15, Sen. Christine Kehoe is reminding people of the importance of using caution when selecting a tax return preparer. Kehoe provides the following tips: Avoid preparers who delegate the work to someone with less experience or knowledge; ask if your preparer is affiliated with a professional organization; and avoid preparers who guarantee that they can obtain a larger refund than other preparers.

To report questionable preparer practices, contact the California Franchise Tax Board at 1-800- 540-3453 or www.ftb.ca.gov.

San Diego LGBT Pride is accepting requests from a wide range of musicians and performing artists interested in appearing at this year’s two-day Pride festival celebration and fund-raiser, scheduled for July 19 and 20 at Marston Point in Balboa Park.

Performers of all genres and cultures are encouraged to contact San Diego Pride to be featured in this summer’s equal rights celebration, which will include bands, solo musicians, comedians, dance troupes and more. The festival will showcase 60 to 70 artists in multiple performance venues featuring rock, pop, R&B, hip-hop, folk, gospel, country and cultural entertainment. Attendance is expected to be between 40,000 to 50,000 people.

“The festival offers unequalled opportunities to artists promoting their talents and performances to the LGBT market in the San Diego region. All genres and styles of entertainment are welcome,” says Ron Ortega deHarte, executive director of San Diego LGBT Pride. “The festival is our grassroots and volunteer-driven celebration of diversity and equal rights for all individuals. We are grateful to the many artists who volunteer their support to both San Diego Pride and our LGBT community. Artists who have donated their performances to promote diversity, break down barriers, and promote equality in 2007 enabled Pride to give over $150,000 to 80 organizations.”

To be considered for Pride’s 2008 entertainment lineup, candidates are invited to submit an application and an updated biography of the performer or group, and must include a Web site address, full name and contact telephone number. Applications are now available online under “Entertainment” at www.sandiegopride.org.

Requests can also be mailed to: San Diego LGBT Pride, c/o Entertainment, P.O. Box 34366, San Diego, CA, 92163, or e-mailed to entertainment@sdpride.org.

A report titled The Soul of San Diego – Keeping Balboa Park Magnificent in its Second Century, commissioned by three San Diego foundations with philanthropic roots in Balboa Park, was recently presented to the City of San Diego. According to City Councilmember Toni Atkins’ office, the report “provides a snapshot of the park’s current conditions and opens a discussion on the future governance of Balboa Park.”

Mayor Jerry Sanders and Atkins tasked the Balboa Park Committee, the appointed volunteer committee that reviews land-use matters in the park, to engage the public in a discussion of the report and to provide a recommendation to the mayor and city council on the future stewardship of Balboa Park.

The Balboa Park Committee and authors of the study have scheduled a kick-off workshop for Saturday, March 8, 2008 from 8:30 a.m. to noon at the Balboa Park Recital Hall (west of Park Boulevard and Presidents Way). At this meeting, the consultants that conducted the studies will present their findings and data sets and answer questions. The Balboa Park Committee will also present a schedule of meetings over the next few months that include public participation. The Balboa Park Committee has committed themselves to an open and transparent discussion of all the facts.

Atkins invites the public to attend the meetings and is looking for input from citizens. Questions should be directed to Jeffery Tom in Atkins’ office at 619-236-6633.

The full report can be viewed online at http://www.sandiego.gov/mayor/pdf/080130balboa.pdf.

The San Diego LGBT Community Center’s Marriage Equality and Education Project will host The Future of Marriage panel, Monday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.

Panelists include: Jennifer C. Pizer, senior counsel, Lambda Legal and co-counsel for the California Marriage Cases; Eric A. Isaacson, partner, Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman & Robbins LLP and counsel for Faith-Based Organizations Supporting Equal Marriage Rights; and Shannon Price Minter, legal director, National Center for Lesbian Rights and Co-counsel for the California Marriage Cases. The discussion will be moderated by Barbara J. Cox, professor of law and Executive Director for Consortium for Innovative Legal Education at California Western School of Law.

This event is co-sponsored by the San Diego Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society, the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego & Imperial Counties and Equality California. It will feature panelists discussing legal and political developments affecting the future of marriage in California and the United States.

Light refreshments will be served and RSVPs are appreciated, but not required. For more information or to RSVP please contact Kristi Shaw, Marriage Equality and Education Project coordinator, at 619-692-2077, ext. 206, or kshaw@thecentersd.org. The panel will take place at The Center.

The Center is located at 3909 Centre St. in Hillcrest.

The South Bay Alliance, a group whose aim is to build community among GLBT people and friends in the South San Diego County, is organizing its next mixer.

South Bay residents are invited to meet and socialize with neighbors at the South Bay Fish & Grill on Wednesday, March 5 from 6-8 p.m. Appetizers will be included and happy hour priced drinks available.

There will also be raffle prizes and entertainment by Rhythm and the Method. Cover charge is $10 per person.

South Bay Fish & Grill is located at 570 Marina Parkway in Chula Vista. For more information visit www.southbayalliance.net.

San Diego LGBT Pride is adding to its volunteer base individuals who are savvy in Web marketing in an effort to reach out to more community groups about the organization’s annual events, philanthropy and history, as well as the many sponsorship and volunteer opportunities available each year.

Those who have expertise in networking via a variety of social and commercial Web sites are encouraged to join the Pride marketing team as it gears up for its 34th annual celebration in July. This year’s theme is “Live, Love, Be.” Events include a mile-long parade on July 19 through the heart of Hillcrest and two-day festival featuring many new attractions on July 19-20 in Balboa Park.

“Pride strives to reach out to numerous communities and promote its activities through as many channels as possible,” said Ron deHarte, San Diego Pride executive director. “And as a grassroots, equal-rights organization, we rely on volunteers to help in all areas of event production and day-to-day operations. Web marketing is among those important tools in which we could use support.”

For more information, contact the Pride office at 619-297-7683. Or to learn about other volunteer opportunities and this year’s Pride events, visit www.sandiegopride.org.

The San Diego Human Dignity Foundation (SDHDF) will celebrate both art and generosity with this year’s gala event “The Art of Generosity.” More than 350 people are expected to attend the 12th annual event at the Westin Horton Plaza on Saturday, May 17, 2008.

The evening will begin with a pre-party at 6 p.m. and will include community leaders, supporters, sponsors and friends all joining to celebrate the art of giving in the GLBT community. There will also be a silent auction and some evocative examples of the visual and performing arts.

The SDHDF alone has distributed more than half a million dollars to local nonprofit organizations over the past eight years, and thousands more groups, businesses and individuals have made a measurable impact with their giving.

As many San Diegans know, the 2007 wildfires were devastating. But the response of the fire department, businesses and neighbors helped save lives and comfort victims. To show appreciation the SDHDF has named San Diego Fire Chief Tracy Jarman as the gala’s honorary chair.

Another special guest at the event will be Kafi D. Blumenfield, president and CEO of Los Angeles’ Liberty Hill Foundation. Like SDHDF, Liberty Hill is a social change foundation. The Liberty Hill motto is “Change, not Charity,” and Blumenfield steers the organization to combat poverty and injustice in Los Angeles.

“We are so lucky to have both of these women at our event,” said Tony Freeman, SDHDF executive director. “Both Tracy and Kafi have shown themselves to be excellent leaders under extraordinary, although very different, challenges. We’re proud to recognize both of them and their art of leadership.”

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.myglbtfoundation.org.