Good seats are still available for the Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego’s 17th annual spring concert, Really Big Songs, both online and in person from any GMCSD member. This crowd-pleasing show will feature some of the biggest and most dynamic music ever written for men’s voices including well-known and widely-loved selections from the worlds of opera and operetta, the movies, Broadway, and beyond. Really Big Songs will be performed on Saturday, April 25, at 8 p.m. and on Sunday, April 26, at 3 p.m. The concert will be held inside the Sherwood Auditorium at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, located at 700 Prospect St. in La Jolla. Seating is reserved, so audience members are encouraged to buy early.

This eclectic and entertaining concert will thrill opera-lovers with Puccini’s beloved “Nessun Dorma” from Turandot as well as Richard Wagner’s spectacular “Pilgrim’s Chorus” from Tannhauser. Fans of Gilbert & Sullivan’s fun-filled operettas will delight in seeing the entire chorus in kabuki drag as it portrays The Mikado’s “Gentlemen of Japan.” Meanwhile aficionados of Broadway legend Stephen Sondheim will love the hilariously-staged version of “It’s Hot Up Here” from his hit musical Sunday in the Park with George.

Other featured “Really Big Songs” include cabaret sensation Lina Koutrakos’ electrifying “Love Grows Here,” the thundering tympanis of Carl Orff’s “In Taberna” from his masterwork Carmina Burana, the Dixie Chicks’ chart-topping country hit “Cowboy Take Me Away,” and an outrageously over-the-top concert closer that the Gay Men’s Chorus doesn’t want to describe in detail as yet. Just think “pansies.” GMCSD promises this will be a multi-faceted concert with something sure to delight everyone’s tastes!

Tickets for “Really Big Songs” are now available from all Gay Men’s Chorus members and via the GMCSD Web site where audience members can look at a map of the Sherwood Auditorium, select their very own seats, and then purchase their tickets. Seating inside the Sherwood Auditorium is reserved, and tickets range from $25-$35 for Saturday evening’s performance and just $20-$30 for the Sunday matinée.

The Gay Men’s Chorus has reduced its ticket prices to accommodate even more potential supporters, with discounts still available for seniors, students, military and groups. For more information about the Gay Men’s Chorus of San Diego or “Really Big Songs,” call 619-57-GMCSD or go to www.gmcsd.com.

This Saturday, April 18, Campus Pride will host its second annual West Coast GLBT-Friendly College Fair at The San Diego LGBT Community Center, 3909 Centre Street in Hillcrest.

Nearly 30 colleges and universities from across the country will be in attendance from 1 to 4 p.m. to recruit GLBT and ally prospective students. Free of charge, any interested students and their families are welcome.

“Finally, colleges are coming out of the closet and being visible in the recruitment process to seek LGBT students,” said Shane Windmeyer, Executive Director of Campus Pride, the leading national nonprofit for GLBT students and campus groups and author of The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students. “Today campuses want to be considered LGBT-friendly. It is not only in the best interest of enrolment figures but also a necessity to prepare for a smaller, more diverse student population in the future.”

According to Windmeyer, an increasing number of colleges and universities are openly recruiting GLBT students and are doing so for the first time ever. Nearly 30 colleges have registered to date for the upcoming GLBT-friendly college fair sponsored by Campus Pride. In addition, more than 185 colleges and universities are reaching out to GLBT students through the GLBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index (www.campusclimateindex.org). The national index, the only resource of its kind, is a dynamic online tool that rates GLBT-friendliness at colleges and universities.

For more details, visit www.campusclimateindex.org/events or contact Campus Pride at 704-277-6710 or info@campuspride.org.

The California-focused online organizing network, Courage Campaign, will launch Camp Courage at the Handlery Hotel and Resort on Saturday, April 18, at 8:30 a.m. Camp Courage is a skills-building weekend training that gives grassroots activists the practical, hands-on skills to organize in their communities and restore marriage equality for same-sex couples in California. Camp Courage is designed primarily for new activists or those who have never engaged with the broader community about marriage equality as well as veteran GLBT activists and allies. The training is a major step toward repealing Proposition 8, if the California Supreme Court upholds it, and building a permanent progressive majority in California. Cleve Jones, a longtime equal rights activist featured in the film Milk, will deliver a keynote address to attendees. The San Diego training will be held on both Saturday and Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information or to sign up, visit www.couragecampaign.org or e-mail campcourage@couragecampaign.org.

Getting Off is a new group for gay and bisexual men who use methamphetamine starting this month at Jewish Family Services. The group was developed by researchers at UCLA’s Integrated Substance Abuse Programs. It is based upon the Matrix Institute’s Intensive Outpatient Treatment Model and combines culturally relevant aspects of meth use among gay and bisexual men with aspects of cognitive behavioral treatment. Sessions will include skill building around identifying relapse triggers, interrupting drug cravings and returning to abstinence after a relapse. The group also deals head on with the link between sex and crystal use and teaches skills around identifying sexual triggers and techniques to reduce sex/drug cravings. Men who participated in the group in L.A. were able to significantly decrease their crystal use, associated sexual risk behavior and to sustain these reductions over time.

Getting Off is ideal for those interested in stopping their meth use. Group sessions will be held three times per week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, for eight weeks at Jewish Family Service’s Integrated Services Program office at 2700 Adams Avenue, Suite 102, San Diego 92116.

For more information, call 619-325-0522, ext. 401 or e-mail joels@jfssd.org.

San Diego LGBT Pride is seeking qualified candidates for its board of directors. Board members should possess the vision, talent and leadership to oversee the governance of the organization that produces San Diego’s annual Pride festivities.

Interested individuals should send a resume and brief statement regarding why they would like to serve on the board of directors to secretary@sdpride.org. More information is available online at www.sandiegopride.org/33/board_of_directors.htm.

Go to Mo’s and take the HIV Early Test Saturday, April 25, between noon and 5 p.m. Unlike the standard HIV antibody test, only the Early Test detects HIV as early as one week after an exposure. This test is free and confidential. The Early Test is also available at sites in Hillcrest, Monday through Friday. To learn more about the HIV Early Test, go to www.theearlytest.ucsd.edu or www.firstchoicesd.com or call the AVRC at 619-543-8080.