The Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses ("GALA Choruses") is an international association of LGBT choruses founded in 1982. Its goal is to foster artistic and organizational development within its member choruses. The association includes almost 10,000 vocalists in over 100 associated choruses singing as male, female and mixed ensembles in a wide variety of styles. GALA Choruses produces a large festival every four years, in addition to a number of smaller annual workshops and conferences.
(1) The San Francisco event was called the West Coast Choral Festival. It was organized and run by members of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus as a forerunner event to the larger one planned the following year in New York, New York.
(2) The New York event was called COAST, which stood for Come Out and Sing Together. It was organized and run by members of the New York City Gay Men's Chorus.
Both the San Francisco and New York events were envisioned at the first planning meeting that set the course for the official founding of GALA Choruses. This meeting, in Chicago, Illinois (15-17 May, 1981) was attended by artistic and business directors of the choruses then in existence.
The following member choruses attended the latest festival in Miami, Florida.