Meet Mike Anderson

It seems like Mike was pre-planning for some ‘isolation’ time since he was already part of an online community for amateur/dilettante Egyptologists – he’s learning to read hieroglyphs. This can come in handy reading some of the music we sing in HMC. He sang in college and when he decided to re-enter the singing world, joining Heartland Men’s Chorus seemed like a natural fit. Mike is finishing his 3rd year as a Baritone. He was looking for a group to sing with and found a place of excellence in musicianship and a community of camaraderie.

Mike loves making memories during performances but also finds fun and memory-making moments in chorus gatherings like the Holiday Potluck held each December. It was at a family meal event, Thanksgiving 1984, where he let his sexual orientation be known to his family. There was no announcement, nothing ‘official,’ just who he brought as his date. His Aunt Jean told him to bring someone, so he brought a man. While the rest of his family stood around in awkward silence, Aunt Jean hugged him and said, “You are welcome here anytime.”

Mike married that guy 31 years later in 2015, and they are still happily together. It is moments like Aunt Jean’s that guide families to acceptance and audiences like ours that open their hearts to the music we make and the voice we bring to Kansas City.