HIV/AIDs: The Plague Years
The Windy City Performing Arts experienced significant loss during the AIDs epidemic. By 1994, the had lost over 37 members and counting.
In 1987, founder Jerry Carlson died of AIDs in Los Angeles.
To combat this, the Windy City Performing Arts began to raise awareness by holding benefits, pushing their members to vote during elections, and taking part in the 1988 NAMES Project AIDs memorial quilt at Navy Pier.
In 1993, composer Roger Bourland wrote Hidden Legacies, a 40-minute piece dedicated to the ones lost due to AIDs. It premiered on June 19, 1993, at Medinah Temple in Chicago, Illinois, and performed jointly with the New York City Gay Men's Chorus.
This emotional piece became one of the Windy City Gay Chorus' most revered and acclaimed performances.