This weekend, the Hartford Gay Men's Chorus will not only be celebrating the completion of another fantastic concert season, but also the life of its artistic director, who was saved by a kidney donation from a fellow member.

Michael Winslow found out last May that his kidneys were at 20 percent functionality, a level that qualified him to be put him on a transplant list. Though slightly shocked, the 41-year-old music teacher wasn't entirely surprised by the news.

"When I was 18, my sister went into the hospital, I believe for her appendix. They told her she had kidney cysts," he told The Hartford Courant. "Our grandmother died of kidney failure, but I never made that connection."

Once he officially got on the donor list in September, Winslow knew it was time to tell his brothers in song of the HGMC.

"When you get on the list, you want to share the news with the world," he explained. "You hope someone will step forward who will be a match. On average, you have to be on the list for five or six years before you can have a kidney from a deceased donor."

After hearing the news, several chorus members secretly underwent the necessary procedures to see if they would be a match for Winslow. All of them were rejected except one: 25-year-old Chris Bonatsakis, an outreach therapist and baritone in the chorus.

He shared the news with Winslow after the chorus' "Wish Upon a Star" concert this past December.

"I was going into a bit of a depression," Winslow said. "Then Chris called me one night. He had been confirmed as a match. I was so shocked."

Bonatsakis said that he was moved to donate after experiencing a similar situation while attending graduate school at the University of Connecticut.

"I had a friend in grad school whose kid had a severe kidney condition," he remarked. "A lot of my friends were sick around me. I was discouraged I couldn't do anything."

The transplant surgery went off without a hitch this January. Though Winslow had a few post-operative infection problems, he's now in the clear and feeling better than ever.

Since getting out of the hospital, the pair have been raising awareness about kidney disease throughout the state. They recently dropped the puck at a Hartford Wolf Pack game on National Kidney Night and both are set to participate in a local Kidney Walk this June.

"There is no 'thank you' big enough," Winslow said of Bonatsakis' sacrifice. "When someone gives you the gift of life, how do you thank that person? How do you get your head around it? At first I was thanking Chris constantly, but he finally said 'You have to stop thanking me.'"

The Hartford Gay Men's Chorus will perform their concert "Yearbook: A Walk Down Memory Lane" at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in Hartford on May 19 and 20 at 8 pm and May 21 at 3 pm. Buy your tickets here.

This weekend, Logo will be honored by the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles at their 6th annual Voice Awards. Fellow honorees will include lyricist and composer Stephen Schwartz and Human Rights Campaign board member and community activist Gwen Baba.