Paul Melnikow and Alan Pierson wed in Chicago with 'queer prom' theme

Paul Melnikow and Alan Pierson were married on Jan. 3 in the Lighthouse Lounge at Admiral at the Lake in Chicago, with Taylor Mac officiating before about 50 guests. The couple used a "chosen family/queer prom" theme, and their first dance was to Matt Ray’s arrangement of "Snakeskin Cowboys," performed by Taylor Mac — the same song they danced to when they first met.

They first encountered each other in October 2016 at a "queer prom" staged about 20 hours into Taylor Mac’s 24-hour performance "A 24-Decade History of Popular Music" at St. Ann’s Warehouse in Brooklyn. Mr. Pierson said the initial dance was "a visual negotiation," and the two stayed together through the rest of the performance before exchanging emails; Mr.

Melnikow later called their early correspondence a "pretty charged email penpalship." Mr. Melnikow, 45, grew up in Syracuse, holds a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Brown and is chief executive of Curvewise; he also works as Mr. Pierson’s manager, agent and occasional collaborator.

Mr. Pierson, 51, grew up in Chicago, holds bachelor’s degrees in physics and music from M.I.T. and a doctorate in conducting from the Eastman School of Music, leads the ensemble Alarm Will Sound and is a director at Northwestern’s Bienen School of Music; he is also a 2026 Grammy-nominated artistic director and conductor.

Key Topics

Culture, Paul Melnikow, Alan Pierson, Taylor Mac, Alarm Will Sound, St. Ann's Warehouse