Phoenix, Colorado’s Trans Community Choir found ourselves at the center of controversy when parental complaint around our scheduled performance of our original play, Raven’s True Self, at a local elementary school was taken up by the CBS Denver News. The wholesome play, about a transgender raven in a community of animals and the importance of […]

The concept of “Asia”, particularly as a cultural signifier, has always been problematic. It assumes a high degree of commonality across what is the world’s largest continent, and has been used to homogenize and “other” what is a hugely diverse swathe of people. When Proud Voices Asia, the Asian LGBT choir network was set up, […]

(above) Shanti: Journey of Peace is premiered by 150 singers with Eastern and Western instrumentalists in the University of Cincinnati’s Great Hall, 2004. This article was originally printed in Choral Journal as part of the October 2018 issue, permission was granted by ACDA to share here. Learn more at acda.org/choraljournal. Finally, I have found means of […]

(above) UMOJA Men’s Chorus (Warren Correctional) prepares for the World Choir Games in Cincinnati; the international panel who came to the prison to ajudicate these singers awarded gold medals in the categories of spirituals and gospel. This article was originally printed in Choral Journal as part of the October 2018 issue, permission was granted by […]

This article was originally printed in Choral Journal as part of the October 2018 issue, permission was granted by ACDA to share here. Learn more at acda.org/choraljournal. I am the product of a K-12 Quaker education received at Germantown Friends School in Philadelphia. My Quaker education taught me to listen to and value diverse voices, to […]

GALA. Most of us in North America use it as shorthand for the LGBTQ choral movement. Many of us also use it as the name of that Festival we attend every four years. Like Kleenex, it’s a brand that’s become a common noun for the product. The nonprofit organization that is GALA Choruses Inc. is, […]

2018 has been a difficult year, as we watch the unending attacks on our democracy and many of the values we hold dear—respect, tolerance, decency. Each day seems to bring a new outrage, and we are emotionally exhausted by the indignation that seems to have become a permanent part of daily life. The arts have […]