Phoenix, Colorado’s Trans Community Choir arose out of a GALA Festival.  The lack of trans representation at Denver 2012 prompted Sam Bullington to start his own trans chorus.  However, Phoenix is hardly a typical GALA chorus – and it is not even a typical trans chorus. To begin with, Phoenix is not just for trans […]

GALA 2012:  My first GALA finally!  I’d been hearing about GALA since Montreal, when I was singing with TransVoices—the second ever (as far as I know) trans choir on the planet, started by One Voice Mixed Chorus for their concert on gender and existing as an independent organization for a couple years beyond that, during […]

Wonderful things happen when people get together and focus on their organization, especially in a retreat setting. This experience creates an opportunity to regroup and establish greater clarity and new direction. In my work as GALA Choruses 411 Advisor to Board of Directors, I see this routinely! Whether it’s a group with 25 singers or […]

We had just boarded the buses following our performance at the Knoxville Pride Festival when we saw several protestors at the festival’s entrance, so we asked the drivers to pull over. Our 100 singers unloaded the buses and crossed four lanes of traffic to get to the other side of the road where the protestors […]

Pacific Pride Choir, made up of 50 choristers from across Australia and New Zealand will travel to Germany and Poland next month for a series of friendship concerts and outreach activities. Founded by Sarah and Melanie Penicka-Smith, Pacific Pride Choir has been created as an occasional touring choir to contribute to the visibility and acceptance […]

1600 miles. 100 singers. 8 concerts. 6 states. 4 days. 2 buses. 1 voice. I dropped off my dog Daphne. I picked up coffee. I made my way to our departure point. As I turned the corner, I saw a singer walking, no, sashaying toward the bus. I stopped in my tracks and my eyes […]

It took me a long time to use the word “Y’all”. I was adamant. It was significant to me. I wasn’t southern. I couldn’t be … although I was born in Texas and spent most of my life in Alabama. My parents are from California, San José, nonetheless. This is why I don’t have a […]