Queer Choir is an intergenerational and re-humanizing community choir for queer, trans and gender-expansive humans, singing into the growing movement for collective liberation. Queer Choir makes space for queers of all backgrounds to reclaim and rejoice in their body as instrument while leaning into the magic of harmony-singing as interdependence. There is no audition for Queer Choir, and we do not use SATB voicing. At this time, Queer Choir is open to queer-identified folks only.

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WINTER COHORT

Each 11-week Queer Choir cohort becomes its own living organism—a sweet and spacious container for harmony singing, thoughtfully-held by Artistic Director elias wolf who leads with possibility, warmth, play, curiosity and humor. Together, we learn songs outside the traditional choral canon with meaningful messages and rich harmonies, focusing primarily on the work of independent queer and trans artists—and we have a lot of fun along the way.

REHEARSALS: Weekly Tuesdays from 6:30-8:30pm from January 6th through March 17th at The Wildish Theater, 630 Main Street, Springfield.

WHAT WE ARE PRACTICING:

1. Harmony-singing as interdependence
2. Queer joy as an act of resistance to tyranny
3. Weekly side-by-side singing as a commitment to rigor in times of uncertainty, chaos and destruction
4. Learning music by ear, with sheet music and sometimes in spontaneous co-creation as an exercise in cultivating resilience and holding multiple possibilities
5. Attunement to voice and body as an orientation away from separation and disconnection (what all systems of oppression require of us) and toward self-responsibility and relationality (what collective liberation requires of us).

You can read more about Queer Choir at our website here. Please note that all registrants are required to read the Queer Choir Handbook and commit to our Community Agreements in order to complete the registration process. A link to access this document is in the registration form and can also be found here.

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RECIPROCITY / MEMBERSHIP DUES

Queer Choir uses a community-rooted, relational economy model

• $222 Sustaining Tier – Covers Your Spot: This is the standard rate that helps cover your share of the choir’s real expenses: venue rental, staff pay, sheet music, admin labor, etc. This rate keeps the engine humming.
• $111 Supported Tier – For Those Needing Community Support: This rate is for those with limited financial access who would be unable to participate otherwise.
• $333 Supporting Tier – Paying it Forward: This rate supports others in our community who cannot pay the full amount. If you are resourced enough to offer this, you are helping build an economy of access, equity, and care.

If you are not able to access Queer Choir at any of the above tiers, please send an email to our Artistic Director at info@queerchoir.com to inquire about a scholarship. You are also welcome to apply for one of our work-trade positions here.

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ACCESSIBILITY

Our venue is ADA-accessible and includes gender neutral restrooms. There is usually ample street parking, and the venue is a short walking distance from public transit. Sheet music and lyric sheets are provided for a variety of learning styles. This is a neurodivergent / neurodiverse-friendly space where multiple ways of interacting and learning are welcomed and appreciated.

COVID/illness policy: if you are sick, have any symptoms, or have been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID or was otherwise contagious, please stay home. Masks are not required, but encouraged as needed (i.e. if you are no longer contagious but symptomatic).

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FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

elias wolf (formerly Lisa Forkish - they/them) is a queer singer-songwriter, vocal arranger, choir director, teacher, improviser, community-weaver and dynamic facilitator, centering personal + collective healing and liberation in all of their work. A musical spellcaster and change-maker, elias has been at the helm of 12 different vocal groups over the past 22 years, including 5-time national champion high school a cappella group Vocal Rush and powerhouse vocal quintet, HIVE.

elias identifies as an awkwardly-goofy, neurodivergent, genderqueer human of English, German and Ashkenazi Jewish descent, and is a 12th House Cancer Sun with Cancer Ascendent and Libra Moon. elias currently resides in their hometown, so-called Eugene, Oregon (Kalapuya Ilihi) and continues to hold singing spaces with warmth, possibility, rigor, humor and love. You can watch this video to get an idea of what elias' singing spaces can look like, and explore their artist CV to learn more about elias' experience and training.

ASSISTANT MUSIC DIRECTOR

TESTIMONIALS

"Queer choir with elias has been such an incredible experience! The safety and playfulness they create allows me to open my voice and open my heart. Singing with her and this rad group of queer folks lifts me up every week." - Ira