Reflections from the QC Pride Pop-Up Choir
Reflections from the QC Pride Pop-Up Choir
This past weekend was the culmination of the second iteration of the QC Pride Pop-Up Choir, a collaboration combining the familiar voices of the Sanctuary Choir and Justice Choir of the Midwest with new singers from the Quad Cities who came to us by way of our partnership with Clock Inc. LGBTQ+ Community Center. The choir sang at the 7pm time slot (prime time!) on the mainstage at the annual QC Pride Fest at Schwiebert Park in Rock Island this past Friday evening.
The genesis of this ensemble began with a request from Clock Inc. a year and a half ago to work together to create the only current LGBTQ+ choir in the Quad Cities. There is a vibrant tradition and history of LGBTQ+ choruses in the United States dating back to the formation of The Stonewall Chorale in New York City in 1977, the nation’s first choral ensemble specifically for LGBTQ+ people and allies. Other famous choirs, such as the San Francisco Gay Man’s Chorus or the Los Angeles Trans Choir, soon followed. According to the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA), there are over 200 choirs worldwide dedicated to LGBTQ+ people and allies.
While we were very pleased last year to have 50 singers in this group, we were beyond excited to showcase a truly intergenerational choir of 70 singers from ages 14-80 this year on the steps of the bandshell at Schwiebert Park, decked out in an array of colors representing literally and figuratively all the colors of the rainbow.
Rehearsals began mid-May and felt like joyous family reunions from the very start. This ensemble was a true illustration of the ways a choir can be a beautiful community for each other, providing safe space for people who do not feel comfortable joining other types of choirs, or just be being a fun environment for people who happen to share a hobby and an inclusive spirit. And the joy was palpable in the mighty way this ensemble sang together!
The repertoire I selected this year consisted of three pieces on the theme of personal freedom – both in the sense that we are meant to be the person we are and to live our lives and our truths out loud, and also that there is still injustice in the world against many groups (including queer people) that we must not ignore and that we must stand up against. The choir opened its set with an arrangement of Chappell Roan’s 2023 Billboard-topping hit single and queer anthem “Pink Pony Club,” in which the narrator leaves a conservative upbringing to find belonging and chosen family at a gay bar in West Hollywood. The choir then sang “Louder Than Words” from Jonathan Larson’s semi-autobiographical musical Tick, Tick… Boom! from the early 90s (made famous by a Netflix adaptation in 2021 directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda and starring Andrew Garfield), which centrally features the powerful line “Cages or wings – which do you prefer? Ask the birds.” The choir closed its set with the world premiere of my own arrangement of Beyoncé’s gospel-inspired call to action “Freedom” from her monumental 2016 album Lemonade, featuring our accompanist Alex Gilson on the Hammond organ and David Jacobsmeier on drums.
I am grateful to the amazing people who sang in this year’s choir, and am excited to continue growing this ensemble/community next year. I am also grateful to Clock Inc. for their continued collaboration on projects like this, to the Quad Cities Pride Alliance for allowing us space to sing, and to the fabulous drag queen and QC Pride Fest emcee Bentley Balenciaga for her support and advocacy of our efforts.
Happy Pride!
