Butterfly Music Transgender Chorus
The Butterfly Music Transgender Chorus was a Boston-based non-audition chorus that supported the transgender community through music, outreach, and research.[1][2] Founded in 2014 by Sandi Hammond, faculty member at the New School of Music in Cambridge, Massachusetts[citation needed]. It is thought to have been the second transgender choir in the nation, the first being the Transcendence Gospel Choir of San Francisco.[3][4] The chorus held its first public performance on April 9, 2015, at the First Church in Boston.[5]
During the following two years, the chorus received a large amount of local and nation media attention, garnering stories in O, The Oprah Magazine, Local and National NPR stations, ABC News and others.[5][6]
The Butterfly Music Transgender Chorus does not exist anymore. After two sold-out debut concerts in downtown Boston, Hammond stepped down in October 2016[7]. during an intense debate about the impact of media exposure on the group and also the fact that she herself is not trans. A small group of volunteers continued a self-led, volunteer song-circle for several months under the new name, Boston Trans Chorus.[8]
The Butterfly Music Transgender Chorus has sparked the creation of similar groups in Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Kansas City, and Manchester, New Hampshire.[9]
References
- "Mission Statement/Proclamation". Butterfly Music. Archived from the original on 2016-07-16. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
- Petersen, Lilli (December 8, 2015). "Trans Chorus Helps Members Sing With New Voices". Refinery 29. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
- Binkley, Collin (December 8, 2015). "Transgender singers find their voices in Boston choir". AP The Big Story. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
- Marech, Rona; Writer, Chronicle Staff (2004-04-18). "SAN FRANCISCO / Singing the gospel of Transcendence / Nation's first all-transgender gospel choir raises its voices to praise God and lift their own feelings of self-love and dignity". SFGate. Retrieved 2020-03-18.
- Tan, Avianne (December 10, 2015). "Boston Chorus Empowers Transgender Singers by Helping Them Find Their Voices". ABC News. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
- Donaldson, Zoe (June 2016). "The Surprising Way This Woman Is Helping the Transgender Community". Oprah.comZoe Donaldson. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
- Adler, Richard K.; Hirsch, Sandy; Pickering, Jack (6 December 2018). Voice and Communication Therapy for the Transgender/Gender Diverse Client: A Comprehensive Clinical Guide, Third Edition. Plural. ISBN 9781944883317.
- "Boston Trans Chorus – Arts & Business Council of Boston". artsandbusinesscouncil.org. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
- "Butterfly Music Transgender Chorus". New Music USA. Retrieved 2019-03-23.