GUELPH – For 30 years Rainbow Chorus Waterloo-Wellington (RCWW) has been a space for 2SLGBTQIA+ people and their allies to get together and sing.
It’s a community choir with singers from 21 to 90 years old of all genders, sexualities and gender expressions. And it currently has more members than ever before.
RCWW is also a registered non-profit charity that promotes inclusion and awareness of local 2SLGBTQIA+ communities with concerts and community involvement.
Judy Steers is the chair of Rainbow Chorus’ board of directors and has been singing with the choir since 2011.
To Steers, Rainbow Chorus is “a fantastic music group that explores a lot of different genres of vocal music.”
It’s also a fantastic and supportive community, she told the Advertiser, and a good per cent of Steer’s social network is people she met through the choir.
Most people join Rainbow Chorus for the singing, she said, but “they stay for the community.”
The size of the choir doubled last year, Steers said, growing from about 45 to closer to 100 members.
People with any level of singing experience are welcome to join Rainbow Chorus – no auditions are held.
That’s been the case since the group’s inception, Steers explained, because organizers wanted the choir to be as accessible as possible.
There are also bursaries available to support people with the choir membership fees.
Steers said while society has “come a long way” in the 30 years since Rainbow Chorus has existed, there is still a long way to get to a place where 2SLGBTQIA+ people are accepted and included.
“We still see a lot of negative backlash against the gender diverse and trans community,” she said, and “people still face rejection by family [and] uncertainty about coming out and being who they are.”
Steers said while many members of Rainbow Chorus are 2SLGBTQIA+, others join because they want to become part of the community in order to better support their queer family members.
Songs that Go Like This
The chorus is kicking off its 30th anniversary celebrations with two concerts called Songs that Go Like This.
The concerts are on Jan. 27 at 2pm and 7:30pm at Harcourt Memorial United Church (87 Dean Ave., Guelph).
The Rainbow Chorus will be conducted by artistic director Alison MacNeill and accompanied by collaborative pianist Chris Fischer.
Organizers say they’ve “put together an eclectic program of songs that range from soulful to silly, all woven together into a colourful tapestry of sound and story.
“It will bring a smile to your face and a tune to your heart.”
Tickets are $25 each and $10 for students. Children under 10 are free.
To purchase tickets, for more information, or to register to join the choir visit rainbowchorus.ca.
