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. 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,[citation needed] 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

  1. ^ "Mission Statement/Proclamation". Butterfly Music. Archived from the original on 2016-07-16. Retrieved 2018-03-03.
  2. ^ Petersen, Lilli (December 8, 2015). "Trans Chorus Helps Members Sing With New Voices". Refinery 29. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  3. ^ Binkley, Collin (December 8, 2015). "Transgender singers find their voices in Boston choir". AP The Big Story. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ a b Tan, Avianne (December 10, 2015). "Boston Chorus Empowers Transgender Singers by Helping Them Find Their Voices". ABC News. Retrieved 2016-08-18.
  6. ^ Donaldson, Zoe (June 2016). "The Surprising Way This Woman Is Helping the Transgender Community". Oprah.comZoe Donaldson. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Boston Trans Chorus – Arts & Business Council of Boston". artsandbusinesscouncil.org. Retrieved 2018-08-01.
  9. ^ "Butterfly Music Transgender Chorus". New Music USA. Retrieved 2019-03-23.