STANCE Levels Up Choir with Community, Talent, and Vibrance
In 2022, after being fed up with the heavily gendered and binary-focused pedagogy of traditional choir, a group of talented trans and nonbinary singers, musicians, and directors came together to create STANCE, the Seattle Trans and Nonbinary Choral Ensemble.
With a focus on community, diversity, and accessibility, STANCE breaks the mold and offers a new way to embrace one’s identity and share music in a space that is empowering, uplifting, and affirming to trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming singers.
Their mission is simple but impactful: “Our mission is to provide a vocal community free of gendered expectations, by and for Transgender and Nonbinary singers, to explore and express ourselves through music.” But STANCE is not only a welcoming and accepting space; it is also a beautiful chance to learn and grow one’s vocal skills with knowledgeable and talented leadership, all without the gendered expectations of regular choral ensembles.
Typically, there is a rigid expectation that cis women will be sopranos, mezzo-sopranos, or altos, and that cis men will be tenors, baritones, or basses, meaning that non-cis singers might be placed in a group that doesn’t fit with their identity, or put into a vocal part that doesn’t necessarily fit their range, or might not support their voice if they go through hormonal transition or do vocal training.
But STANCE doesn’t follow the traditional model. In the words of fluffy [sic] (she/they), a singer liaison on the board of directors for STANCE, “[STANCE is a choir] where folks of all genders and lack thereof make their home in every section. Here, a tenor can also be a femme.” The categorization of a singer’s voice is not predetermined by their gender presentation or sex assigned at birth, but instead by their vocal ability, range, and talent. Such a simple shift in focus gives trans and nonbinary singers the confidence to use their voices and not to feel ostracized by the standards of traditional choir.
Screengrab of a performance by STANCE / The Evergreen Echo
To get a taste of the overwhelming joy and love within STANCE’s community, you can review their past performances on their YouTube page. I was personally most taken with this gorgeous rendition of David Bowie’s Space Oddity (1969) by the tenors and basses of the choir.
Formerly part of a Pride Month celebration, this piece is performed in front of a large open window, with the gay and trans Pride flags hanging behind the singers. An ASL interpreter stands nearby, signing the lyrics and sounds of the performance to the audience. Even without being in the room, you can sense the openness and love within the space and within each member of the ensemble, who are dressed in the colors of the rainbow. The singers look comfortable, dressed in clothes that express themselves best. Two soloists begin the opening verse of the song then move back to sing with the rest of the tenors and bassists in a beautiful harmony. As the song continues, the singers clap along to the percussion of the music, you can see members of the audience swaying and moving along, and the room seems to fill with the spirit of the community that has come together to support these voices and their mission.
Music is one of the ways in which we can bridge gaps between different communities, cultures, and peoples. Choir especially is a building block to creating wonderful community. Singing can be a vulnerable but rewarding experience, and sharing it with others is a great way to build confidence and bond with the people around you. Singing in an ensemble is the coming together of individual voices to create something whole, to bring a solo piece into a harmonic movement.
As any former or current choir kid would tell you, choir is a place to build each other up, to bond, and to celebrate each other’s progress. Beyond that, it’s a place to share one’s voice, perspective, and emotion with an audience, and to fill a space with sound. One particularly striking quote from STANCE’s website, written by Leo Snipes, states:
“Here I am, surrounded by my beautiful peers. Surrounded by all of these amazing souls. When my partner and I met, we were living in the deep South, surrounded by transphobia, fear, and mistrust. I didn’t know if either of us would make it out alive. But with the strength and the will to love, to live, to be, not only are we surviving here but we are thriving. We are loving, living, being alongside one another. Hand in hand, lifting each other up, there is nothing that you, all of you, and I cannot do. When I am surrounded by all of you, I feel a steady, warm, and unwavering light inside of me.”
