Transcend exists to bring trans and gender-expansive/gender non-conforming voices into the choral music of the western choral tradition. We perform art music (in all its forms) from medieval to contemporary, with a general focus on presenting works of composers from minority backgrounds.
Our goals are artistic, musical, pedagogical and socially-oriented: we are making interesting, thoughtful music, while using our voices to create space for gender-expansive voices in the traditional canon and carve out a legacy for future generations of trans or gender-expansive singers.
Singing together — whether that’s informally with our friends at karaoke, or in a structure environment, like a choir — is one of the core elements of the human experience. Research tells us that singers of all levels benefit in myriad ways from choral singing: physically (blood pressure! heart rate!), emotionally (lower anxiety! stronger sense of personal identity!)and socially (group identity! sense of belonging! sense of personal and group achievement!). It’s hard to find any downsides to being in a choir…
…Unless, of course, there’s no choir for you, no choral home where you feel welcome because you don’t really ‘fit’ into the traditional vocal paradigms on which western choral music is built. In short, if you aren’t clearly an S(oprano), A(lto), T(enor) or B(ass), there are very few places where your voice is a comfortable, easy fit. This is obviously an issue for trans singers in transition, whose voices are changeable and uncertain, but it’s also an issue for anyone else whose voice just happens to be a little different. Maybe your timbre is unusual. Maybe you’re louder than most. Maybe your voice is androgynous and doesn’t really fit with the other voices in your section. What then?
That’s where Transcend steps in: We believe that there’s a place for everyone, regardless of voice type, status or otherwise. We exist to show the world what beauty there can be in voices that don’t ‘fit,’ to showcase the unique aesthetic of transitioning and non-conforming voices coming together in song.
Everyone deserves to have a voice. Everyone deserves to have their voice heard. Everyone deserves a welcoming place where they can express themselves and communicate with others musically. We believe that singing is a human right, and we exist to advocate extending that right to everyone, regardless of whether or not their voice ‘fits.’
Ours didn’t.
Thus, we are creating our own musical space, to show others like us that their voices are valued, are beautiful, are worth hearing.
