Choral Spectrum at Holmeswood Baptist Church performing their November 2023 concert, “FROM ABOVE: everything that has ever been.” (Courtesy of Choral Spectrum)
Choral Spectrum LGBTQ+ choir brings holiday cheer for all
Holidays are meant to be a warm reprieve against the cold backdrop of winter. They are meant to provide fond memories of family and friends, heartfelt gifts, decadent food and song. However, for some, the holidays are not particularly joyous. This can be especially true for the LGBTQ+ community, who are at times ostracized from their families and communities. Local LGBTQ+ mixed chorus, Choral Spectrum, seeks to alleviate this pain by exemplifying the concept of “chosen family” in their holiday concert and beyond through high-quality music in a radically accepting atmosphere.
Founder and artistic director Dr. Michael Robert Patch started Choral Spectrum after witnessing heart-wrenching experiences of gender discrimination in previous choirs. Patch saw a gender nonconforming woman forced to choose between performing the music she loves and wearing a dress and pearls in front of her friends and family, despite her affinity for button-ups and bow ties.
“I never realized until that moment how binary classical choral music is,” Patch said. “You have your dresses and gowns. You have your tuxes. You have women singing the high parts and men singing the low parts. And god forbid you have somebody who looks like a female wearing a dress singing a bass part.”
Choral Spectrum removes binary barriers by allowing their members to dress as they feel most comfortable and represented. Members who are transitioning can move from alto to tenor or vice versa as needed. In their spring show, “The Pirates of Penzance,” Choral Spectrum utilized “gender blind” casting in which men, women, trans or nonbinary members played roles that were originally cast for another gender.
Choral Spectrum’s holiday concert, “For the Holidays Find Your Way Home,” sheds light on another issue close to the LGBTQ+ community: LGBTQ+ youth in need of foster families. The concert will feature both contemporary and traditional music, theatrical elements and even an appearance from Santa Claus. It will also provide information about fostering LGBTQ+ youth in Kansas and Missouri, as there is a real dearth of affirming foster families in these states. DCCCA, KVC Health Systems and Foster Adopt Connect will have tables at the event and will give a brief informational talk midway through the concert. The idea of the show is to provide the holiday experience that every child deserves. Patch adds, “It’s about connecting with family. It’s about uplifting marginalized communities. It’s about embracing one’s culture and finding happiness in a place that often, for a lot of kids, is not happy.”
Through the holidays and beyond, Choral Spectrum gives members a sense of community, which they share through their varied and thoughtful concerts. Member Sydney Robb said, “I started because I wanted a place where I felt welcome. I had and still have a lot of performance anxiety. Choral Spectrum really opened its arms to me, and it’s become like a second family.”
Each week, members rehearse together and build bonds over their shared identities, experiences and a passion for choral music. What is different about Choral Spectrum is that all members are encouraged to be their whole selves. Patch emphasized, “No matter what you look like and what your voice sounds like, which often in our community don’t necessarily match, there’s a place for you.”
See “For the Holidays Find Your Way Home” Dec. 13 and 14 at 7:30 p.m. and Dec.15 at 3 p.m. at Holmeswood Baptist Church, 9700 Holmes Rd. For tickets and more information on Choral Spectrum, visit www.choralspectrumkc.org.
