SEATTLE — Five years ago, Haven Wilvich had a dream: start a choir for transgender and nonbinary singers.
"I was hoping to do a small, self-led group of really talented singers, be an acapella ensemble essentially," Wilvich said.
Despite being a singer, Wilvich did not have the expertise to put such a choir together, so she shelved the idea until she met Kaelee Bolme.
Bolme has a BA in piano performance and has worked with choirs extensively over the years. Using her expertise to create something special for her community was a no-brainer.
With Wilvich's idea and Bolme's expertise, the Seattle Trans and Nonbinary Choral Ensemble, STANCE for short, was created. The group's first performance was for Transgender Day of Remembrance 2022, a day set aside to remember trans people who've been killed because of their gender identity.
With plans to put on a more extensive concert, an audition callout was placed and the interest exceeded their expectations.
“When we started organizing this we were kind of saying if we get up to 30 people, that’s a rousing success, and all of sudden, we’re having to talk about our reasonable capacity for the space. We’ll have to cap it at 75. That’s tremendous," Bolme said.
Bolme and Wilvich both shared their personal journey as transgender women who enjoy singing.
“Sometimes singing solo can bring up a lot of dysphoria around the type of voice you have. For example, I sing bass, and as a woman, that sometimes hits me in an odd way, but when I’m singing around trans people. It really makes me feel centered and whole," Wilvich said.
“It took me a long time to get to the point where I was like, yes, I’m a woman and I’m a tenor and that’s awesome. It’s really freeing when you can get there and you can be comfortable with your natural voice," Bolme said.
The two women know their struggles are similar to other trans and/or nonbinary folx specifically when it comes to being part of typical choirs. In those ensembles, members are almost always separated into men and women based on voice types.
“Being a trans person in a choir with almost exclusively cis people, you just never know, you’re sitting there in the tenor or bass section and you just never know when someone is going to call out men and ruin your day," Bolme said. "You don’t see a lot of trans people in choirs for that reason. There’s a lot who haven’t sung since they were a lot younger because they’re not comfortable with their vocal range or being misgendered in the rehearsal process.”
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STANCE will be free of those issues and they'll be able to focus on what's important, making music. For Skye Farrell, one of the people who landed a spot in the group, knowing he won't face the aforementioned issues is a huge relief. Farrell was a soprano, but after he started taking hormones, his voice changed dramatically.
“I really struggled with it for a long time because singing was my happy place for so long. I felt like it was something I was really good at and after being on testosterone, I felt like I lost that," Farrell said. “I wanted to join an organization that would kind of understand those struggles and helps me as I rediscover my voice.”
Bolme and Wilvich say they know there will be dozens of stories similar to Farrell's. They're happy to be able to create this space where people in their community can express themselves freely.
“I think centering trans joy is key to our survival. I don’t think we can get very far if all we focus on is the pain, and the battles we have to face. We need a space where we can really truly be ourselves and celebrate together," Wilvich said.
As for what the audience can expect, Bolme has plans to create some fantastic music.
“People will come here and within 10 minutes, they won’t be seeing a trans choir. They’ll just be seeing a choir. They’ll be enriched by the music, wrapped up by the music. That’s my hope" Bolme said.
To support and learn more about STANCE, you can visit their website. They have upcoming performances planned for March and June. Those dates are below. It'll take place at Rainier Beach Presbyterian Church:
- Talent Show - Saturday, March 25 at 7 p.m.
- Pride Concert - Friday, June 16 at 7 p.m., Saturday, June 17 at 4 p.m.