WHO WE ARE

Queer Choir Collective curates non-gendered, intergenerational, re-humanizing singing spaces for queer, trans and gender-expansive individuals of all identities and voice types. Allies/co-conspirators welcome.

Six-Week Summer Cohort

Tuesdays, 6:30-8:30pm at The Hybrid Gallery

*June 25th, July 9th + 30th, August 6th, 13th + 20th w/ optional performance at Eugene Pride on August 10th!

1:1 Voice Work

Expand your connection to voice, body, interdependence and queer joy. The magic is in you and in us as a collective!

Here is the core work of QCC, inviting singers to deep-dive into ensemble singing inside of a closed container. Build trust and connection, strengthen your vocal skills and create beautiful music in a wholly queered-up choir space (in-person) No audition. No SATB voicing. Some prior singing experience recommended.

RECIPROCITY: Three-tiered pricing to meet folx where they are:

• Standard: $222

• Supported by the collective: $99

• Supporting the collective: $333

Singing is your birthright. Reclaim it.

Lisa offers private sessions at their home studio in Southeast Eugene. Whether you've been singing for years already, or have never sung in front of anyone before, Lisa creates loving and patient space for you to work through all the vulnerability, joy, and release that comes with singing.

$65-85 sliding scale

SING WITH US

Homophonic: a 2SLGBTQIA+ A Cappella Experience

2-Day Retreat + Performance at Pride, August 7th-10th, 2024

Get ready to dive deep. This 2-day retreat is for singers who want to dig into some tight, juicy vocal harmonies and form connections with other queer singers. Each singer will bring their magic to this space as we form an a cappella group for three days, preparing to take the Eugene Pride stage on August 10th! Time spent learning music prior to the retreat will be required.

DATES:

Wednesday, August 7th, 4pm check-in thru Friday, August 9th, 1pm check-out

Saturday, August 10th: Eugene Pride Performance (time TBD)

RETREAT LOCATION, SLEEPING ARRANGEMENTS & MEALS: Located just outside of Eugene, Mandala Retreat Center is a beautiful space environment for harmony-singing and deep relationship-building. Singers may choose to camp on the land, or sleep inside the adobe structure on camping pads. There is a compost toilet onsite as well as a micro kitchen. All meals will be provided while on-site. We will be sourcing local and organic ingredients as much as possible, and can work with any and all dietary needs.

RECIPROCITY: To cover the expense of the retreat center and food (includes lodging for Wednesday and Thursday nights, as well as meals from Wednesday dinner through Friday lunch), as well as preparation time, energy and on-site facilitation of rehearsals and community-building:

$111-444 love offering (Choose an amount that is in alignment with your financial situation, your positionality, from a place of abundance, gratitude and ease. Black, Indigenous and People of Color/People of the Global Majority encouraged to pay on the lower end of the scale)

"Queer like, escaping definition. Queer like some sort of fluidity and limitlessness at once...like a freedom too strange to be conquered...like the fearlessness to imagine what love can look like, and pursue it." - Brandon Wint

OUR FACILITATORS

Lisa Forkish

Queer Choir is directed by Lisa Forkish (they/she), a genderqueer singer/songwriter, artivist, educator, abolitionist, community-builder, Cancer Sun + Rising, a cappella geek, and veteran choir director. Lisa has deep roots in Eugene, and recently moved back to these unceded Kalapuya lands from Oakland, CA where they spent 10 years as vocal music faculty at Oakland School for the Arts.

Lisa is committed to decolonizing the western settler capitalist concept of singing as an exclusive activity only for some, and not the universal truth that it is; a sacred birthright for all. She aims to breathe humanity into the spaces she holds, with vulnerability and compassion. Lisa is actively working to heal the wounds of music elitism and not-enoughness through an embodied, trauma-informed and heartful approach. For them, love is paramount, and closeness is the antidote to white supremacist delusion, cisheteropatriarchy and cultural disconnection. Lisa believes in singing as a liberatory practice and invites you to join them in using voice and song to create a more just and loving world.

You can learn more about Lisa and their work at lisaforkish.com.

“Let me chant my heartʻs wishes for the world and harmonize with others who are courageous enough to make music with their voices." - Pixie Lighthorse

FAQs

Can I join if I don't have prior formal singing experience? Yes! All are welcome. The 8-week choir sessions will move at a slightly quicker pace than a traditional song circle, but perhaps more spacious and varied in HOW we sing together than you would experience in a traditional western choir. Our rehearsals will a combination of learning simple songs by ear, learning a more complex arrangement with sheet music, and improvising our own music. There will ALWAYS be practice tracks for the sheet music pieces, so those who exclusively learn by ear can access all QCC offerings.

Will I have to sing by myself in front of others? Not required, however there will be various opportunities to share your solo voice with others if you desire.

What covid safety measures are in place? We will make room for airflow and use air filters as needed. Masks are optional, but may absolutely be worn as needed/desired. We take care of each other, so if you are feeling unwell, or know you've had exposure to COVID or other serious illness, please stay home.

What about other accessibility needs? All of our in-person singing spaces include these accessibility features:

• on public-transit / easy nearby street parking

• wheelchair-accessible entrances

• gender neutral bathrooms

• various seating options for different body types (multiple kinds of chairs, floor seating options, benches, couches, etc.)

What can I expect from the choir cohorts? Our weekly structure is roughly outlined below. We also do a community potluck in lieu of rehearsal on one of the Tuesday evenings!

• opening arrival and mindfulness practice

• vocal warm-ups

• learning short, accessible songs with repeated parts

• work on a piece of music with sheet music

• circle songs / freeing the voice

• closing practice

Can I join an 8 or 6-week choir if I'm unable to attend all dates? Yes, you can still join us, but payment is required for the full session, and singers are encouraged to block out all eight Mondays in the interest of building a cohesive, connected choir for the duration.

Can I sing with QCC if I'm not queer-identified? Absolutely. Having co-conspirators and diverse backgrounds in our liberatory singing spaces is crucial! And, it's imperative that you feel comfortable in a queer-centered space, have language competency that is trans-inclusive / gender neutral and that you be open and receptive to learning. Here is a great site with resources for allies.

“Being in QCC reminded me that my voice (and by extension me) has its special strengths and deserves to be heard along with others in harmony, or dissonance as it may be. Thank you for that!" - Dan (Eugene, OR)

"Lisa's beautiful facilitation of singing circles is nothing short of musical alchemy-Lisa creates spaces that are warm, safe, welcoming, and courageous, melding music and message in deep, meaningful ways." - Angela (Oakland, CA)

“Lisa creates a safe space to unpack all the vulnerabilities and sensitivities that come with singing for me. They are absolutely present and so very knowledgeable. I feel safely held and guided.” - Jenn (Hilo, HI)

TESTIMONIALS

REACH FOR US

For inquiries, collaborations, or any questions you may have, please send us an email: info@queerchoircollective.com