The road we have traveled together over the last 30 years
The New Mexico Women’s Chorus started as the dream child of a small group of women who joined together to sing and have fun in the Fall of 1993. NMWC became a member of the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses in April of 1995. We made our first appearance on the International GALA Festival scene in July of 2000, with an ensemble of seven members, in San José, CA. In the summer of 2004, the entire chorus brought the voices of New Mexico women in all their diversity to the Montreal stage, performing on the main stage, at the Women’s Concert, and in an interfaith service. In the summer of 2008, we travelled to Miami, FL to again share this experience with 134 choruses from around the world, and in July of 2012, and 2016, repeated the appearances in Denver, CO. GALA 2020 was canceled as a result of COVID, but we were all able to gather again to celebrate in Minneapolis in 2024.It has been a long journey from that first group of six Founding Mothers, one of whom, Peggy Roberts, remains a member of the chorus today, to the 50 singers we have today. During that trek, in addition to at least two seasonal concerts per year, NMWC has performed for the United Nations Association, the Coalition for Equality, the Unitarian Church, the First Congregational Church, the Center for Spiritual Living in Santa Fe, Zia Rodeo, Breast Cancer Vigils, World AIDS Day, Pride Interfaith Services, the Breast Exam Project, various senior living centers, the Northridge Alzheimer’s Center, community activities, Pride Celebrations, and Benefit Concerts for the Albuquerque Peace and Justice Center, St. Martin’s Hospitality Center, the Family Advocacy Center, the Desert Harvest Food Rescue Program, and for SAGE and CASAQ with Encantada: The Band of Enchantment. In addition we have sung for the Old Town Shop and Stroll, the Towne Park Community, Albuquerque Reintegration Center, NM Kids Matter, The Albuquerque Garden Show, patients at Kindred Hospital, and the Taylor Ranch Library several times. We are also proud to have sung at the Women’s March in Santa Fe several times starting in January of 2017! We also sang at the Senior Olympic Games in June 2019. Watch for us in an upcoming Netflix production in 2025.
We have shared the stage Holly Near, Jamie Anderson, and Lucie Blue Tremblay, as well as Encantada: The Band of Enchantment. We have traveled within New Mexico from Albuquerque to Santa Fe to Las Cruces to honor our mission of providing enjoyable opportunities for women to create music together. Hot Flashes, our performance-ready ensemble, has sung at an engagement party, OASIS, Bernalillo County Inaguration, the NOW national conference, for members of the All American Girls Baseball League, and held their own concert in December, 2015 as a fundraiser.for the chorus. In 2019, the entertained SAGE at their Holiday party. NMWC celebrates social justice, gender fluidity, and feminist principles through performances that educate, entertain and inspire our audiences.
As members of the group, we welcome people of all experience levels and sexual orientations. Our chorus is non-auditioned, and everyone finds a place for expression. We continue working on the development of means to express how welcome our trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming members are-we are a safe space.
