New Mexico Women's Chorus

 

NMWC Herstory     

     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, repeated the appearance in Denver, CO. We are looking forward to repeating the experience in Denver in July, 2016.

    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 more than thirty singers we had this past season.  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 and Pride Interfaith Services, the Breast Exam Project, various senior living centers,  community activities, Pride Celebrations, and Benefit Concerts for the Albuquerque Peace and Justice Center, St. Martin’s Hospitality Center, the Family Advocacy Center and the Desert Harvest Food Rescue Program.

    In addition, we have shared the stage Holly Near, Jamie Anderson, and Lucie Blue Tremblay, as well as our brother chorus, the New  Mexico Gay Men’s Chorus, and 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, the NOW national conference, for members of the All American Girls Baseball League, a benefit for Encantada, and recently made an appearance on KQRE's Morning Show!. We enjoy a two + year relationship with the  Albuquerque Reintegration Center, partnering with troubled teens. The Chorus celebrates more than 20 years of striving to enhance our artistic expression, develop a performance-ready repertoire, and perform culturally diverse and   socially conscious music while honoring women-authored and feminist music. As members of the group, we welcome women of all experience levels and sexual orientations. Our chorus is non-auditioned, and everyone finds a place for expression.