April 27, 2024
Event Notes
Join us in the Spring for “You are Enough!” a concert about mental health. The choirs of WCPA will present works that are musical symbols of challenges we face in our daily lives like anxiety, otherness, depression, and even existential dread, through stunning pieces such as “Please Stay” by Jake Runestad and “How to Sing Like a Planet” by Elizabeth Alexander. The concert considers love and community to be a possible antidote of our daily challenges through the call to love ourselves and one another–in pieces like “I Celebrate Myself” by M.J. Trotta. “You are Enough!” will surely make you feel seen and will reinforce that we are in this beautiful journey together through community and love!
History
Windy City Performing Arts (WCPA), incorporated in 1983, is the independent, not-for-profit umbrella organization that operates the Windy City Choruses. Each chorus performs a variety of musical styles from classical to pop. With over four decades of history performing major choral works and specially commissioned pieces in the Chicago community, WCPA takes pride in musical excellence, regardless of the style of music. WCPA is particularly proud to have been the first LGBTQ choral organization to sing the U.S. national anthem at a professional Illinois sporting event, opening for the Chicago White Sox back in 2003.
WCPA choruses have performed on a broad range of regional and local stages, from the Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago to Carnegie Hall in New York City. Members of WCPA have shared the stage with Hugh Jackman, performed at Ravinia with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under thebaton of Maestro Marin Alsop, and opened Chicago Bulls games with the National Anthem.
Founded in October 1979, Windy City Gay Chorus (WCGC) is the oldest gay chorus in the Midwest, and one of the first gay choruses organized in the United States. WCGC’s first performance was December 1979’s “Don We Now” holiday concert at Stages Music Hall. WCGC is a founding member of the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA) and has performed in cities throughout the country. The ensemble has been lauded by the Illinois House of Representatives, the Mayors’ offices of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Denver, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Seattle, and Chicago Mayors Rahm Emanuel, Richard M. Daley, and the late Harold Washington. WCGC is committed to performing music that is as challenging as it is entertaining.
Windy City Treble Quire (WCTQ) initially took shape in 1996 as Aria: Windy City Women’s Ensemble, and was originally the small ensemble associated with Unison: Windy City Lesbian and Gay Singers. Aria quickly became an audience favorite at concerts and special appearances, and performed to rave reviews at the GALA Festival 2000 in San Jose. In 2014, Aria rebranded as Windy City Treble Quire (an old English spelling for “choir”) to create a more welcoming and inclusive community for their singers of all identities.
The Treble Quire, or “the Q”, has grown from its origins as a small ensemble of about 8 singers to the approximately 60 singers you see on stage tonight. WCTQ performs music that entertains, reminds us of our diversity, and is poised to make a lasting impact on the mainstream, as well as LGBTQ music scene.
WCPA’s newest chorus, Windy City Chamber Quire (WCCQ), gave their inaugural performance on December 2023’s “Angels Among Us” concert. The Chamber Quire performs challenging repertoire in a small group setting, and is able to quickly learn new music to fit a variety of occasions, allowing them to perform for events in and around Chicago. To book the Chamber Quire for an event, please contact our Executive Director, Megan Elk: melk@windycitysings.org.
Windy City Performing Arts 