For most Transgender and Non-Binary individuals coming home for the holidays is not an option. So we celebrate with our created families, friends and allies.

Join TCLA on December 16, 2023 at the LA LGBT Center's Renberg Theatre for  a night of songs bringing our community together socially, culturally and lovingly in the spirit of goodwill to all during this holiday season.

https://ci.ovationtix.com/36684/production/1178164

Tomorrow, Friday September 8th 2023 we are hosting our second round of auditions. So if you missed out last month, how's your chance to try out for the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles!

Be sure to fill out the application on our Join Page. And join us on a first come first serve basis tomorrow Friday September 8th from 6pm to 9pm at the Connie Norman Transgender Empowerment Center

CONOTEC
1001 N. Martel Ave., LA, CA 90046.

The audition will consist of two parts: a musical audition and an interview.

Each auditor shall:

• Perform 16 bars of two contrasting (aka different styles) of songs (ballad, musical, pop, hymn, etc.,)
• Sing scales and warm-ups to determine tonal quality and range
• Repeat simple melodic patterns to ascertain tonal memory and pitch recognition
• Please bring sheet music (accompanist provided) to sing along with

-ALTERNATIVELY -

• Perform a short a cappella piece of your choice in any style to showcase your musicality
• You may also use a karaoke track

If you are interested in TCLA but not a singer we are seeking Production staff for:

• Sound Engineers
• Lights & Stage Management
• Administrative Team (Social Media, Photography, Office Work)

If you have additional questions please feel free to contact Artistic Director, Abdullah "Abby" Hall abdullahrasheen@gmail.com.

Today, June 25th, YouTube celebrates Pride month with YouTube Pride 2021. Featuring appearances from  Olly Alexander & Mawaan Rizwan, Daniel Howell, Elton John & David Furnish, Trixie Mattel, as well as Demi Lovato, Noah Cyrus and the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles singing the song "Easy". All streaming across YouTube for your viewing pleasure.

The Trans Chorus of Los Angeles will also be premiering their new music video "Victorious" during today's YouTube Pride celebration. So be sure to tune in and check out all the amazing performances as we celebrate Pride together!

Watch Here: http://yt.be/YouTubePrideDemi

The Trans Chorus of Los Angeles finds the racially motivated murders of 8 people in Atlanta truly abhorrent. 6 of which were asian women. Violence, racism and hate touches all of us and we must stand together with our AAPI friends against it.

TCLA is delighted to announce...

For the first time in U.S. History...the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles are participants in the Presidential Inaugural Performance.  It will be a virtual “Parade Across America” on January 20 at 3:15 PM ET (12:15 PM PST) that will feature diverse, dynamic performances in communities in all 56 states and territories, celebrate America’s heroes, and highlight the diversity, heritage, and resilience of the country.

Join us for this momentous occasion as we collaborate with:

DJ Cassidy’s Pass The Mic, featuring Earth Wind & Fire, Nile Rodgers, Kathy Sledge, The Trans Chorus of Los Angeles, The Washington Chorus, The Triumph Baptist Church Choir, and everyday Americans.  

Presidential Inaugural Committee Announces Participants for the “Parade Across America”

WASHINGTON — Today, the Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) announced participants in a virtual “Parade Across America” on January 20 at 3:15 PM ET that will feature diverse, dynamic performances in communities in all 56 states and territories, celebrate America’s heroes, and highlight the diversity, heritage, and resilience of the country.

[...]

The event will be livestreamed at https://BidenInaugural.org/watch starting at 3:15 PM ET on January 20 and on the PIC’s social media platforms, including YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Twitch. The PIC’s streaming partners, including Amazon Prime Video, Microsoft Bing, NewsNOW from Fox, and AT&T U-verse (Channel 212/1212 in SD/HD) and DIRECTV (Channel 201), will also carry the program live.

The Trans Chorus of Los Angeles is extremely honored and humbled to be part of this momentous event.  To make a donation to TCLA please click here

Today is the Transgender Day of Remembrance and Resilience. It is a day where we reflect on the lives that have been taken away so quickly and senselessly. And also a day where we reflect on those whose shoulder's we stand upon.

In 2020, in the midst of this horrible pandemic, we have seen 48 trans, gender-non-confirming, black lives, POC lives, latin lives, indigenous lives and other souls taken from us through acts of violence, suicide and the erasure of the trans community.

We want to take a moment to acknowledge all those we have lost by reading the names of those who are no longer with us this TDOR.

Today, Saturday June 27th 2020, is the Virtual LA Pride 50th Anniversary Celebration. The Trans Chorus of Los Angeles is thrilled to once again perform the the LA Pride event, even when it is held virtually.

The event will be streamed online at lapride.org as well as broadcast on Local TV Channel KABC 7 from 8 - 11pm Pacific.

KABC 7 Los Angeles; Interview with Abdullah Rasheen Hall

Above you can see an interview conducted by KABC 7 Los Angeles with our Artistic Directory Abdullah Rasheen Hall about the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles and the message we are trying to bring to the Trans Community and beyond.

Yesterday, June 20th 2020, was the Los Angeles LGBT Center's annual Trans Pride Celebration. The celebration this year was virtual, but the the COVID-19 Pandemic, but the Chorus was still thrilled to perform for the event. We even had a lovely solo by our Artistic Director Abdullah Rasheen Hall.

You can watch the entire VarieTy show with all the different performances in the embedded video above. The show starts at the 14:45 minute mark.

Above at the 31:18 minute mark you can see the solo performance by our A.D. Abdullah Rasheen Hall, with Joe Lawrence on the piano.

Members of the chorus appear throughout the VarieTy show in various capacities, as many of our members are involved with community enrichment in multiple ways.

Below at the 1:56:35 mark is our performance of with the wonderful Maggie Szabo who has been a key ally and friend to the Chorus over the years.

If you were unable to attend Trans Pride this year, or live in a part of the world where it isn't celebrated, this is a great way to get a little Pride in your life. We hope you enjoyed our performances, and look forward to bringing you more.

Happy Pride!

Saturday, June 20th 2020, the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles will be performing at the Los Angeles LGBT Center's celebration of Trans Pride in the VarieTy Show. Anyone can tune in from around the world, it's a global celebration of Trans Pride.

Register here: https://lalgbtcenter.org/transpride

See you at the show!

Over the past few months during the Covid-19 Pandemic TCLA has continued to gather every Sunday virtually to socialize, raise our voices together in song, and support one another during this crisis.  In the past few weeks we’ve witnessed the news cycle flip from the pandemic to the unjust killings of black men and women across the country, including George Floyd, killed while in police custody; Breonna Taylor, a first responder, shot in her own bed while sleeping; Ahmaud Arbery, shot while jogging; and Tony McDade, a black trans man fatally shot by police.

Trans and non-binary people, and in particular our black trans and non-binary community, are disproportionately targeted in society by acts of hate, abuse, and violence. In 2019, more than 22 black transgender women were murdered, while the reported 2020 number of murders is currently at 12.  Many of these murders of our black trans siblings have gone unpunished, unsolved, and without much publicity.  Just last week, Tony McDade was misgendered and deadnamed by a local news station and the Tallahassee Police Department that was responsible for his death.  These statistics illustrate that the trans community is unfortunately all too familiar with the injustices in our current systems of law.

TCLA recognizes the anguish surrounding these recent events and we want to let our patrons and everyone know that we stand wholeheartedly in solidarity with the black community to end the systemic racism across our country.  Just this year TCLA closed the show at the Black Aids Institute annual Hero’s in the Struggle Gala and we will continue to have an ongoing commitment to raise our voices for marginalized groups everywhere.

“Surely the day will come when color means nothing more than the skin tone, when religion is seen uniquely as a way to speak one’s soul, when birth places have the weight of a throw of dice and all people are born free, when understanding breeds love and togetherness.”

– Josephine Baker, singer, activist, pioneer.

In solidarity,

Dena Williams
Board Chair and CEO

Positive representation has always been a struggle for the trans community. Often we're cast in a negative light, if our existence is acknowledged at all. But whether our existence is validated or not, we are here, and we have always been here.

In 2019, P&G ran a commercial for Gillette that featured a  transgender man learning to shave from his father. It was a  groundbreaking depiction of a universal right-of-passage, and many  LGBTQ+ activists applauded the ad. Others expressed concern about brands  jumping on the bandwagon inauthentically. The questions they asked  encouraged P&G to examine their intentions and ensure that they  didn’t view this advertisement as a one-time opportunity to represent  the experiences of transgender men. It’s not always easy to have these  conversations in a corporate environment, but P&G knows that  visibility and proper representation matters. In the short film, “They  Will See You,” we explore the history of LGBTQ+ advertising and meet the  inspirational people whose lives have been impacted by seeing their  stories represented on screen.

-Great Big Story: They Will See You: LGBTQ+ Visibility in Advertising

Last year P&G featured the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles in a national commercial for Pantene "Going Home for the Holidays Should Be Beautiful". And now they've released a short film about LGBTQIA+ representation in media called "They Will See You", which we are proud to be a part of.

We all have stories to tell, we all needed people and examples to look to when we were young. We're happy we're able to tell out story and hope that through efforts like this more will be able to do the same.

The Trans Chorus of Los Angeles (TCLA) is a leader in the trans  community. As a community we are in spirit supportive of all its artists  and the gender expansive artistic movement. We would like to  congratulate Gail and Jill on their documentary "Out Loud' chronicling  the first year of the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles in 2015. That was five  years ago. Since then there have been significant structural,  administrative, and vocal changes to TCLA.

As of 2018, the Trans Chorus of Los  Angeles (TCLA) appointed Dr. Kathryn Dainty Davis, Executive Director;  Abdullah Rahsheen Hall, Artistic Director; Joe Lawrence, Music Director;  and Dena Williams, Board Chairperson.

The Chorus has made many important and progressive changes as a choral  ensemble performing in its fifth year of existence. In 2019, at a CNN  Democratic debate, was the first time in history a Trans identified  group has sung the national anthem on-air. We were featured in a  national Pantene commercial campaign "Going Home for the Holidays Should  Be Beautiful", The Man/Kind Project's World Premiere tribute to Chiune  Sugihara. The Chorus was also involved in collaborations with A Noise  Within Theatre-ANW, Pasadena, VOX Femina, Rough Draft with Reza Aslan,  recording artist Maggie Szabo and many of the Prides in Southern  California, in particular LA Pride and Trans Pride. We are an SATB  chorus (Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Baritone/Bass) and our current roster of  singers are vocally gifted and amazing.

Although we have been  slowed down by the pandemic shutdown, we are still preparing and  rehearsing for many events that are upcoming.

We look forward to  're-opening' with a number of events including our fifth-year  anniversary in October. While we are still a work in progress, we are so  proud of the progress we have made and the quality of voices we  currently have and continue to attract. The trans community is alive and  well in the amazing Trans Chorus of Los Angeles and we shall continue  to deliver our mission to "Make an impact in the choral world by using  our unique voices to be visible, bold and proud and to bring to  everyone, awareness, understanding, power and victory for the trans  community".

We shall always celebrate our past, but our focus is  on the future and using our voices to make the Trans Chorus of Los  Angeles a leader and premier vocal ensemble in the choral world.

Starting this weekend, the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles will our Winter 2020 Auditions for those who want to join us in our Fifth Season (2019 - 2020). We are leading the way in the choral world by being visible, bold and proud! We are a chorus of transgender, gender non-conforming/gender non-binary & intersex individuals using our voices to bring awareness, understanding, power and VICTORY for the Trans Community. We are looking for talented Singers, Musicians and Instrumentalists to perform with us at our regular events.

If you would like to participate but do not wish to sing, we are always in search of people of any gender identity to join our 5th Section. These members help with the set up & tear down at performances, as well Sound Engineering, Social Media, Photography, Administrative & Archival duties and of course helping to serve food at our weekly potluck rehearsals.

If you're interested in joining us, please read on for how to attend one of our open rehearsals. Be sure to also fill out our Volunteer Form.

Open Rehearsals

Sunday February 23rd - 4:30pm - 7:00pm
Sunday March 1st - 4:30pm - 7:00pm

Audition Dates

Saturday March 7th - 1:00pm - 3:00pm
Sunday March 8th - 1:00pm - 3:00pm

Location

LA LGBT Center's Ed Gould Village
1125 N McCadden Pl, Los Angeles CA 90038

What kind of musical or stage experience is expected?

TCLA performers should have: Some choral, show choir or musical theater experience, whether from having sung in a church, school or community group.
● Match Pitch which is singing back immediately what is heard.
● The ability to learn text in other languages and memorize music.
● The ability to move rhythmically.
● The desire and commitment to perform a wide variety of music and have fun.

What kind of time commitment is required?

TCLA is looking for dedicated Singers to be vocal ambassadors to represent the Trans Community at large.
● Singers commit to weekly rehearsal/performance schedule for a at least a year.
● Attendance at rehearsals is mandatory in order to perform.

Where and when are TCLA rehearsals?

● Rehearsals are held every Sunday from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm.
● LGBT Center Ed Gould Village 1125 N McCadden Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90038
● Singers are REQUIRED to attend sectionals and pick up rehearsals.

What would be my financial obligations?

All TCLA members currently pay an annual membership investment of ($15 a month) to help cover membership related activities. Other costs that members can expect are travel to and from rehearsals, parking at performance spaces, concert attire, touring, retreats and social events. Social events are optional.

What other responsibilities and activities will I have?

● Performers are expected to fulfill TCLA’s mission, vision and core values and strive for excellence in performance. Therefore, the ability to rehearse and learn your music in a timely manner is really important. Punctuality and preparation are expected. TCLA requires that each singer provide their own concert attire. For many performances, this will be our concert Tee-shirt with black pants/skirt or in the colors of the Trans flag (pink, blue or white) and on some occasions we will wear classy, elegant, all black outfit with black shoes. Costumes will be required for the stage shows and help will be given to provide them.
● As performers, you will be asked to volunteer your talents, skills, for organizational events and fundraisers.

Our 5th Section is great place for non-singers!

5th Section - A vital and necessary part of the chorus; is made up of non-singing members of the chorus that contribute in other ways. This can range from running the Sound Board at an event, to acting as Chorus Photographer. Even helping with Data Archiving or setting out food at our weekly potluck rehearsals can be of great help. 5th section are the behind the scenes members that make this chorus work!

Here's a sampling of the sort of tasks our 5th Section members take on:
● Sound Engineering, Lights & Stage Management
● Social Media Management
● Photography, Videography
● Instrumentalist, Composers
● Chorus administrative functions
● Library Archives & Music Distribution
● Minding the Green Room & Chorus members items
● Serving and cleanup of food at weekly potluck rehearsals

What can you tell me about the audition process?

The audition will consist of two parts: a musical audition (For potential performers) and an interview (For all prospective members). The entire process takes around 15 minutes. During the musical audition, the Musical Director will ask you to:

● Sing scales and warm-ups to determine tonal quality and range
● Perform 16 bars of two contrasting songs (ballad, musical, pop, etc.,)
● Repeat simple melodic patterns to ascertain tonal memory and pitch recognition
● Sight-read a musical excerpt to determine your reading skill level
● Perform a short a cappella piece of your choice to showcase your musicality

During the interview, you will meet with the current vocal section leaders and music staff who may ask you questions such as:

● What brought you to TCLA?
● What – if any – are your expectations of the organization?
● Do you play an instrument?
● How do you feel you can contribute toward the mission and vision of TCLA?

We'd love to hear from you! If you'd like to join please fill out our Volunteer Form.

Yesterday it was our great honor to perform the National Anthem for the Human Rights Campaign's Equality Town Hall on CNN in Downtown Los Angeles. The election process of our nation is sacrosanct and it was our privilege to take even a small part in this historic event; the first ever LGBT focused Presidential Town Hall.

However one decides to vote in the upcoming elections, we encourage you to register to vote and to make your voices heard!