History
IN 2013, a team of youth advocates including members of local GALA Choruses, interested parents and educators, and the leadership of Waverly Church were inspired by a local performances by Diverse Harmony, a QSA Youth Chorus from Seattle. Together, they formed the Portland GSA Youth Chorus. Led by Waverly’s Music Director Colin Frey as Artistic Director, with Executive Director Adam Schecter and Manager Becky Bard, it officially launched at Waverly Heights’ Pride Service in June 2013, and had its first performance in May 2014.
During our third year, Erik Gullickson stepped in as the new Artistic Director, ushering in a new chorus identity. We kicked off the season with eight singers and a new name, Bridging Voices. Through robust outreach efforts and word of mouth, we quickly quadrupled our membership and ventured out on our first interstate travel, bringing 32 singers and chaperones to Denver in July 2016 for the quadrennial GALA Festival of Choruses. This is also when we began an amazing collaborative relationship with Portland based singer-songwriter Matt Alber, leading to incredible performance opportunities and the incredible documentary film projects "Room To Grow" and “Queer As Fundamental.”
In Season 4, we produced our first holiday concert, Seasons of Giving. Programmed to recognize the need for peace and healing, each song connected to a non-profit focused on bettering the lives of youth and others in our community, with one special song highlighted in honor of a lost chorus member, Fallon Smart. Following the success of our holiday concert, we began holding both a spring and holiday performance in following years, with themes including youth activism, individual identity, love, loss, creating community, and social justice.
As we move forward, Bridging Voices continues to assemble a growing group of vibrant youth. This would not have been possible without tremendous support from Waverly Heights UCC, The Regional Arts and Culture Council, Oregon Community Foundation, Red Dress PDX, ISing of Beaverton, the Douglas and Gloria Rumberger Foundation, as well as undaunted encouragement, mentorship, and advice from The Portland Gay Men's Chorus, Portland Lesbian Choir, and GALA (the International Association of Gay and Lesbian Choruses).
Whether you are a prospective singer, potential volunteer or simply want to support youth in their journey to acceptance and truth, we welcome you! We hope you will join your voice with ours, because at Bridging Voices the future is stepping up to take the mic and you’re not going to want to miss what happens next.
