NOUS Collective, an artist management and booking agency championing a fair representation of all genders, ethnicities and abilities in music, has announced the official launch of Trans Voices, the UK’s first professional trans+ choir, co-founded by artists Anil Sebastian and Coda Galabov.
Affiliated to London Contemporary Voices, a leading alternative choir established in 2010 that has worked with 100+ artists including Kelly Lee Owens, Imogen Heap and Lewis Capaldi, Trans Voices aims to explore and widen the possibilities and routes for vocalists outside of the gender binary.
Composed of eight core members, the choir counts a diverse group of over 20 vocalists who identify as trans+. Established as a collective, Trans Voices has received support and contributions from artists such as writer, poet and actress Reece Lyons.
Trans Voices has already garnered attention from The Guardian, who released the documentary Reclaim on March 10. The 13-minute documentary centres trans joy in the context of the birth of the collective. The film captures the first gatherings of Trans Voices and culminates in a filmed performance at Union Chapel, London. Reclaim is now live across all of The Guardian’s digital platforms.
Anil Sebastian, co-founder of Trans Voices, said: “As the first professional Trans+ choir in the UK, we are here to reclaim the spaces transgender voices are seldom heard in and to explore our voices within them in new ways”.
Coda Galabov, co-founder of Trans Voices, said: “We’re developing new ways of singing outside the traditional gender binary, while celebrating the unique qualities of trans+ voices. With the collective, we’re creating a new kind of professional intersectional space, which hasn’t existed before.”
The collective is keen to collaborate on funded projects, sessions, performances and workshops with a wide array of artists. The choir is available for bookings through NOUS Collective.
Main image credit: Oscar Goes Wild