W H A T :
W H E N :
Matinee Screening at 2:00 pm, doors open at 1:30 pm
W H E R E :
click for Directions & Map
T I C K E T S :
$6 tickets are ONLY available online, by phone, at the Museum, and at the door subject to availability.
ADVANCE TICKETS:
...and at these locations
($8 tix only, cash only),
click each location below for a map:
Sitwell's Coffee House
513 281 7487
Lookout Joe Coffee Roasters
513 871 8626
Shake It Music & Video
513 591 0123
Covington-Main Strasse -
The Bean Haus
859 431 2326
Tickets will also be available at the door, if not sold out in advance.
MUSIC has the power to uplift, inspire and unite in a way that spoken words cannot. Few organizations embody and convey this concept as well as MUSE, the Cincinnati Women's Choir.
In July 2004, MUSE journeyed to Montreal for the GALA VII International Choral Festival, joining 163 choruses from around the world. MUSE received standing ovations for their performance of two world premieres -- the Liberty or Death Suite by Bernice Johnson Reagon and Mayim Maya by Daniel Galay. The first work, based on the life of Harriet Tubman, was commissioned in honor of the opening of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, and the latter piece by Galay interweaves an Israeli and an Arab folksong with klezmer clarinet and percussion accompaniment.
After two years in post production, a documentary film released last year -- WHY WE SING! -- brings the MUSE performance, along with those of other choral groups, to the general public. Cincinnati World Cinema, in cooperation with MUSE and OutReels, is pleased to present the Tri-State Premiere of this stirring and informative film which features a genuine Cincinnati treasure!
This documentary has a serious side, as it examines the transformative power of gay, lesbian and transgender choral music and the history of the movement, now thirty years old. It traces recent gay and transgender rights struggles in America while showing how singers and music lovers from around the globe have been moved to change their worlds through song. In interviews and song, singers tell and show the myriad reasons they sing: for justice, equality, tolerance, community, and pure joy.
- In lieu of a post-film discussion, we have a special treat for our film audience:
MUSE will perform a live post-film concert on the stage of the Fath Auditorium, offering a sampler of their most signficant songs.
From the Director of WHY WE SING!,
Lawrence "Bud" Dillon
"The documentary's focal point is GALA Choruses' (Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses) 7th International Choral Festival held last July in Montreal. More than 5,000 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) singers and 163 choruses gathered to sing. Through song and interviews, the documentary delves into and personalizes many issues on the public's mind today: same-sex marriage, religious views on gay rights, and the emerging transgender rights movement, among others.
"Before every performance, the conductor of the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus tells her singers: "You're going to change lives tonight." On camera, she makes the point that in their persistent, non-threatening, loving way, the choruses at GALA are "cultural warriors." This thread runs throughout our documentary. Interwoven with concert footage are interviews with conductors, singers and spectators. In every interview and in every scene, we try to show how choral singing has changed the lives of the singers -- in some cases, saved them -- and how they in turn do their part to bring understanding and acceptance to the world.
"Religion played a large part in this festival, paralleling the heightened moral dimensions of the public debate over issues of sexuality. Several GALA choruses sang at a special inter-faith service held at a local cathedral, and many of the week's performances featured sacred, religious and spiritual music, including Tach'Shitim, the first Jewish choir to sing at a GALA festival. We captured their performances on tape, and they speak eloquently about why it's important to integrate their sexual and spiritual identities through singing religious music.
"The story develops as we follow four choruses [including MUSE] chronologically through their week, from rehearsing at their hotels to the tech rehearsal and back-stage jitters. The program concludes with amazing performances delivered in Montréal's premier concert halls before audiences of more than three thousand."
OutReels' mission is to increase the visibility of Cincinnati's GLBT community, make GLBT films accessible to all Cincinnatians and to enrich, nurture and educate the greater Cincinnati population through the art of film. The second annual OutReels Film Festival is scheduled for June 16. Visit http://www.myspace.com/outreels for details. |
Founded by Catherine Roma in 1984, MUSE, the Cincinnati Women's Choir, combines the voices of gay and straight women into a powerful and truly inspirational chorus. Currently, MUSE performs in about 30 venues each season and has grown to sixty singers with a volunteer staff of over a dozen. Highly regarded nationally as well as in the greater Cincinnati area, MUSE continues to be guided by the original vision of creating a choral community of feminist women of varied ages, races, and ethnicities with a range of musical abilities, political interests, and life experiences.
The MUSE Mission: MUSE is a women's choir dedicated to musical excellence and social change. In keeping with our belief that diversity is strength, we are feminist women of varied ages, races, and ethnicities with a range of musical abilities, political interests, and life experiences. We are women loving women; we are heterosexual, lesbian and bisexual women united in song. We commission and seek out music composed by women, pieces written to enhance the sound of women's voices, and songs that honor the enduring spirit of all peoples. In performing, we strive for a concert experience that entertains, inspires, motivates, heals, and creates a feeling of community with our audience. Visit http://www.musechoir.org to learn more about MUSE. |