Arts

Cut & Paste: Black Tulip Chorale Has Room For Many Voices

St. Louis Public Radio | By Jeremy D. Goodwin

Published October 31, 2019 at 8:36 AM CDT

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Black Tulip Chorale conductor Robert Strumpf leads a rehearsal. The choir welcomes participants of any gender expression.

Jeremy D. Goodwin | St. Louis Public Radio

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Dan Kelly is a member of Black Tulip Chorale. "There's just moments where everybody is completely in synch and the room rings with this tone. You have to not start crying, 'cause you have to keep working," he says.

Jeremy D. Goodwin | St. Louis Public Radio

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Greyson Coggins (left) and Lindsay Short describe the choir as an extended family.

Jeremy D. Goodwin | St. Louis Public Radio

Black Tulip Chorale distinguishes itself from other choirs by actively welcoming members who present any gender expression. This is in contrast to ensembles that bill themselves as men’s or women’s choirs. It’s also unusual for an artform that tends to hold fast to established gender roles.

Robert Stumpf leads Black Tulip Chorale in a rehearsal for its Nov. 16 performance. [10/31/19] — Robert Stumpf leads Black Tulip Chorale in a rehearsal for its Nov. 16 performance.

“I’ve gone to a couple of choral festivals where the criteria literally lists, if you’re female you must sing soprano or alto. You are not allowed to sing tenor,” said Robert Stumpf, Black Tulip Chorale’s conductor. “Slamming the door in someone’s face out of some old, ancient, preconceived notion isn’t going to do anybody any good. It’s just not how we operate.”

This episode of “Cut & Paste” includes an in-studio interview with Stumpf, a behind-the-scenes visit to a rehearsal and reflections from three of the group’s members.

Black Tulip Chorale’s Nov. 16 concert (“Our Song: 500 years of Lgbtqia2+”) celebrates the group’s inclusive nature. Composers represented on the program range from Tchaikovksy to Duke Ellington collaborator Billy Strayhorn to Melissa Etheridge. The St. Louis Wind Symphony and Grammy Award winner Christine Brewer will join Black Tulip Chorale for select numbers.

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