LGBTQ String Quartet Project
{ Andrea Colleton }
On October 16th, join Kaleidoscope for a string quartet concert in celebration of diversity in gender and the means of expressing it. Gender expression is both fundamentally diverse and vividly artistic. It has many shades, many hues, many shapes and colors. Over a lifetime it can shift and move, reshaping into something new and equally beautiful. It is this diversity that the concert will celebrate and encourage: to be genuine with oneself and to embrace the differences and similarities in how we think, feel, and live.
Kaleidoscope will be available to support on kickstarter from July 8th- July 29th for tiered support options and tickets will also be sold at the door. Additional donations above the listed goal will be put towards additional concerts and spreading the vital message of acceptance and tolerance that makes our community safe for LGBTQ people, and especially for LGBTQ youths.
“More and more, in our modern world, we are pressured to hide our differences, to blend in, and neglect the unique beauty we all have. To be silent about who we are. The LGBTQ community faces these challenges on a daily basis, but it is not ours alone. Join us to celebrate the diversity of gender in our community, to celebrate its varied and kaleidoscopic expression,” says Paige Wynn, one of the composers behind the concert that will feature two world premieres and one American premier of new music, written by and performed by artists based in Central Massachusetts. Performing these new pieces live for the very first time will be the Blackstone Valley String Quartet from Blackstone Valley Entertainment.
Paige Wynn (she/her) is a trans performer/composer from Toronto, Ontario, now based in Worcester, Massachusetts. She graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Music (Composition). In 2022 she was co-nominated for the Friends of Canadian Music Award with Matthew Fava, the previous head of the Canadian Music Center (CMC). In 2021, she worked as the composer in residence at the Markham People’s Community Church. Her music has been selected for workshops around Toronto, Ontario, including her piece Tell me who I am in July 2020, and her piece Dancing in the Mirror for the CMC’s Activate program in May 2021. Paige has also had many of her works read and recorded by high profile ensembles such as the New Orford Quartet, Canadian Brass, and the Grenadier Quartet. Paige wishes to continue to grow as a composer and professional musician, and share her musical expressions of life, gender, and social justice.
While working at a music school in Worcester, Paige Wynn met Paige Burke (they/them) is a non-binary composer, vocalist, and music educator based in Worcester, Massachusetts. Their compositional output is influenced by diverse styles of music ranging from jazz to rock to minimalism, and their works have been performed by ensembles including the L.A. Choral Lab, the UMass Lowell Chamber Singers and University Choir, and Longy School of Music’s Ensemble Uncaged. As a choral singer, they have participated in the Sarteano Choral Conducting Workshop in Italy under the direction of Brian O’Connell, Simon Carrington, and Broni Falinska. Mx. Burke holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Studies from UMass Lowell, and a Master of Music in Composition from the Longy School of Music, studying under Dr. Amy Beth Kirsten and Dr. John Morrison.
In Massachusetts, religious and right winged groups still promote policies to restrict gender expression and discourage the acceptance of gender diversity. As of August 2023, The Roman Catholic Diocese of Worcester has updated their school policy stating that if a student’s gender expression causes or has the potential to cause “scandal” then the student will be expelled (schools.worcesterdiocese.org).
With a sense of responsibility, Kaleidoscope colorfully offers a counter to these baleful attitudes and seeks to spread awareness of advocacy groups for LGBTQ2S+ communities. Through musical expression, Kaleidoscope hopes to promote a deeper connection to expression of gender and the authentic expression of oneself. It is vital to celebrate how vast different experiences can be from person to person and how these myriad expressions make the world a more beautiful and interesting kaleidoscope.