Herstory

A short history of the Columbus Women’s Chorus

CWC began with a dream of Patty Daniels, who wanted to sing with a group of women. She shared this dream with her colleague, Rose Zingrone, who suggested a strategy to recruit singers. Rose distributed a purple flyer at the Holly Near and Ronnie Gilbert concert in Columbus, and on November 2, 1989, 13 women met and the chorus was born.

Within five months the group had made decisions that would influence the chorus to this day. First, the group wanted to sing. They decided that singing meant they needed members and they agreed to be open to all women. It also meant they needed a director. Naomi Weinert, a trained musician, realized that she was the most prepared. Although she just wanted to sing, she reluctantly agreed to be the director. The chorus joined the Sister Singers Network immediately.

The chorus decided to operate by consensus, a principle important to feminism that means that everyone’s voice (speaking and singing) is heard.  This meant every member having input into all decisions. Due to a lack of agreement on a name, on 1/15/90 the members decided to be called, temporarily, The Columbus Women’s Chorus, with subtitle “Celebrating the Diversity of Life Through Music.” Soon the chorus developed the mission statement that remained unchanged through 1999, when it was abbreviated.

“We are the Columbus Women’s Chorus, a diverse group of women celebrating life through the power of music. We strive to provide a safe place for all women, free from patriarchal definition, to celebrate our similarities and differences. We empower  ourselves to take risks, explore our talents, build our strengths, and in turn, share what we have gained and experienced with our audience. We believe that the music we sing can work to overcome prejudice and oppression, enlighten minds and spirits, open hearts, and change the world.”

The chorus also committed to accessibility for all women, regardless of musical experience.  Accessibility included physical accessibility for rehearsal and performance spaces, sign language interpretation for performances, and financial accessibility: inability to pay is not a reason not to belong.

CWC began performing in March 1990.  The first full concert (17 songs) was at METHESCO in January 1991.  The first CWC-produced, now traditional spring concert was in May 1992.  In addition to its own concerts, CWC has performed in a variety of venues and has sung for Take Back the Night, Habitat for Humanity, Komen Race for the Cure, Amethyst, Hospice of Columbus, Pride events, Ameriflora, Project Open Hand, Columbus AIDS Task Force, Ohio Lesbian Festival, Wintervisions, First Night Columbus, the Women’s Fund of Central Ohio, collaborative concerts with other choral groups, and at three Sister Singers Network festivals.

In 2000 CWC attained 501(c)3 status as a charitable organization. At the same time, a Board of Directors was established to manage chorus business, so that members could focus on singing and performing. CWC began to seek grants to support its operations and concerts.  Over the years, the chorus has received grants from the Ohio Arts Council, The Columbus Foundation, the Greater Columbus Arts Council, the Patsy Lu Fund, and others.

Compiled by Linda Bernhard and Michelle Walsh, Fall 2009