History
Women’s Voices Chorus (WVC) was founded in the fall of 1993 when Mary Lycan brought together a group of 30 women interested in singing together. That first year, the chorus operated on a shoestring budget, premiering with a concert titled “Images of Women in Music.” Over the next decade, WVC grew in membership, budget, and musical reputation, commissioning and premiering choral works written for women as part of its stated mission. WVC sang joint concerts with Bennett College Choir, UNC Women’s Glee Club, Washington Women’s Chorus, and the Capital City Girls Choir Cantabile, and performed at the North Carolina Museum of History, the North Carolina convention of the American Choral Directors Association, and special events at local churches and businesses.
Following Lycan’s retirement in 2007, the dynamic Allan Friedman became Artistic Director, bringing expertise in choral conducting and a commitment to maintaining a connection to WVC’s roots. The first concert directed by Friedman was titled “Herself a Rose” and featured the premiere of a new piece by the same name, written by Eleanor Daley in honor of Lycan. With Friedman’s leadership, the chorus grew to 70 singers and continued to focus on its core mission of promoting and performing choral works by women and for women’s voices, including performances of Libby Larsen and Catherine de Vinck’s “The Womanly Song of God,” Abbie Betinis’ “From Behind the Caravan,” and Christine Donkin’s “Magnificat.”
Under Friedman’s direction, the chorus also expanded its outreach, sponsoring a non-auditioned summer community chorus to raise funds for a community organization each summer. Beneficiaries include the Augustine Literacy Project, the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, refugees and immigrants through Church World Service-Durham, and Compass Center for Women and Families. WVC also held a rewarding and enriching one-day festival with young women from several local high schools, culminating in a combined concert after a long day of hard work and fellowship. Other community outreach includes WVC’s collaborations and performances with other choral groups, such as the Advanced Women’s Chorus of Northern High School, Vox Vivorum men’s chorus, North Carolina Central Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and the Capital City Girls Choir Chorale.
2014 marked a major milestone for WVC: 20 years as the Triangle’s only classical women’s chorus. The chorus commemorated with an ambitious season that started with its winter concert, highlighting works written for or commissioned by the chorus and concluded with its spring concert, featuring a 23-piece orchestra and a nationally known soprano soloist joining the chorus for the southeastern premiere of “The Long Bright.”
The chorus has enjoyed two international concert tours: the first to Hungary, Slovenia, and Italy in the summer of 2012, and the second to the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia in the summer of 2017. Each trip gave the chorus the opportunity to perform for international audiences, to share American choral music celebrating women, and to be enriched by the refreshing choral traditions and perspectives of people from other cultures.
In 2018, WVC held its first-ever competition to identify a talented composer and support them in creating a new work celebrating women’s suffrage in America for the chorus’ 2019 Spring Concert program. Of 28 submissions from composers across the globe, Michael Bussewitz-Quarm emerged as the winner. His composition, “Only Time to Love,” performed with the Capital City Girls Choir Chorale, was the powerful centerpiece of WVC’s final concert with Friedman as Artistic Director.
Following Friedman’s departure, the chorus announced in July of 2019 its choice of Laura Sam as its new Artistic Director. An accomplished and skillful practitioner with a demonstrated commitment to excellence, Sam has a lifelong passion for choral music created by and for women’s voices as well as a love of the sense of community and joy inspired by choral singing.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced the cancellation of rehearsals and concerts for our Spring 2020 semester. Confronted with the ongoing restrictions, Sam dedicated herself to mastering audio and video editing in order to allow our 2021 season to continue virtually. With her invaluable leadership and technical expertise, WVC held weekly rehearsals on Zoom and completed three virtual concerts featuring a variety of choral music genres. Please visit our Virtual Projects page to learn more and to view and listen to our virtual choir recordings. The chorus returned to in-person rehearsals in Fall 2021 and held its first post-pandemic in-person concert in May 2022. It was a joy to be back together.
The 2024 season marked our 30th anniversary. Our winter concert, “Together We Sing,” celebrated this anniversary with a retrospective repertoire including the first piece sung by the chorus and several iconic pieces representing salient aspects of WVC’s mission: reviving lost or forgotten works by women composers and exemplifying the pivotal societal changes brought about by women visionaries and activists. Our spring concert, “Songs From Here and Éire,” previewed the culmination of our celebration – a tour to Ireland in August 2024.
As we celebrate the achievements of our past, we also look forward to the future of WVC. Our song continues.