In honor of Pride, this week we're visiting members of Transcendent Choir of Philadelphia, where singers are welcome regardless of whether their voices, bodies, or style fit the traditional gendered rules of classical music performance. Anndee Hochman attends a rehearsal and talks with choir members about why they joined this group of trans, nonbinary, and gender-expansive voices. Get to know the choir before it appears in the upcoming Long Live the Queen: A Herstory of Drag from ArtPhilly.
In other news, we reviewed the Philadelphia Orchestra's final outing of the season, a program of Bernstein and Gershwin featuring superstar international guests. Linda Holt loved it. Gail Obenreder reviews Citizen Artist at the Delaware Art Museum, which examines famous works of the New Deal era alongside a lesser-know, Nixon-era federal program that also supported American artists. Gail says it's "illuminating." Personally, it's sort of comforting for me to know that there were times when the US government employed artists instead of trying to crush and censor them. Maybe we could turn things around in future.
ArtPhilly's inaugural What Now festival kicks off, and Krista Mar covers an entry from Theatre in the X. She says it tackles important issues, but the script still needs work. Cameron Kelsall recommends The Great Privation at Theatre Exile, which was just extended through June 20. And don't miss Darnelle's deep dive into June theater, with two interviews featuring artists from Theatre Exile and Pig Iron.
Summers used to be a relatively quiet time for arts coverage. The calendar does cool down a little, but we have so much on deck at BSR that we'll be working hard. Our subscribers will be the first to get some big updates in the coming weeks and months.
Alaina Johns
BSR editor-in-chief
