MUSE choir sings out against bullying

With a multi-media tribute to Matthew Shepard and a performance by Pittsburgh teens, MUSE, Cincinnati Women's Choir, members want their spring concert to send a message.

"It's an anti-bullying concert," says Diana Porter, one of the founding mothers of MUSE and a former Cincinnati Public School teacher. She moved to Cincinnati to attend graduate school and never left. "We should be telling kids it gets better in lots and lots of ways."

Since 1984, MUSE has maintained a dual mission, making beautiful music while promoting social justice. Its membership is intentionally diverse - including heterosexual, lesbian and bisexual women ages 18 and up. The current group of nearly 60 singers ranges in age from 21 to more than 70 years old.

Porter says that for this year's season-ending concert, MUSE members were inspired by the It Gets Better Project, which aims to provide support for LGBT youth who are often the targets of hate speech and bullying. "We wanted to do outreach to youth," Porter says.

When members learned about the work of Dreams of Hope, a Pittsburgh-based youth performing arts group for queer youth and allies, they saw an exciting opportunity. "They do poetry, rap, songs, skits," Porter says. "It's sort of like a cabaret."

Eight members of the Pittsburgh troupe will visit Cincinnati for two days, culminating with the MUSE spring concert Saturday, May 14, at the School for Creative and Performing Arts downtown. Songs will include a jazzy version of "True Colors" as well as "What Matters," a piece inspired by Matthew Shepard.

"We tried to pick pieces that are affirming," Porter says. "It's a very positive concert."

Dreams of Hope will also visit the University of Cincinnati and the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

Do Good:

• Get your ticket. Attend the May 14 concert, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in the sparkling new Corbett Theater at the School for Creative and Performing Arts. Youth tickets are just $5; MUSE also offers a sliding scale for ticket costs when needed.

• Listen to the music. MUSE CDs are available for purchase online.

• Search the web. Enter MUSE as your charity on Good Search to support the choir's efforts every time you search the Web.

By Elissa Yancey

Photo courtesy of MUSE