What’s Queer Joy Chorus all about?
Our rules:
1. Be nice
2. Sing whatever part you want!
3. NO INJURIES
Get Ready for QJC Summer ‘26!
The Queer Joy Chorus is about inclusion, community, and making beautiful music together. Anyone is welcome to join—no previous singing experience or audition necessary.
Summer programming includes Affirming Voices (Tuesdays July - August) and our Group-Sing in Groton on July 12, and our day-long FAMILY SING in Northampton on August 2nd!
REGISTRATION FOR FALL 2026 will open in July. Our next session starts in August, 2026 and goes until January, 2027. Our open rehearsal will be late August from 7-9pm - it’s a chance for you to come see if the chorus is for you! Registration for open rehearsal is not required, but is helpful.
Chorus meets Monday nights from 7-9pm in Hadley - registered members will receive detailed location information.
Registration is on a sliding scale above and below $250 (the cost of the program) with many sliding scale options per semester (18 weeks, 90 min/week on Monday nights).
NO ONE TURNED AWAY FOR LACK OF FUNDS. For more information on what to pay, please scroll down.
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This will be our third year as the Queer Joy Chorus!
We run largely democratically, focusing on community consensus over top-down decision-making. We choose our music together, learn it collaboratively, and perform in the community as much as possible. We are open to anyone who wants to sing with us regardless of experience or ability.
Our biggest rules are KINDNESS and CONSIDERATION for the other people in the room.
While advance registrations help us figure out the needs of the group before our first rehearsal, we invite new members to check out an OPEN REHEARSAL the first week of the semester (August 31, 2026) before registering to make sure that this group is what you’re hoping it will be. Stay tuned here for updates on the open rehearsal date. -
When: Chorus will continue to meet Monday nights from 7-9pm - registered members will receive detailed location information, which we will update as soon as we have secured a space.
Where: Northampton area, registered members will get exact location
First Rehearsal currently expected to be: Monday, August 31, 2026
Sessions: 8/31, 9/14, 9/28, 10/5, 10/19, 10/26, 11/2, 11/9, 11/16, 11/23, 11/30, 12/7, 12/14, 12/21, 1/4, 1/11, 1/18
Performances: Winter Ball, Spring Fair, and many more
All are welcome
Experience/audition: None necessary - only requirement is that you WANT to be there
Musical Director Mara Levi
Mara Levi is a dynamic musical leader, merging roles as an arranger, composer, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and educator with a spirit deeply rooted in community-building. Serving as the director of the Pride Chorus for all of its five years, Mara has helped shape it into a beacon of inclusivity and musical excellence. With academic backgrounds in jazz composition, music education, and UX, they apply a multifaceted skill set to various creative and educational endeavors. Mara was a high school music teacher for the last 12 years, and was a touring singer-songwriter in the decade before that.
Outside the chorus, Mara's days are filled with teaching voice and piano, UX Research, arranging music, building tree houses, and front-yard gardening. Mara’s dedication to fostering learning, creativity, and community engagement is foundational to their work and home life. See and hear more at www.maralevi.com.
What keeps you coming back to Chorus?
“A community that not only accepts me at my skill level but celebrates me.”
“The vibe in the room, the knowledge that I can show up how ever I am and folks will be happy to see me, that if I'm not there folks notice and express concern, the music that we pick, Mara's goofy, playful energy, the way this swiftly growing community already cares so much about each other...like clearly there are some folks who know each other better than they know other folks but it doesn't feel clicky which is such a f*cking relief for someone with pretty intense social anxiety.”
“I love how fun and low pressure it is, I love the community atmosphere, and it's an easy way to keep art in my life! I've never been confident singing before and this has been an amazing way to do it more.”
