Winnipeg’s Pride Week is in full swing here in town and on Saturday, June 4, it will be in full sing with Rainbow Harmony Project (RHP).
Singing out since 1999, the choir for the LGBTQ2* community and their allies present their first spring concert in three years.
“There’s a feeling of hope,” says RHP board president Karyn Kumhyr, who also sings in the tenor section of the choir.
After a season of smaller concerts and musical outreach, to be a part of the more than 45 community events associated with Pride is an exciting opportunity, she says.
“We’ve still got protocols in place, but it just feels like we’re reaching to the future... it feels good.”
A sentiment echoed by RHP artistic director Brittany Mielnichuk.
“This feels amazing,” says Mielnichuk. “Even though I’m so thankful for what we were able to do throughout the online portions of choir, I’m so, so happy to be back in person and I think all the choir is.”
Taking place at the iconic Canadian Museum for Human Rights, RHP’s spring concert — titled “Chasing Visions” — celebrates the experiences of Manitoba’s queer community, while also envisioning hopes for the future.
“Not only do we want to celebrate ourselves and honour the queer trailblazers of the past, (but) we want continue to use our voice for social change,” says Mielnichuk.
Featuring several Canadian composers and plenty of celebration, a special commission also draws attention to the Black and Indigenous transgender siblings who have been lost to violence.
“We’ve invited some local queer and trans vocalists to be a part of the concert,” says Mielnichuk. “It’s a really special piece.”
Learn more about the concert as well as some of the other RHP initiatives — including an open-choir singalong and recently announced youth choir — in the full conversation below!
"Chasing Visions" takes place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 4 at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.
For tickets and details, visit: www.rainbowharmonyproject.ca