Tonight, we gather as a community — as singers, listeners, and witnesses — to hold space for the lives we have lost to anti-trans violence. On this Trans Day of Remembrance, we honor not only the absence left by their loss, but also the brilliance, humor, courage, and creativity that defined their lives. Each person we remember tonight was more than the way their story ended. They were a constellation of relationships, ambitions, and passions. And like light traveling through space, the impact of their lives continues to reach us even now.
The title of this concert, In the Light of Their Names, reflects a truth I hold deeply: remembering is not only an act of looking back, it is an act of illumination. To speak a name is to bring it into the present moment, to acknowledge that this person existed, mattered, and shaped the world in ways both visible and invisible. The light of their names is the light of truth, which stands against the darkness of erasure.
In the first half of our program, we engage with music that gently holds grief and memory. These works serve as a kind of vigil, a space where we can gather together and bear the weight of loss without turning away. Some pieces speak in hushed tones; others give voice to lament more directly. You may find moments in these songs that mirror your own sorrow, your own longing, your own memories. Alongside these musical reflections, you will hear spoken words that remind us how courage and authenticity take shape in everyday lives.
But the light of a name is not meant to flicker and fade. It is meant to grow, to spark others, to kindle warmth and strength. That is why, in our second half, we turn toward music of resilience and joy — not because grief has been “resolved” or “overcome,” but because joy is a vital act of survival. These songs honor the living by insisting that life be lived fully, vividly, without apology. We will also invite you to lift your own voice in song.
As we move through the evening, I invite you to carry each name you hear, spoken, sung, or remembered silently in your heart, as if it were a lantern. Consider how you might hold that light in your own life, not only tonight but in the days to come. How might you speak up for someone whose voice is being silenced? How might you make space for another’s joy?
Our collective remembrance tonight is an act of defiance against forgetting. It is also a promise: that those we honor will continue to shine through the actions we take, the art we make, and the love we give. May the light of their names guide us toward a world where every trans and nonbinary person can live safely, openly, and joyfully — a world where no more names need to be added to the list we read each November.
Thank you for being here, for listening, and for holding the light with us. May this evening be both a memorial and a beginning, a moment to remember, to feel, and to recommit ourselves to the work ahead.
Most sincerely,
Cee E. Adamson, DMAGeneral Welcome | Haven Wilvich, STANCE Founder
Welcome to In the Light of Their Names, our third annual Transgender Day of Remembrance concert. I’m Haven Wilvich, she/her, and I’d like to take a moment to thank each of you for being here today to honor this important holiday and recognize this critical point in history with us.
Our concert begins in mourning — bearing witness to lives lost to anti-trans violence, and holding grief and memory with care. But this is not where we will stay. The arc of our program carries us forward: from grief into healing, from silence into expression, from loss into defiance, and ultimately, into joy. By remembering and singing the names of those we have lost, we not only honor their lives, but we reclaim life itself.
While STANCE was founded in 2022, the vision for this space began in 2016 out of a deep unmet need to have a local community space led by and for trans and nonbinary singers. I am very proud of the work that so many of our singers have put into building this community together. Thank you to all of our board members, volunteers, and loyal supporters here with us today. We couldn’t do this without you.
This year we are honored to celebrate the work of our new Artistic and Executive Director, Dr. Cee Adamson. I am pleased to have been able to pass the torch to such a capable leader. Now I’d like to introduce our Board Co-Chair, Adaleigh Martin.
Land & Labor Acknowledgement | Adaleigh, Board Co-chair
We would like to acknowledge that we rehearse and perform on the land of the first peoples of Seattle, the Duwamish, Muckleshoot, Stillaguamish, Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla tribes, past and present and commit to honor with gratitude the land itself and the stewardship of these indigenous tribes. We encourage you to join us in this commitment by contributing to the local Heron's Nest Outdoor Education and Restorative Justice program and Real Rent Duwamish.
We respectfully acknowledge the enslaved people, primarily of African descent, on whose exploited labor this country is built, with little to no recognition. Today, we are indebted to their labor and the labor of the many Black and brown people who continue to work in the shadows for our collective benefit. We also support the Black Voices Matter movement and pledge to work towards anti-racism in all aspects of our music.
Now I’d like to introduce our Board Chair, Logan O’Laughlin.
Logan O'Laughlin | Board Chair
Our show begins as a vigil. Vigils serve many purposes including grieving, healing, resisting, and building community. We’ll mourn the loss of our trans siblings through song and by saying their names. In so doing, we denounce the systemic violence against trans people, and we invite allies in the room to join us in speaking out. Then we'll sing songs and share stories that center resilience, hope, and joy. As with any event, but especially TDOR, please take care of yourself. We’re so glad to have you join us today.
Composer: Orlande de Lassus
Lyrics: Book of Wisdom, Chapter 3
Performed by the STANCE Outreach Ensemble
Director's Notes: Orlande de Lassus, one of the most celebrated composers of the Renaissance, wrote numerous sacred works that speak to timeless human experiences. Justorum animæ sets a text from the Book of Wisdom: “The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.” The motet’s serene harmonies and intertwining lines offer reassurance that those who have suffered are held in peace beyond this life. In beginning here, we open our program with a gesture of reverence, honoring those who have gone before us with dignity and grace.
Lyrics
Latin
Justorum animæ in manu Dei sunt,
et non tanget illos tormentum mortis.
Visi sunt oculis insipientium mori,
illi autem sunt in pace.English
The souls of the just are in the hand of God,
and the torment of death shall not touch them.
In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die;
but they are in peace.Composer: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
Lyrics: Charles Mackay
Director's Notes: African-British composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor was a remarkable figure of the late Romantic era. By the Lone Sea Shore is a lyrical and melancholic piece that captures the solitude of standing by the sea, surrounded by beauty yet filled with longing. The ebb and flow of the music mirrors the waves, creating a space where grief feels both expansive and deeply personal. In this program, it deepens our remembrance, giving voice to the loneliness and ache that often accompany loss.
Lyrics
By the lone sea shore,
Mournfully beat the waves,
Mournfully evermore,
The wild wind sobs and raves.A sadness
And a sense of deep unrest
Brood on the clouds
And on the waters’ breast.But lo! the white sea mew careering,
Float indolently by,
And lo! a snowy sail appearing
Gleams fair against the sky.The sadness
And the loneliness depart,
And nature smiles
With sympathy of heart.Strangling Figs (CW: dysphoria, intersex, some body references)
When I was a child, I thought like a child...if I was called a "girl", then "girl" meant things that I liked and did.
When I hit school, I figured out that "girl" meant a lot of things I couldn't relate to at all. My consent was fenced in. There were things I felt and was that weren't allowed. But "tomboy" seemed to mostly work, leaving me uncomfortably mislabeled. Not yet harmed, but not yet utterly unfit. I stared enviously at those allowed the "boy" label, who could do and be ALL I felt inside me. This is when my fig leaves began.
When I was supposed to have grown out of "tomboy" and even "tomboys" couldn't do this or that, or must do this or that, a tearing rip formed across my reality. I began bleeding behind my fig leaves, staining them dark purple.
When puberty hit, and my body betrayed me, bleeding in literal truth, I was crushed and horrified. The bulge in my pants was ALL WRONG, every change was NOT what I was sure was supposed to happen. Fig leaves expanded to try to cover budding mammary glands, both socially and internally unacceptable. The figs put out tendrils, reaching into my mind.
When SECOND puberty hit, we were all confused, there were doctors visits and waxing experiments and I had a LOT of consent taken from me. But I utterly refused to take hormones to force my body to be more "girl".
I was taught to cover, to wax (Ugh! Once!) and shave. I had to shave more and more often as I matured. Fig leaves spread across my face, covering my mouth. They grew roots throughout my mind. Some knowings, some realizations (Was that fig scars, THERE?? When did THAT happen??) were too hurtful, too dangerous, to leave unveiled. Sometimes, I thought the fig leaves helped. Looking back, I'm saddest about that.
The next too-many years were spent mostly fighting to see around the infestation, not directly fighting it with pruning shears and knives and fire - oh, I wanted to, but society was all around me, telling me that fig-me was the only acceptable me.
Until I got the fire, whether I wanted to or not. I got a concussion, and suddenly all the flimsy walls I'd built to protect me from the strangling fig collapsed. I stared in dismay as my entire adult construct burned and collapsed into ash.
I rebuilt, out of what was real, out of regret, out of, yes, hope for a way to show the real me to those around me. I rooted out those roots of fig. I decided, for once, to do what I wanted and needed, and NOT give a fig.
It takes surgery to remove the fig leaves - repeated, once for each part of me they'd subsumed. I started with the last grown. I had to consult fig leaf infestation experts and get letters, find surgeons skilled enough to cut out the fig and leave the me.
Then came the healing. And Oh! What glorious healing! With my chest unbound, my arms free, my skin able to kiss the air - what glorious healing, indeed!
I have more surgery to do, more fig to excise. It's still strangling me. So again, I have the fig leaf infestation expert letters, and the surgeons and I are planning our next attack. It'll be two phases, I suspect. That's a lot of physical and psychological healing I've left to do - but I've been able to take in and give so much more sunlight and nourishment to others with what I've already freed that I'm desperate to remove the last.
And then? The healing. Oh! What glorious healing! I can't wait to see what I'll be able to give, when at last I'm free!
Composer: Mari Esabel Valverde
Lyrics: Dane Figueroa Edidi
Soloists: Francis Mana-ay, My Lopez, Laura Belmont, sasha winter, Robin Wilvich, christiana crabbe, Basil Freeling, siri ingersoll, Frankie Wolf, Luka Fern Slater
Director's Notes: Mari Esabel Valverde, a Mexican-American transgender composer, centers the sacredness of memory in this moving choral work. Written specifically as a remembrance of those lost to anti-trans violence, We Hold Your Names Sacred refuses to let lives be forgotten or erased. Through rich harmonies and powerful text, Valverde calls us to speak, honor, and carry forward the names of those we have lost. The music becomes both lament and resistance, a reminder that memory itself is an act of justice. This piece stands at the heart of tonight’s program, embodying both grief and a collective vow to never forget.
Lyrics:
Sisters whose lives were taken
Memories of you
we sing
Note, chord, melody, harmony
psalmPrayers
we offer with tears
Love
with words we give
High
we lift your spirit up
So you may know forever joyJaquarrius Holland
Chyna Gibson
Ty Underwood
Penny Proud
Crystal Edmonds
Islan Nettles
Angel Rose
Lexi
Layla Pelaez Sánchez
Muhlaysia Booker
Brianna “BB” Hill
Layleen PolancoMay your smile be made eternal
May justice be brought
with this refrain
Sisters we hold sacred your nameswild
by wylan river-zaviied
summer 2023
A box is still a box; a cage is still a cage
Shaped out of necessity, out of being afraid
Of losing access, rights, people listening to me
Of what happens once I cease to meet your required palatability
I made choices that fit enough, I found the middle ground
I measured every inch of space and cataloged every sound
That let me through these barbed wire gates
Without people refusing on the grounds of
How hard, how annoying, how frustrating, it is
When your journey isn’t neat enough to cater to their whims
The thing about a cell, is that a cage is still a cage
A box is a still a box
And a grave is still a grave
You can put up your favourite lights,
Your favourite art, your favourite things
And it doesn’t change that you’re locked in,
With visitors who say
You’re one of the good ones,
One of the neat ones,
One of the ones that happily agreed
To swallow their very own key
And this leads to anger
Of course it does
Because there’s no room for regret
Regret means eviction, and eviction means death
So it’s anger, it’s fury,
It’s fuck this shit I quit
Because that’s the next phase of their control
Make you want to quit
See, if you can’t be happy in your cell, then why’d you ever leave
The safety of the nest they made you, with chains amongst their things
To hold you down, here or there or anywhere, to make you fall within
The boundaries of a good little queer, with no room to bend
And the thing is, there is warmth here, within whatever box you’ve gotten
Because you’ve painted yourself onto the walls and gilded and bejeweled your own restraints
And when happiness is so carefully won, how can you have a complaint
But it was never supposed to be
Just a destination
It’s a journey towards a truth
And when we try and wall that in
We have to just make do
With whatever lights and art and things we’ve been given
Just throw that at the wall
And don’t wear us thin
With your journey, your experiments, the greatness within your expanse
The life that you could have lived, if you just took the chance
To be annoying, to experience the complex in’s and out’s
Of the things that make you full of joy
That make you the brightest light
That has ever flashed across this sky
When you choose to fight
When you refuse to sit
In the box they laid down at your feet
Shovels in their hands
Because it was always just a cell, and the thing about a cage
Is no matter how carefully you’ve painted it
A grave is still a grave
Please light your candles. You are welcome to read the names aloud from the list below with us.
After all names are read, we will hold a moment of silence.
Since last year's Trans Day of Remembrance, 63 gender diverse people died due to transphobic violence and suicide in the US. Globally, 343 lives were recorded being lost. We know these numbers are vastly underreported or misidentified.
We encourage you to think about ways that you can show up to support your trans friends and neighbors to show them that they are loved and valued for who they are.
If you or someone you love are hurting and need help, please reach out to friends or contact the Trans Lifeline at (877) 565-8860
Names of our fallen siblings in the United States...
Name, Age, City, State, Cause of Death
-
Tiara Love Tori Jackson, 37, Charlotte, North Carolina, shot
-
Scarlett, 21, Hawthorne, Nevada, suicide
-
Blaze Aleczander Balle-Mason, 17, Aurora, Colorado, possible suicide
-
Blake Sturm, 25, Roanoke, Virginia, suicide
-
Robyn James Post, 48, Erie, Pennsylvania, suicide
-
Kasí Rhea ("Kaeyy Holmes"), 31, Lynchburg, Virginia, shot
-
Onyx Cornish, 18, Caldwell, Idaho, shot
-
Aurora Pellegrina ("Alexa", "Luna"), 35, Lawnside, New Jersey, not reported
-
Blair A. Sawyer, 27, Louisville, Kentucky, run over
-
Rosa Machuca, 24, Austin, Texas, shot
-
Dream Johnson, 28, Washington, D.C., shot
-
Arty Cassidy Beowulf Gibson, 23, Portland, Oregon, suicide
-
Nathaniel Pabón Cruz ("Nata"), 27, Bayamón, Puerto Rico, suicide
-
Kamora Woods, 27, Indianapolis, shot
-
Kia-Leigh Tabitha Roberts, 55, West Valley City, Utah, suicide
-
Gabrielle Nguyen ("Cam"), Colorado, suicide
-
Lily-Dawn Harkins, Colorado, suicide
-
Christina Hayes, 28, Detroit, Michigan, strangled
-
JJ Godbey, 26, Canton, Ohio, murdered
-
Emma Slabach, 24, Fort Wayne, Indiana, possible suicide
-
Laura Schueler, 47, Cincinnati, Ohio, shot
-
Hope Lyca Youngblood, 49, Los Angeles, California, run over
-
Jax Gratton, 34, Lakewood, Colorado, not reported
-
Tessa June, 21, North Carolina, suicide
-
Jonathan Joss, 59, San Antonio, Texas, shot
-
Charlotte Fosgate, 17, Portland, Oregon, suicide
-
Karmin Wells, 25, Detroit, Michigan, shot
-
Shy'Parius Dupree, 32, Memphis, Tennessee, shot
-
Kelsey Elem, 25, St Louis, Missouri, shot
-
Norah Horwitz, 38, Virginia Beach, suicide
-
Kaitoria Le’Cynthia Bankz ("Kai"), 31, Autaugaville, Alabama, shot
-
Katelyn Rinnetta Benoit, 15, Rochester, New York, suicide
-
Jordan "JJ" Maye, 17, Ocean Springs, Mississippi, suicide
-
Linda Becerra Moran, 30, Los Angeles, California, shot
-
Amyri Dior, 23, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, shot
-
Ervianna Johnson, 25, Tabor City, North Carolina, not reported
-
Sam Nordquist, 24, Canandaigua, New York, tortured and beaten
-
Tahiry Broom, 29, Southfield, Michigan, shot
-
Aubrey Dameron, 25, Ottawa County, Oklahoma, murdered
-
Elisa Rae Shupe, Syracuse, New York, suicide
-
Parker Savarese, 15, Setauket, New York, possible suicide
-
Jonny Adamow, 29, Seattle, Washington, shot
-
Meka Shabazz, 46, Columbus, Ohio, suicide
-
Cam Thompson, 18, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, shot
-
Aziza Barnes ("Z"), 31, Oxford, Mississippi, suicide
-
Roy Mora, 15, Fort Bragg, California, suicide
-
Ra'lasia Wright, 25, Minneapolis, Minnesota, shot
-
Quanesha Shantel ("Cocoa"), 25, Greensboro, North Carolina, shot
-
Kyla Jane Walker, 39, Austin, Texas, run over
-
Name Unknown, suicide
-
Sydney Leigh Phillips ("Syd"), 22, East Islip, New York, suicide
-
Spencer James Kastl, 22, Saint Louis Park, Minnesota, not reported
-
Serenity Birdsong, 21, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, suicide
-
Leah Jo, 37, Denver, Colorado, suicide
-
Jay Floris, 23, Stockton, California, run over
-
Allyson Ketchum ("Alex"), 29, Mesa, Arizona, suicide
-
San Coleman, 48, Athens, Georgia, murdered
-
Rick Alastor Newman, 29, Bozeman, Montana, shot
-
Phoenix Cassetta, Colchester, Vermont, suicide
-
Raven Syed, Lawrenceville, New Jersey, suicide
-
Megan Jordan Kridli, 22, Miami, Florida, suicide
-
Jill Heathers Bouvier, 54, Omaha, Nebraska, suicide
-
Honee Walker, 37, Rochester, New York, run over
If you or someone you love are hurting and need help, please reach out to friends or contact the Trans Lifeline at (877) 565-8860
-
Composer: J. S. Bach 1685 - 1750
Performer: Rosemary De Luca, cello
Director's Notes: The Sarabande from J. S. Bach’s Cello Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008, draws its quiet power from the meeting of Bach’s emotional clarity and the cello’s deeply human voice. Bach offers only a single melodic line, leaving harmony implied and allowing silence to speak as strongly as sound. In that simplicity lives a sense of loss, endurance, and grace. The cello, with its voice-like range and intimate resonance, gives form to what words cannot express. In this performance, the music becomes a space of stillness and truth, a wordless meditation for those we remember and the resilience of those who remain.
In my earliest memories, I lived as a girl who behaved like a boy but imagined herself as both/neither. Years later, when I began to socially transition, my friends described holding funerals for their past selves, returning them to the earth like we do for our fallen trans and nonbinary siblings. Inspired by this, on a quiet autumn's evening, I came upon a forested path nestled deep in the mountains, and there began our procession. One by one, my past selves emerged from the understory, shrouded in dappled sunlight, joined by my ancestors in blood or in spirit, both living and passed. Together we marched on and on until the trail opened onto a windswept dune cradling a vast and gentle sea. But when I led them down to the water's edge, their final resting place, they did not go. They did not sleep.
Today, I carry within me everyone I've ever been and everyone who's ever moved my soul: the girl, the boy, the women, the men, and all those who are indescribably between and beyond. This, for me, is what it means to walk the path back home. To call back all those lost or exiled parts of ourselves, our ancestors, and our communities—to reconnect, to grieve, to rage, to sing, to dance—to just be. And in this, I'm reminded that beyond every painful ending is the promise of a new beginning. Let this not be a eulogy for those who have been lost or taken from us, for they did not die.
In The Metamorphoses, a narrative poem of mythological transformations, Ovid writes: “All Things are alter’d, nothing is destroyed.”
Composer: Eleanor Daley
Lyrics: Anonymous
From Requiem
Director's Notes: Canadian composer Eleanor Daley’s In Remembrance from her multi-movement work, Requiem, has become a beloved modern choral piece, often sung at memorials and moments of reflection. The text reminds us that love endures even after death, offering comfort in its assurance that those we cherish remain with us in spirit. Daley’s gentle, flowing melodies invite listeners into a quiet space of meditation and healing. Within the arc of this program, the piece provides a moment of stillness and tenderness.
Lyrics
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glint on snow.I am the sunlight on ripened grain,
I am the gentle morning rain.
And when you wake in the morning's hush,
I am the swift uplifting rush of quiet birds in circled flight.I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there,
I did not die.Composer: Michael Bussewitz-Quarm
Lyrics: Shantel Sellers
from Where We Find Ourselves
Director's Notes: The Latin phrase Memento Vivere translates to “Remember to live,” a reminder that even in times of grief, we are called to embrace the fullness of life. Composer Michael Bussewitz-Quarm, known for her works exploring themes of healing and social justice, offers music that is both luminous and urgent. This piece marks a pivotal transition in the program, moving from remembrance toward resilience. Its rhythmic vitality and forward momentum suggest renewal and strength, while its warm harmonies radiate hope. Through this music, Bussewitz-Quarm captures the pulse of persistence and invites us to honor those we have lost by living with courage, presence, and joy. This is a celebration of life itself as a testament to those who can no longer do so.
Lyrics
When I slip into the waves of time,
Would you hold me longer in your eyes
And know me? Know me!
Remember who we are.
Remember life, remember joy.
Let us sing to the mystery of life!
Every soul a candle,
An ancient lullaby
Summoning the stranger,
Embracing who we are.
This is where the road is leading,
This is where we find ourselves.A thousand voices rising up
Into one song, a new song.
Beauty forged in fire,
Rising from the flame.
Memento Vivere!
Remember who we are.
Remember life, remember joy.
Let us sing to the mystery of life!From The Stupendium
Nothing lasts, everything fades
And every day you are picking a pigment
To place on the canvas life paints
So why choose gray?
In the gallery of your time
You cannot always choose the pictures
But you can choose how they are depicted
And they will always be hung in your frame of mind
So smile
But it's okay to be sad
Blue is in the rainbow for a reason
And it has some of the shortest wavelengths
Because there's never enough time to say goodbye
Everyone's song ends
But how we crescendo is not as important
As all of the harmonies we left in our friends'
You don't get to go back
You just get to look
So make sure that the pictures you took
Are as colourful as they can be
Composer: Amy Gordon
Lyrics: Amy Gordon
Director's Notes: Amy Gordon’s In the Morning gently traces the transformation from night to day, sorrow to peace, and despair to hope. Gordon’s luminous harmonies evoke the quiet emergence of dawn, suggesting that healing often arrives softly rather than in grand gestures. The text and musical texture offer a vision of comfort and renewal, inviting listeners to trust in the steady return of light after darkness. Within the program, this piece serves as a moment of tender awakening, guiding us from grief toward grace and reminding us that even after the deepest night, morning always comes, and things will be better in the morning.
Lyrics
Things will be better in the morning
Sleep now, it’s time to go to bed
Outside it’s windy and it’s storming
Oh weary child, won’t you rest your head?
There will be hope and there’ll be laughter,
Fairytales with happy-ever-afters
And all the stories you were told will come true
And all you need to do is wait ’til
Things will be better when it’s light out
Right now outside it’s dark and grim
So will you let me turn your light out?
Sleep now and let peace enter in
And we’ll go running on the hillside,
Run so fast that all your tears will have dried
And all the sadness that you feel will disappear
There’s nothing you should fear
Just wait ’til
Things will be better in the morning.I’ll tell you a secret: every trans girl is an older sister. This is to say that the world is small, and reaching out to someone means a lot. Every trans woman is fighting a battle that can be solved by you sending her $20, etc. This is to say that you should be walking your trans girl friends home, and that’s not a metaphor: Walk. Your. Friends. Home. This is to say that none of us asked for this: the conditions and the absence of support networks that are supposed to protect us from rape and murder and suicide. Please check on your friends. Do not assume that someone is looking out for us. I hate that I have to say that, but I have to, and so do you. 17 Black trans women and girls were murdered in America this year. Their names are:
Cam Thompson; Ra'Lasia Wright; Quanesha Shantel; Santonio Coleman; Honee Daniels; Kassim Omar; Redd, also known as Barbie; Vanity Williams; Tai'Vion Lathan; Monique Brooks; Kenji Spurgeon; Shannon Boswell; Michelle Henry; Tayy Dior Thomas; Kita Bee; Starr Brown; and Diamond Brigman.
How many of those women and girls would still be here if someone had walked them home?
This is to say, please be a big sister. You can’t make the whole world better today, but you can make one woman’s day better, and safer. I’ve been a big sister my whole life, and I’ll tell you this. The world hates to see a big sister coming. That’s because sisters don’t let demons win. Thank you.
Composer: Samih Choukeir
Lyrics: Samih Choukeir
Arrangement: Shireen Abu-KhaderSoloist: Neha Hazra
Director's Notes: Translated as “if my voice departs,” this Arabic song honors the dead while affirming the strength of those who remain. Originally written as a protest song, it has become an anthem of resilience and solidarity, its grounded rhythm and lyrical simplicity carrying both sorrow and resolve. Rooted in the struggles of communities across the Middle East, the piece speaks to the enduring human desire for dignity and peace. By including this work, we recognize grief as a shared language that transcends borders, faiths, and identities. Its quiet beauty offers solace to those who mourn and courage to those who continue the work of healing and hope.
Lyrics
Arabic
لو رحل صوتي ما بترحل حناجركم
عيوني على بكرا وقلبي معكم
لو راح المغني بتظل الأغاني
تجمع القلوب المكسورة واللي بتعاني
EnglishIf my voice departs, your throats (i.e. voices) will not
I look unto tomorrow and my heart is with you
If the singer goes (dies), the songs will remain
Bringing together the broken and suffering heartsCARD III. THE EMPRESS
I felt the breath of the spring, and accompanying the fragrance of violets and lilies-of-the-valley I heard the tender singing of elves. Rivulets murmured, the treetops rustled, the grasses whispered, innumerable birds sang in choruses and bees hummed; everywhere I felt the breathing of joyful, living Nature. The sun shone tenderly and softly and a little white cloud hung over the woods.
In the midst of a green meadow where primroses bloomed, I saw the Empress seated on a throne covered with ivy and lilacs. A green wreath adorned her golden hair and, above her head, shone twelve stars. Behind her rose two snowy wings and in her hands she held a sceptre. All around, beneath the sweet smile of the Empress, flowers and buds opened their dewy, green leaves. Her whole dress was covered with them as though each newly opened flower were reflected in it or had engraved itself thereon and thus become part of her garment.
The sign of Venus, the goddess of love, was chiselled on her marble throne. "Queen of life," I said, "why is it so bright and joyful all about you? Do you not know of the grey, weary autumn, of the cold, white winter? Do you not know of death and graveyards with black graves, damp and cold? How can you smile so joyfully on the opening flowers, when everything is destined to death, even that which has not yet been born?"
For answer, the Empress looked on me still smiling and, under the influence of that smile, I suddenly felt a flower of some clear understanding open in my heart.
Composer: Jonathan Larson
Soloists: Ambra Tieszen, Theo Geer
Yoshi Das, piano
Mikey Prince, drums
Director's Notes: Jonathan Larson, best known for his groundbreaking musical Rent, wrote Louder than Words as part of his earlier show Tick, Tick… Boom!. This high-energy piece propels the program into a bold declaration. The song asks a searing question: why do we wait to truly live, when our time is so brief? Larson’s lyrics challenge complacency, asking why we speak of change instead of living it. The urgency of the music reflects the courage it takes to live authentically in a world that often resists truth. Its theatrical pulse transforms into a call to action — to live loudly, proudly, and without apology. In this moment, joy becomes defiance, and defiance becomes song.
Lyrics
Why do we play with fire?
Why do we run our finger through the flame?
Why do we leave our hand on the stove
Although we know we're in for some pain?Oh, why do we refuse to hang a light
When the streets are dangerous?
Why does it take an accident
Before the truth gets through to us?Cages or wings?
Which do you prefer?
Ask the birds
Fear or love, baby?
Don't say the answer
Actions speak louder than wordsWhy should we try to be our best
When we can just get by and still gain?
Why do we nod our heads
Although we know
The boss is wrong as rain?Why should we blaze a trail
When the well worn path seems safe and
So inviting?
How, as we travel, can we see the dismay
And keep from fighting?Cages or wings?
Which do you prefer?
Ask the birds
Fear or love, baby?
Don't say the answer
Actions speak louder than wordsWhat does it take
To wake up a generation?
How can you make someone
Take off and fly?If we don't wake up
And shake up the nation
We'll eat the dust of the world
Wondering whyCages or wings?
Which do you prefer?
Ask the birds
Fear or love, baby?
Don't say the answer
Actions speak louder than wordsComposer: Riley Orzano
Director's Notes: Written by our choir member, Riley, this song speaks directly to the themes of belonging and self-worth. Its message, that every person deserves safety, dignity, and love, resonates at the heart of this concert. The simplicity of the music underscores the clarity of its truth: that affirmation is not abstract, but personal and urgent. Each phrase feels like an embrace, a collective vow to protect and uplift one another. Through this piece, the choir and audience together declare that every life has value.
Lyrics:
There are no undeserving, there are only stories we have not yet heard.
We are all deserving; every being has goodness and worth!Zephyr in the sky: your breath, my breath, breath of all beings since the dawn of life.
Breathe with the jungles, breathe with the butterflies,
Breathe with the ocean that gives us life.Grapes on the vine, apples in the orchard, do not choose between rich or poor.
They give to you, they give to me,
They give to the ant and the honeybee.
(Bridge):
Live like the zephyr who breathes as one with all life past and life to come.
Live like the orchard that gives so free; there can be enough for what we need.Child of the heavens, child of the elements, born of the universe of the one!
No more than dust, no less than the stars, we deserve a good life whoever we are!Live like the universe; let your heart expand to everything, near and far.
Live like the orchard that gives so free, there can be enough for what we need (2x)
There can be enough for all that we need.There was a me that I was before I was me.
At times, I miss her. I don't want to be her again, but I miss her.
She was a good egg—resilient, kind, empathetic. She was the safe place for many people in her life, always trying to make everyone else feel loved and accepted. Everyone else. Everyone else. She was damn good at it.
So good that no one, including herself, could tell she was hollow inside.
There were parts of herself that she knew would be too painful, too destabilizing to even acknowledge. So she locked those parts away, out of conscious awareness. She performed identity triage, salvaging what parts she could. She did this to protect herself. To protect us. To protect ... me.
What she did was an act of love...and it left wounds that may never fully close.
She did the best she could with the tools available to her. She kept us safe—protected us from dysphoria, from rejection, from suffering at a time when I didn't have the support systems to handle it.
But, she also protected us from self-expression, and connection, and much of what makes life worth living.
She taught herself to distrust joy and be skeptical of her own emotions. She shut out much of what makes life ... life. And she did it all with the best of intentions.
Today, I look back and I just want to give her a hug and tell her it will all be alright. That she is worthy of love, all of her, of being whole. That she doesn't have to be afraid of the parts of herself she doesn't understand yet. Understanding is not a prerequisite to self-love.
I could never go back to hiding, even if I wanted to. The cat's out of the bag—heck, the cat's had kittens by now.
Without that version of me, there wouldn't be this version of me. She played field medic with our sense of self and got us to a place where we could get real help. Where we could actually heal. Thanks to her, I get to keep living, and growing, and becoming.
She wasn't perfect, but she was me. And that was enough.
Somehow, despite it all, that was enough.
Composer: Craig Carnelia
Arranger: Ryan Murphy
Director's Notes: A soaring ballad of yearning and self-discovery, Flight captures the courage it takes to embrace one’s truth. The song begins with uncertainty and progresses toward confidence, mirroring the journey of claiming one’s identity and voice. It speaks of the desire to break free, to risk everything for the chance to become one’s fullest self. Carnelia’s writing celebrates that pivotal moment of release — the leap toward authenticity. Within the arc of this concert, Flight serves as a personal awakening embedded in a collective story. In flight, we find liberation, transformation, and hope.
Lyrics
Let me run thru a field in the night,
let me lift from the ground ‘til my soul is in flight.
Let me sway like the shade of a tree,
let me swirl like a cloud in a storm on the sea.Wish me on my way thru the dawning day.
I wanna flow, wanna rise, wanna spill,
wanna grow in a grove on the side of a hill.I don’t care if the train runs late,
if the checks don’t clear, if the house blows down.
I’ll be off where the weeds run wild,
where the seeds fall far from this earthbound town.And I’ll start to soar.
Watch me rain ‘til I pour.
I’ll catch a ship that’ll sail me astray,
get caught in a wind, I’ll just have to obey
‘til I’m flyin’ away...Let me leave behind all the clouds in my mind.
I wanna wake without wondering why,
finding myself in a burst for the sky.
High!
I’ll just roll.
Let me lose all control.
I wanna float like a wish in a well,
free as the sound of the sea in a shell.I don’t know, but maybe I’m just a fool.
I should keep to the ground.
I should stay where I’m at.
Maybe everyone has hunger like this,
and the hunger will pass.
But I can’t think like that.All I know is somewhere, thru a clearing,
there’s a flickering of sunlight on a river long and wide,
and I have such a river inside.
Let me run through a field in the night,
let me lift from the ground ‘til my soul is in flight.
Let me sway like the shade of a tree,
let me swirl like a cloud in a storm on the sea.Wish me on my way thru the dawning day.
I wanna flow, wanna rise, wanna spill,
wanna grow on the side of a hill,
wanna shift like a wave rollin’ on,
wanna drift from the path I’ve been traveling upon,
before I am gone.
Composer: Marques L.A. Garrett
Lyrics: William Henry Davies
Director's Notes: We close with Marques L.A. Garrett’s Sing Out, My Soul, a triumphant and radiant finale. Garrett’s music overflows with energy and joy. The text is a call for the soul to sing without hesitation, lifting its voice in praise, resilience, and freedom. Ending the program here affirms that despite sorrow and struggle, the human spirit remains unshakable. It is a declaration that celebrates the strength of a community that will not be silenced. It reminds us that to sing is to survive, to create, and to proclaim life in all its fullness. We will continue to sing out, and as the final chords ring, we hold the light of every name, every voice, and every act of love that brought us here.
Lyrics:
Sing out, my soul, your songs of joy;
Sing as a happy bird will sing
Beneath a rainbow’s lovely arch
In early spring.Think not of death…
Strive not for gold…
Train up your mind to feel content,
What matters then how low your store?
What we enjoy, and not possess,
Makes rich or poor.
You can watch this livestream while it happens or after our concert finishes.
Saturday, November 15 at 3pmPT/6pmET:
https://www.youtube.com/live/O94t_BJdwUg?si=tsOiigaZLFS8a_qf
Thursday, November 20 at 7pmPT/10pmET:
https://www.youtube.com/live/u19Q5xNcBcg?si=RolwZ3g8MDcFhK29
Thank you to our sponsors
Thank you to our concert sponsors for your support this concert cycle! By supporting trans joy, you've helped STANCE have a successful season.
Land & Labor Acknowledgement
We would like to acknowledge that we rehearse and perform on the land of the first peoples of Seattle, the Duwamish, Muckleshoot, Stillaguamish, Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla tribes, past and present and commit to honor with gratitude the land itself and the stewardship of these indigenous tribes. We encourage you to join us in this commitment by contributing to the local Heron's Nest Outdoor Education and Restorative Justice program and Real Rent Duwamish.
We respectfully acknowledge the enslaved people, primarily of African descent, on whose exploited labor this country is built, with little to no recognition. Today, we are indebted to their labor and the labor of the many Black and brown people that continue to work in the shadows for our collective benefit. We also support the #BlackVoicesMatter movement and pledge to work towards anti-racism in all aspects of our music.
Thank You
Thank you to our amazing AV team - Chilly, Jeff, and Kellan. Thank you to Jade for your talented support of our advertising and design. Thank you to all of our wonderful front of house volunteers. And thank you to Traction for your support of our programming.
We are grateful to ASL Interpreters Aimee Adams and Dory Radebaugh for helping ensure that our work is inclusive and accessible to every audience member.
A heartfelt thank you to our visiting teaching artists this season, Dr. Tiffany Walker and Michael McKenzie, for sharing their knowledge, expertise, and joy of music with us.Artistic and Executive Director:
Dr. Cee Adamson
Assistant Artistic Director and Collaborative Pianist
Mikey Prince
Bold: Section Coordinator/Music Sectional Leader
Italics: Outreach Ensemble Member
Soprano: Alia Zeng, Ambra Tieszen, Cerridwyn Clover, Chris Ho, christiana crabbe, Francis Mana-ay, Jules Hepp, Kass Coate, Maddie Smith, Neha Hazra, Robin Wilvich, Star Dorminey, Tess Griswold
Alto: Adaleigh Martin, Aliyah Wachob, ashiana mina stoll, Ben Koivu, Caia Kaufman, Crow, Dahe Kim, Eli Helm, Fox Terry-Welsh, Galaxy Salo, Hannah Oshlag, Hope, Jess Lamken, Laura Belmont, Liv Thomas, Logan Fenske, Logan O'Laughlin, Marie Chatfield Rivas, Morgan Fiskevold, sasha winter, Thorn King, Tulani Reeves-Miller, Vedin Pavlović
Tenor: Austin Mamont, Chris Geeng, Claire Ash Vulic, Crow, Ellie Davidson, Frankie Wolf, Hailey Reinhart, Jade Dikelsky, Luis Rivas, Miranda Deacon, Reina Jameson, Riley Murphy, Rónan Barry, Rosemary De Luca, Sinead Rountree, siri ingersoll, Skye Hirsch, Sonya Vásquez, Spiderweb Powers, Takeshi Takahashi, theo geer, Tony Pasik, Toria Schwinn, Morgana Andersen, wylan river-zaviied, Yoshi Das
Bass: Andy Chapel, Asha Berkes, Basil Freeling, Ben Keenan, Dani Weisz, Elliott McMurray, Felix Sutherland, Gracie Bucklew, Haven Wilvich, Jade Sapp, James Rose, Jaycie Mitchell, Jin Zeng, Lee Bressel, Leo Ojala, Luka Fern Slater, My Lopez, Mir Plemmons, Mitchie Fuller (Vega), Persie Rosales, Riley Ozano, Sandy Hong, Taylor Hays, Tesseract King, Theo 혜성 Moon, Zane Rapiñan
Board Members
Board Chair Logan O’Laughlin
Co-Chair Adaleigh Martin
Treasurer & Fundraising Chair Haven Wilvich
Secretary Sonya Vásquez
Racial Equity Chair Lotus the Vibe
Accessibility Chair Thorn King
Resources Chair Jin Zeng
Events & Marketing Chair Jade Dikelsky
Singer Liaison Takeshi Takahashi
Members at Large Andy Chapel, fluffy
The Seattle Trans and Nonbinary Choral Ensemble, better known as STANCE, was founded in 2022 as the first chorus that is led by and for gender diverse singers in Washington. Our mission is to provide a vocal community free of gendered expectations to explore and express ourselves through music. We have rapidly grown from a grassroots movement to over 100 active singers this season. With your support, we hope to continue to grow and meet the needs of our ever expanding trans community.
STANCE Leadership
Artistic and Executive Director
Dr. Cee E. Adamson (she/they)
In the distinguished sphere of classical music, Dr. Cee E. Adamson (she/they) stands as a beacon of versatility and excellence, seamlessly weaving together her roles as a choral conductor, opera singer, voice teacher, arts administrator, and student affairs practitioner with grace and passion.
As a mezzo-soprano, Cee occupies a fluid place as an operatic talent, capable of treading the beguiling and liminal space between the countertenor and mezzo-soprano, and her vocal versatility has been well showcased in roles as Oberon in Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Giulio Cesare in Handel's Giulio Cesare, The Sorceress in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, and tragic and comic roles from Mercedes in Carmen to Florence Pike in Albert Herring. Cee was also requested to appear as a featured supernumerary in Glimmerglass Opera’s production of Philip Glass’s Orphée.
As a choral educator, Dr. Adamson assumes the role of a visionary choral director whose leadership has transformed vocal ensembles into beacons of musical excellence. Cee is known for her meticulous attention to vocal technique and ensemble precision and her ability to cultivate a deep emotional connection within her choirs, resulting in authentic performances that resonate deeply with audiences and performers alike. Through her academic and professional practice, Cee aims to reshape the narrative around who is seen and heard in classical vocal and choral music. Visibility is not just important; it is critical—it means ensuring that underrepresented populations and identities are represented across all facets of the arts, from historical pioneers to contemporary innovators.
In December 2024, Cee completed the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Washington, specializing in vocal performance under the guidance of Dr. Carrie Shaw, as well as choral conducting with Dr. Geoffrey Boers and Dr. Giselle Wyers.
Assistant Artistic Director / Collaborative Accompanist
Mikey Prince (he /they)
Mikey found STANCE in 2022 after looking into trans choirs across the US to research trans-centered choral pedagogy. When he is not joyously music-making with community in STANCE, Mikey is joyously music-making with K-5 students as a music educator in Seattle Public Schools.
Transgender Day of Remembrance (TDOR) was started in 1999 by transgender advocate Gwendolyn Ann Smith as a vigil to honor the memory of Rita Hester, a transgender woman who was killed in 1998. The vigil commemorated all the transgender people lost to violence since Rita Hester’s death, and began an important tradition that has become the annual international Transgender Day of Remembrance.
“Transgender Day of Remembrance seeks to highlight the losses we face due to anti-transgender bigotry and violence. I am no stranger to the need to fight for our rights, and the right to simply exist is first and foremost. With so many seeking to erase transgender people — sometimes in the most brutal ways possible — it is vitally important that those we lose are remembered, and that we continue to fight for justice.”
— Transgender Day of Remembrance founder Gwendolyn Ann SmithEach year, we remember the names of the transgender people whose lives have been lost to anti-transgender violence in the past 12 months. These are the people we know of whose lives have been taken due to anti-transgender violence, but it should be noted that these crimes often are misreported, go underreported, or are not reported at all.
The week before Transgender Day of Remembrance, people and organizations around the world now participate in Transgender Awareness Week to help raise the visibility of transgender people and address issues members of the community face.
Adapted from GLAAD. For more information, visit Remembering Our Dead.
