TUCSON WOMEN'S CHORUS
Together in Song
WHO WE ARE
Our Mission and History
MISSION
We are a multi-generational group dedicated to celebrating all women's voices in a vibrant, reflective, and joyful singing community.
We welcome women of all backgrounds, including LGBTQ, diverse cultural identities, and any level of prior musical experience. We do not hold auditions, and we support singers who learn by ear and/or by reading music.
We take pride in the process of making music together and we embrace musical challenges. We sing to connect with each other and with a wide world of human experience.
HISTORY
The Tucson Women’s Chorus has celebrated the joy and community of singing together for more than 30 years.
Karleena Ravenswood founded the group in 2002 and was passionate about the personal inspiration that comes from singing with others. All women who liked to sing were welcome, and auditions were not held. Karleena emphasized learning by ear and allowed no written music to be used in rehearsal. The group thrived not only as singers, but also as a community.
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When Karleena died somewhat suddenly in 2016, members wondered whether the chorus could continue. But in the wake of their loss, the women of TWC bound together and kept the chorus strong thanks to, like a shining ray of hope, a leading member named Catherine Shaw. Catherine agreed to lead the chorus for several more years after Karleena.
But then came the pandemic, where the chorus fell silent for some months, again, its future threatened. For over a year singers dared not gather to sing, but Catherine bravely led two short singing series online, allowing us to SING together even when we could BE together. In the latter of these, she chose the appropriately inspiring Rising Appalachia song “I Am Resilient,” which the chorus had sung together in a prior year.
A short time later, Catherine decided to end her time with TWC and move on to new adventures, we wondered whether the chorus could survive once again.
But in yet another miracle, an experienced and energetic choral director, Natalie Killom, presented herself to us just a few months later. Since then, little by little, and most of all thanks to her skilled and loving leadership, talent, and passion for our chorus, we are thriving once again. We are learning to trust our resilience and thrilled to grow and change once again under Natalie.