CHICAGO─Artemis Singers, www.artemissingers.org, Chicago's lesbian feminist chorus, will perform songs from 2 p.m. - 2:30 p.m., Saturday, August 24, 2019 at Women & Children First 40th Anniversary Block Party, in honor of the bookstore. The nonprofit Artemis Singers specializes in performing music written or arranged by women.
Women & Children First is located at 5233 N. Clark St., Chicago. The block party will be held on the honorary Women & Children First Way ( Clark Street and Farragut Avenue ).
"Artemis Singers celebrates Women & Children First's history of service to the community," said Midge Stocker, long-time Artemis member, past treasurer, past secretary and occasional artistic director of the chorus.
"We are delighted to honor Women & Children First with this performance," said Stocker, noting the vital role the bookstore had for many lesbians coming out in the early 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. "Women & Children First was a key source for information, newspapers, books and activities," she said.
As publisher at lesbian feminist book publishing company, Third Side Press, in the 1990s, Stocker noted the significant role of Women & Children First in promoting women's press books and authors, similar to Artemis Singers' role in boosting the work of women composers and arrangers.
Songs on the August 24 program showcase the wealth of lesbian feminist music. Artemis Singers will present "What Happens When a Woman," written by Chicago's Artemisia Trio; "Ruth Bader Ginsburg" by Ann Reed; and "Signs: Voices from the Women's March" and "Fishing with the Lesbians" by Ruth Huber.
The audience will hear the humorous "Big Butch Woman" by Martha Brown; "Common Woman" by Marla Beth Elliot; "Sweet Sorcery" by Terry Dash; "Your Women's Bookstore" by Anne Seal; and "The Earth is Singing My Name," poem by Dar Nivar; music by Marjan Helms.
Artemis Singers will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2020.
For more information, email info@artemissingers.org or call ( 773 ) 764-4465.
Artemis Singers is comprised of women with diverse backgrounds who are dedicated to effecting positive change in cultural attitudes toward women and women artists. Performances highlight historical, political and personal events common to women.
Founded in 1980, Artemis Singers has been a mainstay in lesbian feminist cultural life. The chorus takes its name from the Greek goddess Artemis, who is a symbol of independence among lesbian feminists. The chorus was inducted into the City of Chicago's Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame in 2008.
Audiences have seen Artemis Singers at the Chicago History Museum, the Jay Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park ( Gay Games ), at Women & Children First bookstore and at numerous universities.
Artemis Singers is a non-audition chorus open to all women singers, regardless of experience level or music reading ability. Each singer should be able to hold a melody and be excited to sing with a lesbian feminist chorus that performs music written or arranged by women. Artemis provides creative opportunities for women interested in all aspects of choral production: conducting, song writing and arranging, performance lighting, choreography, audio, artistic direction, stage management and vocal instruction.
Artemis Singers is on Twitter and Facebook.
—From a press release
