About Us: Supporting the Community
Partnership
Our Spring 2015 concert, Songs in the Key of SHE, was a benefit concert, with all proceeds going to Alternatives for Battered Women.
For several years, we have been honored to be asked to open the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk by singing the national anthem, and each year we have organized a walking team to raise money for this cause.
In recent concerts, we have raised funds and collected donations for Foodlink and the Lucy Leone Fund.
We have sung for events supporting various causes including the vigil to end DOMA and the Transgender Day of Remembrance, and we have sung holiday carols at local nursing homes.
The RWCC also supports our community by providing food and clothing for the impoverished and economically disadvantaged families in the Rochester community through partnership with local schools and not-for-profit organizations.
Collaboration
Over the past 25+ years, the RWCC has performed with:
- 18 sister choruses at Sister Singers Network in Cleveland, OH
- 18 local Rochester choruses at the Greater Rochester Choral Consortium's annual "Taste of Song" Prism concert
- women's, men's and mixed choruses with mission statements similar to ours, including the Rochester Gay Men's Chorus
- women's choruses at the International Performance Festival, Tampa, FL
- Peace Child Chorus, Rochester, NY
- about 40 choruses at the First Eastern Regional Festival of GALA, Cincinnati, OH
- even more choruses at the 7th International GALA Festival in Montreal
- We also opened for Holly Near and co-sponsored her Rochester performance in May 2005 with Rochester's Raging Grannies and Heartland Concerts.
Participation
The Rochester Women's Community Chorus has been doing much more than entertaining since its inception in 1978. In the last 25+ years, RWCC has:
- performed and marched at Rochester Pride events
- taught a workshop on community choirs at the Michigan Women's Music Festival
- walked in Take Back The Night marches at SUNY Geneseo and SUNY Brockport
- participated in numerous International Women's Day events
- participated in pro-choice rallies
- participated in marriage equality events
- commemorated the AIDS Garden
- supported Night of One Hundred Parties — fundraiser for the political action arm of the State Gay Pride Advocacy Group
- opened for several ImageOut Gay and Lesbian Film Festivals
- participated in That All May Freely Serve — Presbyterian organization advocating for ordination of homosexual persons
- participated in World AIDS Day celebrations