Rise Choir is a genderful collective of singers that share music in free, public spaces. Led by Rose composer Pax Ressler, Rise Choir invites audiences to live into their fully embodied, queer, trans, singing selves. Through singing into our shared values, Rise Choir leads audiences in simple, soul-stirring, easy to learn songs, rehearsing the shared vision of a better world.
Whether you are an experienced singer or simply want to dip your toes in, please join us. There is no preparation needed—you and your voice are welcome!
Co-presented with The Bearded Ladies Cabaret in conjunction with John Jarboe: The Rose Garden.
Pax Ressler (they/she) is a non-binary transfeminine composer, organizer and cabaret theater artist who uses music as a participatory tool to invigorate our collective imaginations toward social change. Pax invites the performer-audience collective to rehearse their values and imagine a better world together through political cabaret (“Contradict This!”), communal singing (Rise Choir), and trans and non-binary advocacy (Genderfunk Philly). Their compositions and arrangements have been performed around the world, on the streets in protests and parades (“Ceasefire” by adrienne maree brown and Rise Choir), and in cultural institutions like Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, Washington, D.C., and La Mama ETC, New York, NY, and FringeArts, Philadelphia, PA (John Jarboe’s “Rose: You Are Who You Eat”), and the Wilma Theater, Philadelphia, PA (“Hilma”). Pax has released two albums centering trans identity (“Change” and “dreams”) and is developing a cabaret about American Girl Dolls to investigate the hidden truths of US American history and childhood with collaborator Jackie Soro.
