Art In This Present Moment
Singing for Justice: Waigwa Leads Choir in Lifting Voices and Community
Choral director Waigwa aims to bring the human experience to the concert stage.
Waigwa didn’t grow up singing, but music has always been a significant part of their life. It wasn’t until college, when Waigwa auditioned for their school’s choir, that they knew it was possible to shape the voice you’re born with.
This experience in Waigwa’s early adulthood led them to discover a supportive queer choral community, first through Desert Voices Choir in Tuscon, Arizona, and now with One Voice Mixed Chorus, where Waigwa leads the group as Artistic Director.
Although Waigwa has only been a part of One Voice for a few years, they’re already making their mark on the group’s legacy by introducing a diverse range of songs and music styles that are rooted in social justice.
Music alone can’t create change, Waigwa acknowledges.
They believe One Voice exists not only to lift voices through song, but to show up in community, whether through protest, partnership or advocacy. And when it comes to the music, they are making sure to meet the moment with community.
One Voice recently held a concert called “Weather: Stand the Storm” for the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder. In the program’s welcome message, Waigwa wrote: “As we mark five years since George Floyd’s murder, this concert does not offer comfort. It offers clarity. It names the storm we endure every day. It calls us to remember not as observers, but as authors of a story still being written.”
In the future, Waigwa hopes that One Voice continues to show up and be representative, bridging the gap between performing arts and the larger community.
“If you want to be a group that is for social justice and that is advocating for yourself and others, you can’t do that with only music that you know.”
Waigwa
About the Artist
Waigwa (they/them) is the Artistic Director of One Voice Mixed Chorus. They are dedicated to the goal of intentional music making and focus on the intersections of racial justice, queer advocacy and community building.
Waigwa was nominated for Art In This Present Moment by One Voice Mixed Chorus, one of Minnesota’s largest and most vibrant LGBTQIA+ and straight ally choruses.
Art In This Present Moment
This project is part of Art in This Present Moment, an initiative of the Saint Paul & Minnesota Foundation. We provided grants to three Minnesota-based nonprofit organizations to fund work by BIPOC artists who are changing and challenging dominant narratives through their craft.
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