The ChamberQUEER concert series in Brooklyn is redefining classical music by merging it with other genres and embracing queerness. The series features performances by queer classical performers and composers and aims to challenge the idea that classical music is dying. According to the founders of ChamberQUEER, the cutting-edge of classical music is fluid, gender-fluid, and genre-fluid, and it relies on the creativity and support of queer people.
The Baroqueer concert, which took place in March, showcased the experimental and excessive nature of Baroque music, which is often overlooked. The founders of ChamberQUEER were surprised by the turnout, but they believe that the Baroque era is inherently queer, with its flamboyant costumes and playful passages. Queering classical music involves anachronism, hybridity, intersectionality, and reclaiming the canon.
Queerness is also present in other genres of classical music. For example, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo researched the queer narrative of the opera Akhnaten, which features a possibly intersex character. Composer Matthew Aucoin believes that opera, with its combination of music, writing, theater, fashion, and dance, has even more potential for intersectionality and queerness. Other queer musicians in the series include yangqin player Mantawoman, violinist Keats Dieffenbach, and tenor Russell Thomas.
Overall, the ChamberQUEER concert series is challenging the norms of classical music and embracing queerness. By merging classical music with other genres and reclaiming the canon, these performances are revitalizing the genre and bringing a sense of otherness and experimentation to the stage.
