During a typical year, One Voice Mixed Chorus hits the road with its 125 singers for a fall tour through Greater Minnesota. These tours are intentionally designed to visit areas with limited support for, and representation of, LGBTQ people. Each concert draws an unlikely audience and provides a rare space to cultivate meaningful interactions and connections. Essentially, the choir becomes a traveling, singing, change-making community center. From one town to the next, we meet extraordinary LGBTQ people and hear their powerful stories of courage and resilience.

This was not a typical year, however. COVID-19 has forced all of us to adapt, reimagine, and innovate how we do things. With limited opportunities to travel and gather in person due to the pandemic, One Voice canceled our fall tour. Instead, we focused on creating community virtually by bringing queer voices together across the state to explore mental health through art, music and storytelling in a new podcast series, Sound Mind.

Sound Mind includes six episodes, hosted by One Voice Artistic Director Jane Ramseyer Miller. Each episode features a different LGBTQ artist sharing their deeply personal and inspiring story, and takes listeners on a journey through the intersections of identity, adversity, and self-expression.

The artists featured in Sound Mind were introduced to One Voice through our original tour partners: The Edge Center for the Arts, Echoes of Peace choir, University of Minnesota, Morris, and St. Olaf College. These organizations have also been instrumental in engaging their local communities.

During this unprecedented time, One Voice Mixed Chorus continues to use the power of music, art, and storytelling to further its mission of building community and creating social change by raising our voices in song. Learn more here!

Michaela Marie Raymond (she/her) is a 76-year old Trans female, attracted to females, and has been married to Valerie Conner for 25 years. Raymond lives outside Talmoon, MN.

A Duluth native, Raymond spent 20 years in law enforcement and is a disabled Navy vet.  Over the past 40 years she has had many great stage and singing roles.  She and Valerie co-wrote/produced “The Missing Link,” a video available on www.edgecenterarts.org/movie. 

Next, Raymond will be singing “I Am What I Am” for a video montage of scenes for the Edge.

Kandace Creel Falcón (she/they/their) is a queer femme Xicanx, artist, writer, feminist, and cultural worker living in rural Otter Tail County, Minnesota. Their life’s passion grounds the power of narrative for social transformation.

Learn more about their work by signing up for their newsletter, or visiting their website.

Victoria M. Evens (she/they) is a bisexual musician from Cold Spring, Minnesota. A distinguished graduate of the University of Minnesota, Morris, Evens holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in music and gender/women/sexuality studies. They were named the 2020 recipient of the Mimi Frenier Award, recognizing high academic achievement and political, social, and civic activism. Evens currently resides in Waite Park, Minnesota, where they serve Saint John’s University/College of Saint Benedict as the Civic Fellow with the Eugene J. McCarthy Center for Public Policy and Civic Engagement. In addition to their work with the McCarthy Center, Evens recently started a small business called PrideSafe, where they strive to empower other queer and marginalized individuals to live their full, independent, proud lives through their safety products and social justice-inspired designs.

Visit Victoria's professional website and shop at PrideSafe (Etsy | Facebook | Instagram)

Paula J. Pedersen recently retired from a 30 year career in higher education, as psychology faculty and Director of Education for Inclusive Excellence. Along with educator and psychologist, Paula is an interculturalist and consultant to educational and leadership groups seeking self-awareness and strategies toward intercultural effectiveness. She is a licensed psychologist and a facilitator with the Center for Courage and Renewal, facilitating retreats based on the work of Parker J. Palmer. As an educator, singer and citizen, Paula strives to facilitate understanding of the complexity of multiple perspectives, whether singing, teaching, training or tending her garden. Paula and her spouse, Sara live in the north woods near the Twin Ports of Duluth/Superior along with their cat, 15 chickens and two bee hives.

Kymani Kahlil is a Twin-Cities based generative theater artist, activist, writer and musician.  She has spent over a decade honing her skills as a generative artist through work with Youth Performance Company, Minnesota spoken-word artist Desdemona, hop-hop artist Dessa and most recently Interact Center for the Visual and Performing Arts. Theatre credits include productions with The Children’s Theatre Company, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, The History Theatre, Ten Thousand Things Theatre and Theatre Latte Da.

Kymani has also worked as director, music director, composer, and choreographer throughout the Twin Cities and out-state Minnesota teaching residencies, touring and leading workshops in theater creation. Kymani is currently developing Peaches & Pickles: Perspective is Suspect, which investigates the intersections of race, gender, cultural identity and criminality.

Kymani Kahlil is a 2020 recipient of an Artist Initiative grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. You can listen to Kymani as the host of the podcast The KI Experience, launching July at anchor.fm/kymaniivery

In a usual year Jane Ramseyer Miller conducts One Voice concerts and rehearsals and is always on the lookout for captivating community collaborations.

During the pandemic she has developed entirely new skills: recording and producing queer podcasts, Zoom interviews, virtual rehearsals, and filmmaking! She is thrilled to be fully vaccinated and emerging into a new normal life again. More about Jane.

Paul Kruse is a playwright from western Wisconsin, currently living in the Twin Cities. His work flows from his Queer identity, Catholic roots, and ever-evolving experience of family. Paul is a founding member of Hatch Arts Collective in Pittsburgh, PA, and a recent graduate of UT's M.F.A. playwriting program.

Paul served as Audio Engineer for Sound Mind. Learn more about his work at www.paulwkruse.com.

"Pie Jesu" from Requiem in D minor
By Gabriel Fauré
Kathy Lee, solo
Live recording from a 1990 One Voice concert

We're Everywhere
Music and lyrics by Tom Wilson Weinberg
Live recording from a 1993 One Voice concert

NAMI Minnesota is currently offering LGBTQ+ Connection support groups, open to anyone over age 18 living with any type of mental illness from the LGBTQ+ communities. Groups are free, peer-led, and online at this time. Visit namimn.org to learn about free, online classes and support groups for people with mental illnesses, their families, professionals, and the general community. 

• Resources for LGBTQ+ communities
• Support Group Link
• Classes

Need help navigating the mental health system, finding resources and treatment, or getting support? Call NAMI’s Helpline at (651) 645-2948, ext. 117 or email namihelps@namimn.org. 

NAMI Minnesota offers a variety of downloadable publications to help children and adults impacted by mental illnesses. These resources cover topics such as Civil Commitment, co-occurring disorders, psychiatric hospitalization, criminal justice, data privacy laws, and more. Hard copy versions of these booklets are available by emailing namiofficemanager@namimn.org.