What is your project about?

My project explores the implications of repertoire on identity formation in women’s choruses. I will concentrate on the Eugene Women’s Choral Society (WCS), the longest-running women’s choral ensemble in the state of Oregon. WCS’s longevity allows for meaningful exploration of repertoire trends and ensemble culture over time, particularly when considered in light of broader societal shifts that have occurred over their 91-year timeline. I will examine how constraints on musical women may be reinforced or challenged through literature selection, whether repertoire content shapes a shared identity of “womanhood,” and how these phenomena have evolved in the 20th and 21st centuries.