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New York City’s Premier Women’s Choir

Visit the In Concert page to see upcoming concerts and events.

Founded in 2003, Melodia Women’s Choir NYC is exclusively dedicated to exploring, creating, and performing exemplary classical and contemporary music composed for women’s voices. Melodia nurtures the next generation of women composers through commissions and performances and holds a composers competition periodically. Melodia fosters a climate of mutual respect, empathy and artistic excellence and promotes equal access and inhibits discrimination.
discrimination.

Under the leadership of Jenny Clarke, Executive Director, and Cynthia Powell, Artistic Director, Melodia has performed at Symphony Space, Merkin Concert Hall, DiMenna Center for Classical Music, and the Church of Saint Ignatius Loyola. We have been heard on WQXR and Q2 radio, including in “Her Music: 24 Hours of Emerging Women Composers,” in 2014, 2015 and 2016, and seen on NBC television. Melodia is the recipient of two WNYC/WQXR Radio Salute the ARtS Initiative awards and released its first professionally-produced recording, Lullaby, in 2014.

Melodia has received two proclamations from the City of New York, most recently in celebration of the 20th Anniversary in 2023, for “raising women’s voices and fostering greater harmony in New York City.

THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL
 PROCLAMATION

Erik Bottcher, Council Member of the 3rd District, is proud to honor the Melodia Women’s Choir NYC for 20 years of outstanding achievements; and 

WHEREAS: Melodia Women’s Choir NYC was founded in 2003 with the sole purpose of exploring, creating, and performing exemplary classical and contemporary music composed for women’s voices. From the start, it has been committed to nurturing the next generation of women composers through commissions and performances. Today, it also periodically holds a composers competition; and

WHEREAS: Melodia has brought beautiful music to New York audiences and has garnered an exceptional reputation for commissioning underrepresented female composers and presenting exciting concerts of music with exceptional singers. Praised for its “riveting” sound by The New York Times, Melodia adds to the cultural mosaic and richness of New York City; and

WHEREAS: Founder and Executive Director Jenny Clarke, a longtime District 3 resident, and founding conductor and Artistic Director Cynthia Powell have led Melodia to produce 38 original music programs to date, including 15 world premieres. The 30-singer choir has raised women’s voices in 280 individual works, ranging from Vivaldi to Florence Price and Meredith Monk. The choir has worked with 110 leading female instrumental musicians in New York and has been featured on WQXR, WNBC-TV, and WNYC, and in various publications, including Time Out New York, Women’s eNews, Chorus America’s The Voice, Women’s Voices for Change, Ms. Magazine, Vocal Area Network, and more; and

WHEREAS: Melodia has also partnered with other arts, social justice, and philanthropic organizations, including the Crime Victims Vigil, the John Jay College 9/11 Commemoration, Remember the Women Institute, New York City Comptroller’s Women’s History Celebration, Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors Public Domain Project, Washington Square Music Festival, American Cancer Society, and The Stonewall Chorale, among many others; and

WHEREAS: Melodia not only performs for New York City, it reflects it. With its leadership, as well as many of its singers and collaborating instrumentalists, who identify as queer, and other members who identify as straight, Melodia truly represents the city at large: a diverse and inclusive community that welcomes people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. While each person recognizes the unique gifts they bring, they know that their strength is the work they do together, which leads to beautiful and meaningful music for the enjoyment of all; and

WHEREAS: Melodia has truly excelled in its work and has earned the attention and applause of all New Yorkers, now, therefore

BE IT KNOWN: That Erik Bottcher, Council Member of the 3rd District, gratefully honors

Melodia Women’s Choir NYC
in celebration of its 20th ANNIVERSARY

for raising women’s voices and fostering greater harmony in New York City.

 Signed this 6th day of May in the year Twenty Twenty-Three.

ERIK BOTTCHER

Council Member, 3rd District, Manhattan