The Denver Feminist Chorus (DFC) is delivering a musical breakup letter designed to free audiences from the pressure to stay quiet, stay small, or stay stuck with anything that doesn’t serve them. Forget the saccharine Valentine’s script—This concert is about choosing the kind of love that expands your life, not the kind that drains it. “No” isn’t a failure here; it’s a power move. And sometimes that one small no is what blows the door open to the freedom you didn’t know you were missing.
Sometimes the soul just needs a cathartic evening of music sung by a chorus of queer individuals and their allies. They raise their voices in songs like “Good Bye Earl,” creating a harmony that feels like resistance–pushing back against fear, division, and anything that tries to dim the soul’s fire. This collective defiance is a reminder that harmony isn’t just something you hear–It’s something you feel. It’s the courage that shows up in the presence of others who are battling the same metaphorical demons–the shared strength that makes resistance feel less like a solitary battle and more like a collective force fighting for the same cause.
Everyone’s metaphorical demons look a little different, but the heart of the concert is the same: reclaiming freedom, joy, and the forward motion that gets blocked when we stay tethered to things that drain us. We say yes out of habit, out of politeness, out of fear–agreeing to things that don’t spark anything in us. And little by little, our lives stop feeling like our own. That’s how we lose parts of ourselves that made us feel alive–the parts of ourselves that were always meant to burn bright.
The concert is about personal liberation—and through personal liberation, we can stand in solidarity. Letting go of the things that drain our energy leaves more of ourselves to show up for our community with confidence and power that ripple outward, strengthening the people around us.
That spirit is at the core of what “started off as an anti-Valentines breakup concert, but grew and evolved into so much more,” says Artistic Director Hannah Kimball. Hannah adds, “in the current political climate, it’s also an important reminder that those with privilege can ‘say no’ in support of those whose rights may be in jeopardy.”
Unbound: Celebrating Our Right to Say No will be present on February 21 and 22, offering multiple opportunities to experience the Denver Feminist Chorus fill the room with music that is sure to create a collective release for audience members. There will be two opportunities to see the concert on Saturday, February 21, the first concert begins at 2:00 p.m., and the second concert begins at 7:30 p.m.. Both concerts on Saturday will be at Smoky Hill United Methodist Church in Centennial. On Sunday, there will be one concert beginning at 3 p.m. at Parson’s theatre in Northglenn. Standard tickets are $28; however, in line with the DFC’s commitment to accessibility and inclusion, there is an option to pay whatever fits your budget—whether that be more or less than $28.
Images Curtesy of the Denver Feminist Chorus
