Carol White and Clelyn Chapin Chat About DWC’s 40 Year Legacy

Founder Carol White and current Art Director Clelyn Chapin discussed the past, the legacy, and the pride fostered in the four decades of the Denver Women’s Chorus.

DWC just celebrated their 40 year anniversary with the production of Her Story: Our Legacy. Her Story travels the length of the chorus–exploring moments of Carol White’s life, offering nods towards the LGBTQ community that uplifted the DWC, and littering in playful moments for the crowd.

The opening song greeted audiences to a skit capturing the difficulties of u-hauling in the sapphic community. Light hearted moments like these spurred laughter, but the choir also shared moments that allowed tears to spill over and many songs were met with standing ovations.

From the Indigo Girls to Brandi Carlile to original songs, the music in Her Story carried the crowd with strong melodies and an even stronger message: the power of unity in our voices. Pictures often back the singers, sharing 40 years worth of stories through the lens of song and photography.

DENVER, CO – NOVEMBER 4: The Denver Women’s Choir performs We Are: A Celebration of Self-Acceptance at Welshire Presbyterian Church on November 4, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Seth McConnell)

Current Artistic Director Clelyn Chapin conducted with ease, bringing a strong energy that could be felt from the chorus members and the audience. On the production of the performance, Clelyn wanted to “bring all this history into the chorus without reading from a script.”

On the production of the concert, she says, “We’ve infused the concert with some videos, some pictures, and also some skits that try to bring the information out in a really entertaining way. Our music is really wonderful for this concert. We have music that celebrates our history. We have a special piece of music that … one of our members wrote that’s dedicated to Carol.”

Prior to the performance, OFM had the pleasure of meeting with Carol White and Clelyn Chapin. Both carry such strength within themselves and their conducting–and the torch is being passed down in the DWC, paving the future for more voices to be shared, celebrated, and uplifted.

Carol White has shared her journey with OFM before, but her life is a story that could be retold many times and still open up new crevices that can inspire many.

The founder of DWC and Harmony, Carol has a gift for hearing the voices that need to be shared the most. Her voice alone commands the space it holds, and she has inspired so many to celebrate themselves through song and their voices.

With the anniversary performance sharing Carol’s legacy, she says, “The main emotion that I have is pride. I’m proud to be the founder of such a wonderful organization. I remember way back 40 years ago, thinking someday I’ll be 80 and I’ll be sitting back in the audience thinking I’m so proud of these women because they’re still singing and even better than ever. And actually, here I am, 84 and I’m one of the grandmothers, and that’s how I feel. They’ve grown so much since I left. They’ve grown in numbers and they’ve grown in repertoire . And they’ve grown in musical ability, especially with Clelyn.”

Carol was subjected to discrimination in many walks of her life, but her strength to confront an unjust society has changed so many lives and continues to inspire. Growing up in a time where discrimination left many on the fringes of society, with few safe places or programs to protect them, Carol faced adversity for years before finally finding safety in community.

Carol attended Southern Methodist University and obtained one master’s degree in sacred music and another in conducting. She dedicated her life to the church and music. But when she was outed as a lesbian in 1967, she lost her job. Left with two masters degrees that had no use to her and with no job prospects, she was left to find her way in a world that had no place for her.

Carol says, “I didn’t conduct after I left Chapel Road Methodist Church in Houston. I did not conduct for 16 years because I wasn’t involved in the church at all, and I didn’t have another choir to conduct. But I always had in the back of my mind that I wanted to conduct again, because that was the love of my life, (it) was conducting.”

By the 1970s, she had relocated to Denver and was working as a court reporter. Attending the first-ever Denver PFLAG meeting in 1980, she finally had found a space of acceptance within her community. PFLAG ignited a flame in Carol, and the extra fuel from the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus allowed DWC to lay its roots.

Founding the Denver Women’s Chorus in 1984, Carol shared her story about the starting days of the chorus:

“When the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus started, I was involved in PFLAG … (and) … ever since I heard the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus in their first concert, I thought, wouldn’t it be fun to recruit 70 women and put them with these 70 men in the Denver Gay Men’s Chorus, which is about the number they had at that time, approximately 70?

“And so I went to them and asked them if they would like to do that and sing for the National Convention of PFLAG, which was coming to Denver. And they invited me to a retreat, and Bob Moore said that I could conduct one number at a rehearsal, at their retreat, and … so he gave me a Berlioz opera number to conduct. It was a double chorus.

“So, I did that. I conducted the Berlioz double chorus … and then I told them that I had a master’s in conducting and I had been fired from this church because I was gay. And that I hadn’t conducted for 16 years until that moment. And they gave me a standing ovation.”

Despite the hardships and social rejection Carol faced, her passion for music had an outlet again. And her legacy continues to have positive reflections today.

Many in the chorus’s infancy could not publicly share their identities due to the repercussions of being outed, but the chorus became a solace where people could be themselves and safe.

Today the chorus opens its arms to allies and members of the LGBQT+ community to create a safe space where queer voices can be cherished and shared.

Clelyn says, “I think being a part of DWC has really changed my perception of my leadership style and building consensus and learning to ask people what it is they want and what it is they need, as opposed to the traditional kind of choral approach, which is you will stand up there and you tell everybody how to sing it and and what to do.”

If you missed the recent showings of Her Story, Our Legacy, you can watch the performance virtually starting at 7:30 p.m. MST on Saturday, March 2 until 7:30 p.m. MST on Sunday, March 3. Tickets can be purchased here.

If you would like to get more information or inquire about joining the Denver Women’s Chorus, you can go to their website.