On Sept 18th, NOVUS , the new music-ensemble at Trinity NY are performing the world premiere of. the GRAMMY Award-winning cellist Andrew Yee’s Trans Requiem. Written for trans voices, choirs, and orchestra, Yee’s work not only amplifies the beauty, strength, and diversity of the trans experience, but also affirms the dignity of every voice.

The piece was commissioned by Trinity and will be part of Novus’s RENEWAL series for the occasion, internationally recognized soprano Breanna Sinclairé will join fellow soloist Katherine Goforth along with the Trinity Choir and the  Trinity Youth Chorus.  “Trans Requiem gives voice to memory, resilience, and joy—without apology,” said Breanna Sinclairé. “To sing this premiere with Trinity is to stand in the light with my community and say: our stories are sacred, our lives are music, and every voice deserves to be heard.”

Yee told The Violin  Channel “The thought came to me to write a requiem as I was playing a concert of a mass for someone who had died hundreds of years prior.  “Trump had just been elected for his second term, and his platform was largely based on the defunding and delegitimization of my community. I had not been feeling the pull to create during this time, I just wanted to feel sorrow. Then the thought came to me to not feel shame for feeling sorrow. I could write about it.

“My Trans Requiem not only mourns for those who have passed, but also for the loss of our rights, and safety,” But much like a traditional mass setting, I also focus on the things that hold us together. I wrote the piece to celebrate my trans community and to have a focused time to uplift and to mourn.“

“Trinity’s Renewal series is about transforming how we gather and why we sing,” said Melissa Baker, Director, Artistic Planning for Trinity. “Andrew Yee’s Trans Requiem expands the choral-orchestral tradition with a powerful, deeply personal statement. With Breanna Sinclairé, Katherine Goforth, our choirs, and NOVUS, audiences will experience an evening of empathy, courage, and breathtaking artistry.”

Breanna Sinclairé is an acclaimed American soprano and the first transgender woman to sing the U.S. national anthem at a professional sporting event. A graduate of CalArts and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, she has appeared with leading artists and orchestras at major venues across the U.S. and Europe, in productions including Carmen, The Magic Flute, and La Calisto. Sinclairé was featured in the opera-film Bound (Against the Grain Theatre), starred in PBS’s True Colors: LGBTQ+ Our Stories, Our Songs, and was honored by the San Francisco Business Times as an Outstanding Voice. 

In addition to Trans Requiem, the program features a Trinity arrangement of Samuel Barber’s Agnus Dei (Adagio for Strings) and Pauline Oliveros’ Sonic Meditations, inviting everyone in the church to become performers and collaborators—an immersive act of community listening and shared breath

NOW take a listen to how beautiful Breanna sings in this recording of Somewhere from West Side Story