Singing Queer Joy into Southeastern Minnesota

When the Rochester Rainbow Choir first gathered, it looked nothing like a traditional choral ensemble. 

“It started off with six friends, kind of bopping around a piano a little bit,” director Dylan Starr recalls.

Three seasons later, that informal beginning has grown into something much bigger: Rochester’s first and only LGBTQ+ choir, now more than 60 members strong and preparing to tour across southeast Minnesota.

For Starr, who stepped in as director after the choir’s first few months, the group fills a gap that had long existed in the region. While Rochester has other volunteer choirs, Starr notes that many are “pretty traditional,” leaving little room for varied gender expression, vocal ability or identity. 

“The idea was to create a space for people to feel comfortable in any gender expression, and any ability, really, to be able to get together and sing,” Starr says.

That sense of belonging is not theoretical; it’s felt week after week. 

“It is like the bright spot of my week,” Starr says of leading the choir. 

His approach prioritizes joy over perfection, an ethos that resonates in a group spanning generations, identities and musical experience.

“I tell the choir we are not going to be the best choir in Rochester,” he laughs. “But I will tell you that we’re the most fun choir in Rochester.”

From the outset, the choir’s growth has mirrored its increasing visibility. Its first concert took place at Peace United, the church community that hosts the ensemble. 

“It was great because the community at Peace is so welcoming and inviting,” Starr recalls. 

That same season, the choir was invited to headline Rochester Pride.

Artistically, the choir has come into its own. Early programming, Starr admits, was more instinct than intention. 

“It’s just whatever I could find that seemed like a good fit for the size group that we had,” he says. 

Over time, that approach evolved into something more deliberate, creating a repertoire that spans genres while carrying a consistent throughline. 

“I tried to find music that would kind of share our message of acceptance and positivity and community and relationship building,” Starr says.

Now, that message is traveling beyond Rochester. This season marks the choir’s first tour, with performances scheduled in surrounding towns like Zumbrota and Plainview. For Starr, this tour is also deeply personal. 

“I grew up in Zumbrota … people that are in Zumbrota still love and care about me,” he says. “This type of group, like a queer choir, isn’t necessarily something that would start in Zumbrota, but we’re bringing it to [them].”

The stakes of that visibility are real. 

“There can be a stigma around being queer and how it may be different from what you’re expected to become,” Starr explains. “And I think that bringing these concerts to these communities goes to show that we are not maybe who you expected us to become, and we’re still successful, proud people.”

In places where queer-centered spaces are limited, the choir’s presence alone can be transformative. Each performance functions as both a concert and a quiet act of visibility that invites audiences to experience queerness as their neighbors, teachers and friends standing together on stage.

That same spirit shapes the choir itself. Rochester Rainbow Choir operates less like a traditional ensemble and more like a chosen family, fostering individual growth in its members that Starr is proud of. 

“I’ve seen some people grow in their confidence, for sure,” he says. “I’ve seen some singers that came in really just wanting to blend in. And then, last season, they were auditioning for solos.”

For Starr, those moments capture the essence of queer joy. 

“When you hear about pride, I think it gets a little bit overdone,” he says. “And now I’m really understanding what that means for so many different people to see them in the choir and proud of who they are and proud of the thing that they’re doing, which is singing in this choir.”

As the Rochester Rainbow Choir takes its message on the road, Starr hopes its reach continues to grow. 

“It would be amazing if the choir’s presence could grow and expand beyond Rochester,” he says. “To share this message of positivity and acceptance with more people — that’s how I hope that we make an impact in Greater Minnesota.”

For tour dates, contact information and ways to support the choir, visit rochesterrainbowchoir.com.