Soromundi Lesbian Chorus of Eugene founder Karm Hagedorn says she’s not a visionary. “I just wanted to sing with friends,” Hagedorn writes in an email to Eugene Weekly, recalling the night, 35 years ago, six women gathered in the living room of her home when Soromundi launched. 

But, she adds, “it wasn’t long before I knew what I had started, and I knew it was more than just a choir. It was a community.”

More than three decades later, Hagedorn’s Soromundi Lesbian Chorus is celebrating its 35th anniversary with two concerts. The first is an evening performance May 17 in the Soreng Theater at the Hult Center, and a matinee in the Soreng Theater is the next day. 

Alongside the anniversary concerts, called Soromundi: Everything Possible, the chorus has produced a book commemorating its 35th anniversary for sale in limited quantities and available for preorder the evening and afternoon of each performance. The book will later be sold on Amazon and from the Soromundi website.

Shortly before and after the concerts, Soromundi will present a museum-style exhibit of the chorus’ history in the Jacobs Community Room, formerly Jacobs Gallery, on the Hult Center’s ground floor.

Soromundi Vice President Ann Huber and former President Kate Barry, both singers, have co-chaired the anniversary planning. Huber joined the chorus seven years ago, and Barry joined the group shortly after it started.

Huber and Barry say Everything Possible will be in two sections. The first focuses on music from the group’s first few years, featuring traditional chants, circle songs and pieces with call and response. 

In the second half, Huber and Barry say the music will look toward the future, with selections like Chappell Roan’s “Pink Pony Club,” illustrating the “Everything Possible” theme of the show and highlighting Soromundi’s broad commitment to diverse gender identities.

In both the first and second half, Huber says the chorus will perform “a wider mix of songs than most people would ever expect a chorus to do.” Such as “Songs of Sanctuary” by the Welsh composer Karl Jenkins, written in Jenkins’ made-up language.

Percussion, piano and guitar will accompany singers in both the first and second halves, and former chorus members will return to Eugene and perform for the celebration. 

As for the photographic exhibit, Huber and Barry say it’s organized around five general themes highlighting the nonprofit’s guiding principles: performance, collaboration, activism, friendship and community building. 

The Soromundi book, Sisters of the World, is organized similarly, with photographs and stories from throughout Soromundi’s 35 years.

“Talking to different people and groups reminded me of specific concerts or moments in Soromundi’s history that were meaningful for everybody,” Barry says of the research process for the book and exhibit.

Such as the first time the chorus went on tour, or the time Soromundi performed at a gala conference in Portland, “when we were still a young choir, maybe 10 years old, and were just received with rapturous applause,” Barry recalls. 

“It was very affirming of what has been accomplished,” she says.

Soromundi accepts members of all musical skill levels each September, and no audition is required to apply. The group rehearses once a week, all music selections come from the singers, and they perform at least three annual concerts in Eugene and around the Northwest.

Lisa Hellemn, Soromundi music director, says she knows of no other chorus of its kind  that lets the membership select the music they sing. That process, she says, “gives every person a way to listen, discuss and vote on the repertoire.” 

At first, Hellemn says, Soromundi had trouble booking gigs because “lesbian” was in the name. (The word lesbian remains, but membership is open to all female-identifying singers, regardless of sexual orientation.)

“Now, unfortunately, it’s our friends in the trans and genderqueer community who are being attacked,” Hellemn says. “That’s why it’s important to support our LGBTQ+ organizations and provide safety for everyone.”

Hagedorn calls the community the chorus has built and which the anniversary events will celebrate “a network for members, past and present, who need each other on many levels.”

She says, “Support might include simply lending an ear, helping build a shed, buying weekly groceries, and singing someone on to whatever comes next when this life is finished.”

Huber adds, “We can add more people to the table, and it doesn’t diminish anybody else’s presence.”

Soromundi: Everything Possible — Annual Spring Concert is 7:30 pm Saturday, May 17, and 2:30 pm Sunday, May 18, in the Soreng Theater at the Hult Center, 1 Eugene Center. Tickets are $28; the concerts are all ages. For more information about joining the Soromundi Lesbian Chorus, go to Soromundi.org.