Yelling Choir is a collaborative performance ensemble of women, femme, trans, & nonbinary artists who reimagine voice, presence, and power.

We aim to take up the full size of the vast wordless mystery of existence that we are part of RIGHT NOW.

We share the immediate, visceral experience of having a voice, both sonically and socially. Our interactive performances explore power, expression, and human connection unmediated by electronic technology. Under the direction of performing artist Maxx Katz, every Yelling Choir composition is unique, dynamic, and co-created by the Choir as well as the audience.

Yelling Choir has a forward-thinking aesthetic based in contemporary classical music, improvisation, performance art, and social practice. The group is influenced by organizer and musicologist Maxx Katz’s diverse fields of study (performance theory, improvisation, classical music, heavy metal, free jazz) as well as study in somatic awareness practice and trauma-informed mindfulness.

We love to yell—and we also explore other sounds, extended vocal techniques, movement, and improvisation. We explore getting big, taking up space, allowing big emotions—from joy to rage to boredom to delight, and in between—in an emotionally-regulated and supported way. Recent commissions include PICA’s TBA Festival, the 2024 Oregon Contemporary Artists’ Biennial, and Portland Art Museum’s Tomorrow Theater.

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Photo credit: Robert Franklin