About Us

Phoenix was founded in 2015 by Sam Bullington, in response to the lack of trans specific ensembles at the prior GALA festival. Sam was a founding member of TransVoices in Minneapolis, the second ever transgender choir on the planet and described the experience in our original mission as:

"While the experience of the choir was extremely empowering for all of us, it was also a space of vulnerability that taught me a lot about new models of social change. For many of the cross dressers in the group, singing with TransVoices was the first time they appeared in public in the clothing of their choice. As the 12 of us stood there in front of the 80 member One Voice choir, audience members responded dramatically to our courage, repeatedly sharing how they were moved to tears and how much they’d learned from our presence. Concert surveys demonstrated how audience members, as well as One Voice and TransVoices singers, grew more comfortable with and accepting of their own and others’ gendered expressions."

Sam understood the value of empowering trans singers in a choral environment, and as a result, decided to found Phoenix. Since its founding, Phoenix has sung to enthusiastic crowds at the 2016 and 2024 Gala festivals, and to sold out halls in collaboration with other choirs.