A Little About Us
SoHarmoniums
Sing to bring joy in music
To all who hear them
This New York City not-for-profit choir of some sixty women, representing three generations, is bound together by the enduring magic of group singing. Founded by Deborah McManus in 2006 with Artistic Director Elizabeth Nunez, SoHarmoniums strives to enrich and inspire our diverse communities by championing music of many forms and traditions.
Statement of Equity and Inclusion
The SoHarmoniums Women's Choir is committed to deepening and broadening cultural equity, diversity, and inclusion among all our singers, audiences, board, and musical community.
We honor, celebrate, and support people of any and all race/ethnicity, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, socioeconomic status, geography, citizenship status, or religion, and pledge to take meaningful action to further catalyze lasting and long overdue social change.
And in light of current events in our country, we would like to say to our friends, colleagues, and families of color: We stand with you, we appreciate you, and your lives matter.
Meet Us
SoHarmoniums 2024 Spring Concert!
Watch Us Sing
Meet The Founders
What was the inspiration for creating the SoHarmoniums?
Deborah: I missed making music. Since I would rather walk over burning coals than audition in front of a bunch of strangers, I figured if I started a women’s choir, it guaranteed that I would be and stay a member.
Elizabeth: When Deborah approached me about creating a women’s choir in 2005, I replied with an enthusiastic "YES!" Within five minutes of our first rehearsal, even with only six members, I still knew we were at the start of something wonderful.
Michele: I must confess that initially I was just in for the ride and to have a regular activity. That certainly changed!
Has it become what you hoped?
Elizabeth: I think the group has exceeded my every expectation. The biggest inspiration for me has been the enthusiasm and dedication of our members who are always eager to try something new. Each week our community gathers, I think how lucky we are to have found each other.
Michele: Who could have imagined at the birth of this choir it would become over sixty singers in just a few short years? I think that for all three of us, as we grew in size and musical expression, our ability to rise to increasingly difficult challenges was a source of great pride and personal fulfillment.
Deborah: I have always cherished the shared beauty of choral singing as well as the comradeship, the chance to interact with and learn from some really interesting folk. And of course, it’s wonderful to be on stage and thrill an audience (and ourselves!). This was my dream and lucky, lucky me, it keeps coming true.
