The LGBTQIA+ community is here and queer all year, but Pride Month is a great time to spotlight LGBTQIA+ musicians and the impact their art, experiences, and ideas have on the classical music world. Classical Queery, hosted by YourClassical’s Mya Temanson, illustrates how classical music can uplift queer voices and how queer experiences can transform the classical music scene.
This week’s question, “How can you support the work of trans artists?” is answered by Mari Esabel Valverde (she/her).

Valverde is an award-winning composer from Texas who is currently based in Minnesota. She is a graduate of St. Olaf College and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Her work has taken her across the country, composing for the likes of the American Choral Directors Association, Boston Choral Ensemble, Cantus, and more (scroll down in this post to listen to some of Valverde’s works).
More than anything, Valverde foregrounds the voices and stories of marginalized people in her music. “I see the value of my work reflected whenever I go anywhere and make music with people,” she says.
Click on the player above to hear Valverde’s response to this week’s question, and explore further with the audio below.
Additional queeries for the curious listener:
When it comes to centering the voices of trans and BIPOC poets in your music, how does your experience as a trans woman of color inform you?
How can the classical music community better support the work of artists from marginalized communities?
Why are stories of trans joy important?
Music by Mari Esabel Valverde
When Thunder Comes (2016) performed by the St. Olaf Choir
Cantares (2013) performed by Polyphony: Voices of New Mexico
The Lady and the Tiger (2016) performed by Matthew Valverde, Ksenia Leletkina, and Tiffany Valvo
her first snow (2008) performed by the Lirica Chamber Ensemble
Check back in next week for another queery: “Why should you care?” Scholar Martha Mockus returns, joined by Sonia Mantell, a cellist with the Minnesota Orchestra.
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