Artemis Singers is an Americanlesbian feminist chorus based inChicago,Illinois and a member of the feminist chorus cooperative Sister Singers Network.[1][2][3][4] Named after the Greek goddessArtemis,[5] its goals are to create positive change in cultural attitudes toward women and female artists and to "increase the visibility of lesbian feminists."[6][7]
Founded in 1980, it is one of the earliest lesbian feminist choruses in the United States. In 1983, Artemis was the only lesbian chorus to take part in the first national gay and lesbian choral festival, titled Come Out and Sing Together.[8] In 2008, Artemis was inducted into theChicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame.[9] The group only performs music created by female composers or lyricists, or arranged by female arrangers.[10] Over the years, Artemis has sung music by many women, includingwomen's music movement artists such asHolly Near andKay Gardner (composer).[11] During the group's early period, they had an assigned traditional music director (Susan Schleef) but the system gradually evolved into a self-organized, non-hierarchical system.[10][12] Currently, several members act as music directors during each performance.[9]
1986 - Hosted third National Women’s Choral Festival in Chicago
1987 - Participated in “A Show of Concern: The Heart of America Responds,” a fundraising event for theAIDS Foundation of Chicago at the Chicago Theater
2003 - Produced a concert to benefit the Lesbian Community Cancer Project (LCCP)
^Morris, Ann. "Artemis Singers: A Decade of Music by Women." Outlines: The Voice of the Gay and Lesbian Community 4, no. 1 (1990): 34. Archives of Sexuality and Gender (accessed October 16, 2025).
