Los Angeles Ladies Choir

Created in 2009 by Aska Matsumiya and Becky Stark, the Los Angeles Ladies Choir started as a small idea that blossomed into a big, beautiful community. This community was made up of like-minded women from all over the city, creative, artistic women who were able to come together and create a space for themselves. The LA Ladies Choir included members of many influential musical outfits, including Lavender Diamond (Stark), Warpaint (Theresa Wayman and Emily Kokal), Pocahaunted (Diva Dompe), and Anna Oxygen, amongst others.

The group performed at various charity and community events throughout the city, often singing songs by likeminded women like Yoko Ono. Eventually the choir also performed at large scale events at places like Largo, The Echoplex, and the El Rey Theater. They also started an important program with Children of the Night, a charity that supports the city’s homeless population. Clad in their vintage, ephemeral gowns, the choir sang alongside Peter Bjorn and John,and Red Hot Chili Peppers’ bassist Flea, who also played on the LA Ladies Choir’s debut EP Sing Joyfully. The EP was released in 2010 via Teenage Teardrops records and recorded by influential producer Jim Scott, who has worked with RHCP, Wilco, and Dolly Parton.

Music was a part of the choir, but what really came of the gathering of so many LA ladies was exactly what Matsumiya and Stark envisioned when they came up with the idea: a group of women who came together to support and inspire each other, without rules or structure or ulterior motives, and most importantly, to sing, joyfully.