Who We Are & What We Do
OVM is organized and promoted by the singing and non-singing members who devote their time, talents, and financial support to do everything it takes on stage and behind the scenes to make the music happen. We are truly a community chorus, committed to spreading harmony and goodwill throughout Milwaukee and beyond.
Values Statement
We value creating a safe atmosphere of compassion and respect where we nurture each other’s development both personally and musically. We encourage our members to express their individuality, and we value their contributions, allowing for growth, creativity and development, both collectively and individually.
We value the important contributions of each member and the time we spend together as a group. We realize that what we are attempting to do cannot be done alone. We depend on each other to create the harmony in our music and in our community that we strive to achieve.
We value the joy of singing and making beautiful music together. We accept the challenge of working to improve our musical skills in order to provide high quality choral performance that is entertaining and honors the traditions of LGBTQ choral music.
We value the important opportunity we can provide to members and friends of the LGBTQ community and the community at-large to join us in song, to hear the harmony we create in our music, and to form working partnerships. We make these efforts in hope to build bridges of compassion, break down barriers of prejudice and ignorance, and build a foundation of equality and respect for future generations. We are aware that we live in a community larger than the LGBTQ community. We believe that our chorus and its membership should be available to participate in community service efforts. We do so to be a part of the larger community.
Diversity Statement
To support our commitment to diversity, Our Voice Milwaukee welcomes all singers regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender presentation as long as they are able to sing within the TTBB vocal range.
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Those unable to sing within the TTBB vocal range are welcome to join the chorus in non-singing membership roles.
OVM Artistic Staff
David Hein
Artistic Director
artisticdirector@ourvoicemke.org
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David Hein is the Artistic Director of Our Voice Milwaukee Chorus. He teaches at Alverno College where he directs the Alverno College Choir and teaches courses in Alverno’s Music Therapy Program. He is principal organist and sanctuary choir accompanist at The United Methodist Church of Whitefish Bay. He is also a production editor with Accelerando, LLC, a music technology and education company, working with their flagship music education product MatchMySound. David has taught music at the elementary, middle, high school, and collegiate levels; as well as private voice, piano, and organ instruction. Prior positions include Assistant Professor of Music at Marian University, Artistic Director of the Fond du Lac Children’s Chorale, as well as full and part-time church music positions in Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, and Roman Catholic parishes. David has choral music arrangements published with Neil A. Kjos Music Company and Choristers Guild, and he has been a writer for the Choristers Guild curriculum series Of Primary Importance. He serves on the Sheboygan Symphony Orchestra board of directors, chairing the Education Committee. He is a member of the American Choral Directors Association, Chorus America, GALA Choruses, and The Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. He holds music degrees from St. Olaf College and Michigan State University.
Lee Stovall
Rehearsal Accompanist & Sectional Director
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An enthusiast of all forms of vocal music, Lee Stovall currently teaches high school choir and music technology at Rufus King High School. Additionally, he is the rehearsal accompanist for Our Voice Gay Men’s Chorus, and he sings professionally with the early music ensemble Aperi Animam and the Florentine Opera Company. As a leading music educator in Wisconsin, he has served on the boards for the Wisconsin Music Educators Association (WMEA), the Wisconsin Choral Directors Association (WCDA), Milwaukee Music Educators Association (MMEA), and he is one of the two first-ever equity chairs for WMEA. Most recently Stovall conducted thousands of students at the Milwaukee Public School’s 100th anniversary Biennial concert, will conduct the Wisconsin premiere of William Grant Still’s “And They Lynched Him From a Tree” with the Black Diaspora Orchestra, and is set to premiere a work at MakeMusic Milwaukee 2024. Stovall is also a prolific contemporary a cappella arranger, judge, and coach, working with scholastic and professional groups from around the world from elementary school groups to “Broadway Goes A Cappella,” at Feinstein’s 54 Below on Broadway. In Milwaukee, Stovall proudly has been part of the team that has increased student participation in music education in Milwaukee Public Schools from 19% in 2018-2019 to 92% in 2023-2024. This growth is an example of him pursuing his greatest passion: using vocal music to break down societal barriers in race and gender.