This project came to fruition thanks to the help of so many people that also want to see change. The biggest thank you goes out to Dr. Joey King who funds the King Creative Fund grant here at SU. A grant that allows students to tackle unique problems in innovative ways. It allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and face the issue of oppressive heteronormative standards in music and in the world. I believe queer art is a beautiful thing that needs to be celebrated and shared, that drag is more expressive than most people can understand, and that LGBTQ+ people deserve to have their stories heard in classical music. And with the help of Dr. King, I was able to put on a show that expresses it all.

I also have a lot of SU faculty and staff to thank. My Advisor for this project, Dr. John Michael Cooper, was a huge inspiration for taking on such a daunting task. While taking his music literature classes he always reminds us that there are so many voices that have been silenced in history due to their gender, the color of their skin, or the people that they love. MS Christine Vasquez and MS Elizabeth Beasley also deserve their flowers for being in charge of all King Creative recipients and helping guide us with our projects. They really did help get this show together and provided me with so much care and knowledge. I also had the support of so many great professors that I look up to the entire time I was preparing for the show. It's not easy to create change but when I kept hearing how impactful and necessary this project would be from my professors I knew that I had to give it my all.

And lastly, I have to thank my parents for always standing proudly behind me no matter what. They have always said that all they want is for me to be happy with what I do. And it's because of their support that I can always go out into the world proud and secure in who I am. I realize that it is a privilege to have this kind of relationship with family and I truly do appreciate it so much. I would not be the person I am today without the love and strength my parents have given to me.