Out Loud Chorus, Inc. (OLC) is an adult community chorus located in Ithaca, New York. We have members from all over the Southern Tier, Finger Lakes and Central NY regions: including the cities of Ithaca, Corning, Syracuse, Owego, and Binghamton. We perform an eclectic selection of pieces under the musical direction of Br. Shawn F. Benedict.

Out Loud Chorus members join for the purpose of making an artistic and social statement through musical excellence. Out Loud Chorus welcomes persons of all sexual orientation.  Established for the education, enjoyment, and cultural enrichment of its members and its audience, Out Loud Chorus seeks to foster community spirit and pride, and to present a positive image to the community at large.

Out Loud Chorus is proud to be a member of GALA Choruses, Inc., the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses.  This organization helps foster excellence in the choral arts while building bridges of respect and understanding.

To find out about becoming a member of OLC, our current projects, or ways to support OLC, please explore this web site or e-mail us at outloudchorus@usa.net.

Artistic Music Director - Brother Shawn Francis Benedict is a 1982 graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. He received a Dalcroze Certificate in 1983, following his study at Ithaca College. Brother Benedict has spent nearly thirty years conducting youth and adult choral groups as well as maintaining a private music studio. Brother Benedict is also the Pastor of the Ray Of Hope Church Of Our Lord Jesus Christ, a church of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and enlightened straight community. As a dedicated member of the Chorus, Shawn has been serving as an ex-officio member of the Board Of Directors for many years now. Shawn arranges almost all of the music that the OLC performs so that it fits with our uniquely dynamic style. He is and has been an asset since coming to the OLC in 1996.