Sandi Hammond
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Sandi Hammond is a Boston-based musician and business woman who founded Butterfly Music Transgender Chorus, the second all-transgender chorus in the country, in 2014.[1][2] The first, the Transcendence Gospel Choir, was established in San Francisco in the early 2000s.[3]
Hammond grew up in Wellesley, and spend a lot of time with family in Plymouth, where she worked at the former Mayflower Seafoods on the waterfront.[4] From an early age, Hammond's mother encouraged her to enter the world of music. Sandi Hammond was also part of a Boston-based children's choir when she was younger.[5] Hammond went on to study music composition, singing, and piano at Earlham College in the Midwest. She also became steeped in the school’s underlying mission for social justice, but did not foresee a future career combining her two passions.
Music career
After graduating, Hammond undertook a corporate sales job, before deciding to begin a career in music. Her debut album Rubbergirl, was released in 2003, and her second album, This Summer Night, followed in 2005, receiving critical acclaim from publications such as the Boston Herald.[6] Hammond has made appearances on WERS and WGBH radio and has toured small acoustic venues on the East Coast. As a member of the jazz vocal trio, ESP, Hammond has also appeared at notable jazz club, Regattabar and on WGBH's prestigious jazz show, Eric in the Evening.[citation needed]
Hammond began teaching music, mindfulness, and meditation, and spent time keeping up to date with the Transgender Alliance Facebook Page. She was shocked by information she found on the page; for example, that transgender people are four times more likely to live in extreme poverty.[4] In order to help, Hammond decided to create a choir specifically for the trans community.