Mission Statement
Transcendent Souls is a project that aims to celebrate trans artistry and illuminate the intersection of values central to trans and Christian religious communities, such as the sacredness of the human body, cosmic inheritance, and transness as participating in the divine act of creation.
Experiencing trans art is a powerful way to deepen your allyship and engagement with your local queer community, and this concert series is an opportunity to celebrate the incredible contributions of trans artists in an affirming and supportive space.
Hi! If we haven't met before, my name is J Holzen, and I play the cello.
As a queer, trans, neurodivergent person, my life has been characterized by self-discovery and rediscovery. Growing up in a Catholic family, the culture of the institution hindered my acceptance and understanding of my identity as a nonbinary person. I have dedicated substantial time and thought to reconciling the person I am with the person I was told and assumed to be. This has taught me to find the beauty in the endless search for personal truth, and the joy in discovering my inner light that has always existed but was hard to express.
An integral part of my self-acceptance was meeting and discovering queer and trans artists and engaging with their work. For as long as I have been curating my own concerts, I have committed myself to gender diversity in concert programming, highlighting the works of women composers as well as queer and trans composers in order to celebrate the voices that inform my own work and be the same visibility that gave me the courage to be seen.
Accessibility in classical music can take many forms, but for me it means to ensure that programs are culturally relevant to the audience members who take the time to listen, presented in a way that highlights the interconnectedness of the audience and performers, and available to people of all abilities. It’s a priority of mine to challenge the traditional concert experience by incorporating sensory-friendly components and audience participation as well as questioning the boundaries between classical music and other genres.
Artist Bio
J Holzen
founder, cellist, and artistic director
Photo credit: Ryan Garvey
Cellist and educator J Holzen is in constant pursuit of musical collaborations of all kinds, including contemporary chamber music, pop and jazz shows, and working with students to achieve their artistic goals. Their enthusiasm and sincerity as an artist and performer encourages audience members and students alike to join J on their artistic journey or begin their own.
In the Fall of 2023, J began their Fellowship with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Additional orchestral commitments include playing in the cello sections of Orchestra Iowa and the Sioux City Symphony. Recent engagements as an educator include serving as a Teaching Associate in Music at Lake Forest College, teaching early childhood music classes through outreach teaching programs in the Chicago Public Schools, and maintaining a private studio of cello students of all ages and levels.
J grew up in a musical family in St. Louis, Missouri, and holds a Master of Music in Cello Performance from DePaul University and a Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance from Oberlin Conservatory. Their primary teachers include Brant Taylor, Darrett Adkins, and Ken Kulosa. During their free time, J can be found playing Tetris, snuggling with their cat, Reno, and attending as many concerts as possible.