During a Season 8 episode of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” contestant Thorgy Thor told viewers that she played the violin and she wanted to form an orchestra, or, if you will, a Thorchestra.
That’s all it took.
“I got 600 emails after that saying things like, ‘Hi, my name is Charles, I play viola, I live in Iceland, and I want to be part of your Thorchestra,’” Thor told the Herald.
Chartering her own plane with a symphony in tow wasn’t in the budget, but the idea was clearly a good one. Since debuting in 2018 with the Symphony Nova Scotia in Halifax, Thorgy has collaborated with some of the world’s great orchestras (Pittsburgh Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic…) on programs that mix comedy, drag, pop and classical music. Next up, she joins the Boston Pops for its first Pride Night on June 1.
Of course, that line of “that’s all it took” comes with a big caveat. Before becoming a drag queen and appearing on Season 8 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” and Season 3 of “RuPaul’s All Stars,” Thor was a devoted violin student. But eventually, classical music alone wasn’t big enough to contain Thor’s ambitions.
“I graduated from (University of Hartford Hartt School) conservatory and moved right to New York City and would play with freelance orchestras, teach private students during the day, and then at midnight I was at a (drag) club until 4 a.m.,” she said. “I did this for 10 years, five days a week. I don’t know when I slept. But my hope was always to combine these two areas of discipline.”
Now Thor’s done that. Although it’s been a struggle in surprising ways.
“Most drag queens’ talent is wearing clothing,” she said with a laugh. “It was tricky at first to figure out how to play and wear these outrageous costumes. It’s no easy feat. I’m wearing six-inch heels and telling myself don’t trip during the music while my eyelashes are sweating in my face.”
What hasn’t been a struggle is getting audiences on board. While these programs have elements of drag shows and a night at the symphony, they are unique — vaudevillian wackiness, violin chops, Beethoven and disco jam “A Fifth of Beethoven.”
“It’s a variety show,” Thor said. “I’m not going to play 47 minute Tchaikovsky violin concertos because nobody is coming to see me play 47 minute Tchaikovsky violin concertos. I choose pieces that are virtuosic but short. Things where I can blow kisses to the audience in the middle of it. It brings comedy and drag antics into the music.”
During all this, hopefully, audience members from different worlds find common ground. Or, better yet, learn to appreciate the magic of both worlds (or, even better yet, just remove the boundaries between the two).
“I challenge all the young kids who love drag and show up in blue hair to come back to the symphony and put their butt in that seat and support the symphony when I’m not here,” she said. “But vice versa. I want to see some of these older folks at their local drag club supporting local performers at 1 p.m. on a Monday.”
For tickets and details, visit bso.org
