Life right now somewhat feels like it’s being run by Gaston — you know, the chest-thumping, mirror-kissing villain from “Beauty and the Beast” who hates books, fears education, is surrounded by a bunch of babbling sycophants and wants to marry the smartest girl in town just to silence her.

Lately, the air is thick with culture wars, targeted cruelty and a relentless grind of headlines that seem allergic to empathy. It’s enough to make anyone feel a little frayed at the edges.

But step inside a Resonance Women’s Chorus rehearsal and the mood shifts entirely. Here, in a room full of altos, sopranos and seasoned soul-belters, voices rise not in discord but in deliberate, gorgeous harmony. They’re both singing songs and singing truths — about who belongs (everyone), about what matters (beauty, courage, connection), about why we keep showing up even when the world feels like it’s cracking at the seams.

The group’s upcoming concert, “Everyone Belongs,” is both a balm and a battle cry. With a songbook that spans Broadway suffragists, Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes and Brandi Carlile, Resonance is meeting this moment with heart, hope and an unwavering refusal to sit down and be quiet.

Resonance Women’s Chorus has been singing truth to power since 2002, when longtime choral director Sue Coffee founded the group with a clear vision: Music is not just for music’s sake, but for healing, connection and change.

Two decades later, that vision has only deepened and grown louder.

Now 125 voices strong, the Boulder-based chorus is a force of harmony, heart and high standards. They are part of a national network of queer, feminist and justice-centered choruses, proud members of the Sister Singers Network and GALA Choruses, though they are unmistakably doing their own thing.

“We call ourselves a message chorus,” Coffee said. “Our repertoire is almost entirely contemporary and non-classical, with a lot of music by women. We’re connected to the messages that come from being part of this movement.”

The vibe in the room is somewhere between a political rally, a poetry reading and a very moving dinner party where everyone’s bringing their full selves. Audiences can expect laughter, tears and a reverence for both the music and the moment when they attend a Resonance concert.

The title “Everyone Belongs” comes from the Brandi Carlile-penned ballad “Crowded Table,” a song that dreams up a home full of warmth, firelight and a seat for every kind of person. It’s a lyric that hits especially hard right now, when exclusion and cruelty seem to be the tools of the trade for those in power.

For Coffee, it felt like the only thing to call this concert.

“We are aligned with people who are appalled by the actions of the current administration,” she said. “The concert title is a direct statement of opposition to what’s happening right now: Demonizing immigrants, trans individuals and so much more. We’re standing firm in our belief that everyone belongs.”

The program reflects that belief with clarity and care. Shaina Taub’s “Keep Marching,” from the recent Broadway musical “Suffs” anchors the concert with a stirring call to carry on the work of justice, even when it’s slow or unfinished.

“You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to abandon it,” Taub quotes from the Torah.

Another line from the piece — “Make peace with our incomplete power and use it for good” — has become something of a mantra for many in the chorus.

“It’s a gorgeous song for our times,” Coffee said. “A lot of the singers have mentioned that it’s really shored them up over the past few months.”

Other selections include T.R. Ritchie’s “Somewhere to Begin,” Langston Hughes’ “To Sit and Dream,” Maya Angelou’s “United in Purpose” and Reena Esmail’s “Listen.” The texts are full of tenderness, resolve and a deep faith in connection. None of it feels accidental.

“I’m careful about choosing songs that will nourish our singers and sustain the season-long conversation within the chorus,” Coffee said. The setlist for “Everyone Belongs” is unusually cohesive. It doesn’t just move between moods; it holds them all at once. In the music, there’s protest and prayer, quiet strength and sharp clarity.

“The concert is about supporting people and not being afraid,” Coffee said.

She describes choral programming as a kind of scavenger hunt, pulling together songs from a network of fellow choruses across the country. Each one is selected not only for its musicality but for how it will land in the room — and how it will linger afterward.

“We’re very different from other choruses in Boulder County,” Coffee said. “We operate with expressive values rooted in activism.”

The chorus also welcomes trans and nonbinary singers who can sing in the treble range and find community within its structure. Many members identify as lesbian or queer, though not all, and all are connected by a shared desire to create something meaningful together.

Despite their wide range of musical backgrounds, the singers rehearse with intention, showing up for one another week after week. Coffee is careful to create a rehearsal process that respects the individual while holding the group to high artistic standards. The result is a rare balance — the music is excellent, but never cold.

“I sometimes think of the chorus as an island of sanity,” she said. “It’s a crazy time. These rehearsals are grounding for us, and I want the audience to leave feeling grounded and inspired, too.”

“Everyone Belongs” is an invitation for everyone. It’s a gathering of voices, yes, but also of people trying to stay open-hearted in a world that keeps slamming doors.

“I want people to feel less alone,” Coffee said. “I want them to feel they are in a supportive community, that they are connected to the beauty in the world. I want them to feel expansive and inspired.”

The concert offers a space to reconnect with others, to feel grounded, and to be reminded that in a world of shouting matches, sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is listen.

Rrsonance Chorus will bring “Everyone Belongs” to the stage at noon April 26 and 4 p.m. April 27 at UCC Longmont,1500 9th Ave., Longmont.

The group will bring the spring concert to the Boulder stage at 4 p.m. May 3 at First United Methodist, 1421 Spruce St. Tickets and details are available at resonancechorus.org.