By Alejando Rios–
On March 3, 2020, the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band (SFLGFB) was conducting its second-to-last rehearsal ahead of its upcoming concert, Notes From the Peace Corps, produced in conjunction with the Northern California Peace Corps Association. Two days later, San Francisco announced the first known cases of COVID-19 in the city. Suddenly, we had a difficult decision to make: whether or not we should cancel our upcoming event that we had been working so hard for. After much thought, the executive decision was made not only to postpone our event indefinitely, but also to pause any future in-person rehearsals.
Having lost the auditory and physical sensations of rehearsing in person, the SFLGFB has been able to come back virtually to do what we do best—make music. It took some creativity and hard work from band members, partners, and our Artistic Director, Pete Nowlen, but we were able to overcome many technological challenges to revolutionize the way we rehearse.
“The virtual rehearsals and performances have been priceless to my mental well-being … having a regularly planned activity that I enjoyed gave me something to look forward to,” says alto sax player, Jeunesse Monroe-Speed.
This process was further fine-tuned by creating an online portal where band members could access an intuitive rehearsal guide, listen to reference recordings, and submit audio and video recordings.
With all recordings in hand and streaming platform selected, our production and editing teams were able to piece together each individual video to create a final orchestrated piece. The end result was an experience similar to one that you might find at an in-person concert: one that uplifted spirits during this time where we needed it most. The main goal was to ensure we were able to cater to a wide variety of audiences, as we wanted to keep true to our mission statement.
Our first virtual concert, aptly named Concert From Home, featured our Concert, Marching, and Pep bands. It also included appearances from our sister band in Portland, the Rose City Pride Band, and a special guest appearance by Mayor London Breed. This was a first of many online concerts that served as an opportunity to celebrate our community’s strength and hope for a brighter future, not only in our immediate community, but also across the U.S.
With the huge outcome of our first virtual performance, we followed the same format and produced our biggest annual event as a new virtual adaptation, Dance-Along Nutcracker: The Nutcracker Express. This time around, our protagonists, Clara and Fritz, were transported on a train ride back to adventures of prior Dance-Along’s, with new special appearances from our friends at this publication, the San Francisco Bay Times, “Betty’s List,” the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco, and CHEER SF.
“Through remote/virtual technology, I was able to play again with two of my former bands, while also sitting in as a guest musician with others,” says alto sax player, Jamie Roberson.
Our spring concert, Bandwidth, added a bit more variety as it also featured performances from smaller ensembles. We had the great opportunity to highlight the world premiere of The Music of Will Marion Cook: Selections From Clorindy and In Dahomey, which celebrates the legacy and talent of popular music artist Will Marion Cook.
COVID-19 may have changed the world, but it did not break our spirit. It allowed the SFLGFB the opportunity to come together in a different way that extended our reach from local venues in the Bay Area to the homes of many across the country.
In celebration of Pride Month, our upcoming free virtual concert, Loud & Proud, will be featuring over a dozen LGBTQIA+ Pride bands from coast to coast. You’ll have a chance to join us on Saturday, June 26. Event registration is requested and open at https://loudandproudconcert.sflgfb.org/
Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for updates on this upcoming event and additional events in future.
Alejandro Rios is the Co-Director of Marketing for the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band.
Published on May 20, 2021
