I’ve been playing the trumpet in concert and marching bands since my elementary school days in Northern California. After moving to San Francisco post-college for work and realizing how much I missed performing with a musical group, a quick google search for “”Local Community Band”” helped me discover that not only could I join a local musical organization, but also an organization that was LGBTQ oriented with a mission of promoting visibility and understanding.
Since joining in 2014, I have made many friends both in band and within our local community through various band events and event planning. I could not be happier with my decision to get involved and play music again! In addition to performing with the concert, pep, and marching bands, I started assisting with concert and event production in 2016 and joined the board of directors in 2019.
A great honor and one of my most favorite moments to date was helping plan the band’s 40th Anniversary Celebratory Events and getting to be a part of the many events that occurred throughout 2018. It was a true celebration of the band’s history and the progress that has been made in the last 40 years surrounding our community. From marching with Harvey Milk in the 1978 Gay Freedom Day Parade (hence the origin of the name Freedom Band!) to being declared the Official Band of San Francisco in 2018, I am so proud to be a part of an organization that is actively involved in promoting visibility and changing hearts and minds through musical performance.