A musical ode to community
Join the San Francisco Pride Band on Sunday, March 2 for a concert that celebrates all of the ways that music brings us together. Pete Nowlen, the Artistic Director of the concert band, has chosen a diverse array of composers for this program and each piece is a testament to music as a force for change and a tool for building community.
The full program includes:
- “Vulnerable Joy,” Jodie Blackshaw
- “V. O. C., Helmsman of the Sea,” Shruthi Rajasekar
- “Among My Souvenirs,” John Philip Sousa (ed. Tam)
- “American Hymnsong Suite,” Dwayne S. Milburn
- “Crescent Moon Dance from Sound! Euphonium,” Akito Matsuda
- “Suite from Maria of Buenos Aires,” Astor Piazzola
Highlights include “Vulnerable Joy” by Jodie Blackshaw and “Among My Souvenirs,” a whimsical humoresque by the prolific John Philip Sousa. “Among My Souvenirs” was performed by the San Francisco Pride Band — the piece’s first performance by any band in living memory — in 2015 after being unearthed and edited by band member Kevin Tam.
“Vulnerable Joy” is Blackshaw’s paean (a song of praise or triumph) to the mother humpback whale, one of nature’s most resilient creatures. The song channels the intense joy of the humpback whale after she migrates thousands of miles to birth her calf, conveyed in part by rhythmic chants from members of the band at the beginning and end of the piece.
This is also the San Francisco Pride Band’s first performance at Freight & Salvage, which marks the concert band’s premiere in Berkeley after 46+ years. The Official Band of San Francisco looks forward to seeing you there.