About the Concert
The San Francisco Pride Band, the official band of San Francisco, presented Dance, Drift, Descarga!, a community concert that took audiences on a sonic journey connecting the body, spirit, and story, under the baton of guest conductor Dr. Sixto Montesinos, Jr.
This was the first of two 1-hour community concerts in summer 2025 as the Band worked towards selecting a new Artistic Director of Concert Bands. The second was RISE: Anthems of Resilience, conducted by Matthew Fell.
The Program
The program featured works by composers from Colombia, Mexico, and beyond. Each piece reflects how music embodies movement, from the whimsical joy of a tricycle ride to the electric energy of a descarga.
The music is propulsive, showing how we are moving forward not just physically but historically and personally. Los Caminos de Lengerke, for example, contemplates the legacy of the German engineer who carved literal roads into Colombian landscapes, but also created cultural and political ripples that are still being reckoned with today.
- Descarga | Jorge Sosa
- Tricycle | Andrew Boysen Jr.
- Tango | Victoriano Valencia
- Chandé | Victoriano Valencia
- Los Caminos de Lengerke | Rubén Darío Gómez
About Guest Conductor Sixto Montesinos
At the time of the concert, Dr. Sixto Montesinos, Jr. was Chair of the Music Department and Assistant Professor of Music at Saint Mary’s College of California.
A passionate conductor, music educator, and scholar, Dr. Montesinos holds a Doctor of Musical Arts in Wind Conducting from Rutgers University, where he served as Assistant Conductor of the Rutgers Wind Ensemble and Graduate Assistant with the Rutgers Marching Scarlet Knights, performing for dignitaries including Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama. He also holds a Master’s degree in Conducting from the University of Texas at Arlington and a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education (Band Emphasis) from the University of Houston.