Mark your calendars for Saturday, May 20, 2023 for a gala concert celebration of 45 years of the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band with Spotlight on the 70s! Previous Spotlight shows in San Francisco have saluted Broadway and Hollywood, but this year we’re bringing the show to Oakland and celebrating the decade when the Band was born: the 1970s!
Artistic Director Pete Nowlen will lead The Official Band of San Francisco through fantastic hits from the 1970s like Bohemian Rhapsody, as well as numerous other hits from stars like Elton John, ABBA, Carole King, Village People, and many more!
The evening will include a no-host bar, snacks and desserts, live and silent auctions, and lots more fun!
World Premiere
You’ll also hear the world premiere of Awakening by Roger Zare, inaugural recipient of the SF Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color) Commission. Awakening is built around the moment a person realizes and embraces their identity. Learn more about this BIPOC Commission.
Oakland Asian Cultural Center
Saturday, May 20, 2023
6:30 PM
Piano bar & silent auction opens
7:00 PM
Pre-show talk about BIPOC Commission piece
7:30 PM
Main show begins
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Our Wonderful Entertainers
Pete Nowlen
Artistic Director
Appointed Artistic Director of the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band in August 2013, Pete Nowlen is one of Northern California’s busiest musicians. Faculty at both Sacramento State and UC Davis, where he is Director of Concert Bands, Pete currently holds Artistic Director posts with Camerata California Chamber Choir, the Rancho Cordova Civic Light Orchestra and is Artistic Advisor of Music in the Mountains in Nevada County, California. He is the founder and driving force behind Sacramento’s VITA Academy, dedicated to revitalizing classical music through innovative community and audience engagement and school music programs. Other conducting credits includes the Sacramento, Auburn, Camellia, UCD and CSUS Symphonies and more than a dozen major productions ranging from La bohéme to the Rocky Horror Show.
Donna Sachet
Evening Host
Donna Sachet is thrilled to join the Band once again for Spotlight on the 70s! For 30 years, Donna has called San Francisco home and has dedicated her talents as a singer, emcee, fundraiser, hostess, producer, and activist to the LGBTQ+ Community. As the 30th elected Empress of San Francisco, she has appeared all over the city and in locations in this country, Canada, Mexico and Australia. She is proud to have sung the National Anthem for the SF Giants at AT&T Park in 2009, co-anchored the live television coverage of the SF Pride Parade for over 15 years, starred in the weekly Sunday’s a Drag show at the Starlight Room for nearly 15 years, hosted her holiday cabaret Songs of the Season for 25 years, and co-chaired Pride Brunch with Gary Virginia for 24 years. Donna currently writes a bi-weekly column Donna’s Chronicles for the Bay Times and serves as President of the Rainbow Honor Walk Board of Directors.
Phaedra Tillery Boughton
Featured Performer
Phaedra Tillery Boughton is a Bay Area based actor, director, playwright, casting director, production associate and arts advocate. Her past theater productions include Sleeping Beauty as Mission Burrito, Clybourne Park (Director), Aint Misbehavin’ as Armelia McQueen, 1940s Radio Hour as Geneva, Newsies, The Color Purple, To Kill a Mockingbird (Hillbarn). Caroline or Change, Little Shop of Horrors (Ray Of Light Theatre), Newsies (Woodminster), Tarzan (PAP), Avenue Q (NCTC). She is Theatre Bay Area 2022-23 Recipient of the Arts Leadership Residency Cohort partnered with SFBATCO. She consistently challenges the concept of traditional theatre and finds new ways to push the boundaries of creativity and inclusion in the creative arts community.
Photos from 2016 – 2022 Spotlight Shows
Getting There
We encourage all guests to take public transportation! The Oakland Asian Cultural Center is located in the heart of downtown Oakland, just blocks away from Oakland 12th St BART station. The entrance is at 388 Ninth Street (between Franklin and Webster Street) on the second floor of the Pacific Renaissance Plaza in Oakland’s Chinatown.
If you choose to drive, there is a large underground lot below the Pacific Renaissance Plaza. There are two entrances to the parking lot; one located on Franklin & the other on Webster. Take the elevator to the 2nd floor. There are also ample metered street parking spots Oakland.
Special Thanks
Spotlight on the 70s is generously supported by:
Health and Safety Information
The San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band takes Covid-19 seriously. See the band’s full Health & Safety Plan for more information.
For Spotlight on the 70s, the SFLGFB follows California Department of Public Health guidance for the current community transmission level at the venue. At time of writing, recommendations are as below; they are subject to change as the situation and guidance evolves.
- MaskingIt is strongly recommended that all audience members are vaccinated against COVID and up-to-date per eligibility criteria for COVID vaccination. Audience members can wear a mask based on personal preference, informed by their own personal level of risk. Members of vulnerable populations should consider masking with a mask that provides the best fit and filtration.
- Symptom StatusProspective audience members who are symptomatic are asked to stay home until 24 hours have passed since resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications.
- Post-Concert NotificationAudience members are encouraged to notify the Band at covid@sflgfb.org if they experience COVID-like symptoms or test positive for COVID within 7 days after attending.