OREGON S LGBTO NEWSMAGAZINE
4
community
Twenty Years Later,
Still Swingin’
FEBRUARY 18, 2011
►
17
Portland’s gay and lesbian band
celebrates its 20th anniversary
Most folks leave their school bands and
“1 saw that flier, and I’m like, ‘Cool, I’m call
never look back, trading a hobby and its short ing these people.’ I didn’t even hesitate,” ex
falls— the stench of old brass, the spit valves, plains Brenda Dworschak, an original member
the ridicule— for whatever adulthood can and trumpet player. “I wasn’t sure there was go
offer.
ing to he anyone at the other end of the phone
But some never let go o f those days in the because it was a real tattered flier. I was like,
hand room. For many, that experience came ‘Has this been up here forever?’”
when as sexual minorities, they needed a place
Dworschak called and went to the rehearsal,
to belong and an outlet to express themselves. and after walking in on a Bible study, she found
After all, band nerds and gays were pretty close the hand’s first members, a handful of people,
on the high school totem pole.
including Nance.
These people fill those hand-sized holes in
Nance has since passed away, but Dworschak
their hearts with an after-work activity that’s says the inspiration for the band came from a
been around for 20 years now— performing in desire to play music for the gay community.
the Rose City Gay Freedom Band. The hand Nance also saw an opportunity to represent
will celebrate its anniversary at a special concert Portland in the Lesbian and Gay Band Asso
in March.
ciation, now a worldwide organization,
“The band gets me out of the left brain and Dworschak adds.
into the right brain,” says
O ther local hands at the
Melinda Muller, who plays “When you start to play
time were also “sort of hoity-
oboe. “And it’s a positive
toity,” says Muller, who is the
together,
it’s
that
common
outlet for people who are
band’s general manager.
gay to do musical events thread of bringing people
Nance’s hand gave musicians
and try to give back to the
of all skill levels a chance to
together
because
they
have
gay community.”
perform, she explains.
The band, a nonprofit of a passion for music.”
The band is not strictly for
about 90 members, plays
gays, either. It’s for LGBTQ_
— BRENDA DWORSCHAK,
concerts, private events and
TRUMPET PLAYER musicians “and f riends,” says
most notably, the Gay Pride
Muller. Several straight peo
parade. Marchers say that performing in the ple play in the band and rotate in to fill
parade is a goosebumps-evoking experience, positions.
and it adds a necessary facet to Portland’s Gay
“It wasn’t my first experience with the gay
Pride.
community,” shares Greg Hcnion, a drummer,
“How do you have a parade without a hand?” who is straight. “The music community is more
Muller asks.
of an arts, liberal community. You find fewer
musicians that have a problem with sexual ori
entation. I just wanted an opportunity to play.”
Why a gay band?
The idea for a gay band was conceived by
Chuck Nance in 1991. He posted fliers around
Give me some show tunes!
town for rehearsals held in a room at the M et
W hen the band started, much o f its music
ropolitan Community Church of Portland.
was admittedly campy. It’s a gay band, members
SUBMITTED PHOTO
BY AARON SPENCER
note, the music should be fun.
But that changed six years ago when a new
artistic director, Joe Accuardi, came aboard. A
professional with the Portland Columbia Sym
phony Orchestra, Accuardi wanted the band to
do more than show tunes.
“People think of us as more o f a high school,
popsy kind of a band. That’s what people would
assume,” Accuardi says. “I like a more tradi
tional route for the symphonic band because
it’s more true to the art form.”
This new direction bothered some band
members. The new music was too difficult for
some. For others, it was boring. Some members
walked out.
“Whenever you have a group, you’re going to
have two different things pulling,” Hcnion says,
“members that want to he challenged and im
prove and members that just want to have fun.”
The band has since shown marked improve
ment. It plays at the Oregon Adult Band Festi
val, where organizers describe it is one o f the
best. It has attracted better musicians, like those
from the Oregon Symphony.
The R C G FB ’s Pride Marching Band
performs in 2010’s Gay Pride parade.
But the band still has spots for those who
want kitsch. The Rose City Gay Freedom Band
has transformed into an umbrella group com
prising three bands: the Portland Gay Sym
phonic Band, for classical music; Rose City
Swing, a small swing band; and the Pride
Marching Band, a more casual group.
The bands plan to improve their skills and
grow their membership; all three groups will
perform at the anniversary concert in March.
“It sometimes sends shivers when you see it,”
Dworschak says. “W hen you start to play to
gether, it’s that common thread o f bringing
people together because they have a passion for
music.” I§!
T h e R ose C it y G ay F reed o m
2 0 th A n
niversary Concert is Sat., M arch 5, S p .m .; K a u l
A uditorium a t R eed College, 3 2 0 3 S E Woodstock
B lvd .; S 12 in advance, S I 5 cash or check only a t the
door; rcgjh.org.
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