The mission of the Freedom Band of Los Angeles is to bring together the diverse communities of

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

(including

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

, gay,

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whi ...

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

and straight) through education, rehearsal and performance of

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

and other

performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perform ...

. It is second musical organization of its kind in the world to be founded."Great American Yankee Freedom Band collection"
Holdings at the One Institute and Archives.

History

Founded in 1978 to lead the annual

Gay Pride Parade A pride parade (also known as pride march, pride event, or pride festival) is an outdoor event celebrating lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer culture, queer (LGBTQ) social and self-acceptance, achievements, LGBT rights by country o ...

, the Great American Yankee Freedom Band of Los Angeles is an adult community

marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...

made up solely of volunteers. The group has performed locally as well as nationally and internationally in

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety a ...

, at

street fair A street fair celebrates the character of a neighborhood. As its name suggests, it is typically held on the main street of a neighborhood. The principal component of street fairs are booths used to sell goods (particularly food) or convey informa ...

s, and community service organization functions. In the past, the band has appeared in nearly every Southland Parade. In the early days of the band's history the gay pride movement was just beginning. There few gay events around the Southland, so the band increased the visibility of the gay community by performing in non-LGBTQ-related parades. The focus of the band at that time was primarily as a marching unit. The use of the words "Great American Yankee" allowed the group to sneak into these parades by disguising the word "GAY". Longtime members remember the surprised faces of parade watchers when the

bass drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter much greater than the drum's depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. Th ...

with band's logo passed by, and the realization sank in of what the

acronym An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

for the band name meant. As the gay community became more visible, more and more gay events were planned. This created more opportunities for the band and membership grew. The band reached its peak in membership during 1991 around the time when the Los Angeles Gay Freedom Band was invited to play for President Bill Clinton's first inauguration. During the 1990s the band lost many members. Some were lost in the

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

epidemic, others to busy lifestyles or changes in the community. Membership dwindled, but the band stayed alive through the dedication of committed members. The millennium has brought a renewed spirit to the band. A busy performance schedule has brought new and old members to rehearsals once again. The Freedom Band Foundation of Los Angeles was formed in 2002 as a

non-profit corporation A nonprofit corporation is any legal entity which has been Incorporation (business), incorporated under the law of its jurisdiction for purposes other than making profits for its owners or shareholders. Depending on the laws of the jurisdiction, a ...

to support the instrumental various musical groups associated with the Gay Freedom Band in the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

area LGBTQ community. The concert band was renamed the Hollywood Wind Ensemble in 2001 to more accurately reflect the nature of the group. With the name change came an expansion of the group's repertoire and professionalism. Still a volunteer community group, the Wind Ensemble is now a 45 piece symphonic band with a growing reputation and audience. In addition to smaller events such as the annual performance at Disneyland, the group presents two major concerts each year at their new concert "home", Zipper Concert Hall of the Colburn School of Performing Arts. The series includes a fall classics concert and a gala Spring 'pops' concert featuring celebrity guests to raise money for the James M. Berg Scholarship Fund. In 2003, the Foundation Board sought an appropriate way to commemorate the founding of the Great American Yankee Freedom Band, and the silver anniversary of LGBT music in Los Angeles. The Board decided that they would celebrate the past by investing in the future and created the James M. Berg Scholarship Fund.

References

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External links

Official site
LGBT organizations in the United States LGBT culture in Los Angeles