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    GCAC Presents: The Making of a Band: Capital Pride Band Celebrating 10 Years

    In 1999, a lone trumpet player showed up on a dare at the Bat-N-Rouge charity softball event during Columbus Pride weekend. He assisted the cheerleaders in exciting the crowd with familiar tunes like “Charge” and “Eat ‘em Up Raw Raw Raw.” The following year the trumpeter and a percussionist friend organized a 13-member pep band that took Bat-N-Rouge by storm.

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    The 13-member pep band quickly organized and in 2003 marched for the first time in the Columbus Pride Parade. In 2005 the band evolved into to the Capital Pride Band, which debuted at the King Avenue Methodist Church.

    The full Capital Pride Band during Pride 2014.
    The full Capital Pride Band during Pride 2014.

    Celebrating its 10th anniversary, The Capital Pride Band will perform at the Lincoln Theater on March 28 & 29. Under the baton of Artistic Director Leigh Briggs, CapPride will perform favorites from 10 years of past concerts. Among the featured pieces: Nessun Dorma from the Puccini opera Turandot, Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite, National Emblem March of John Phillip Sousa fame, the Duke Ellington masterpiece Caravan, and selections from the musical Rent.

    In its 10 years CapPride has grown in membership, now boasting 100 musicians. The band presents regular concerts and marches every year in the Columbus Pride Parade & Festival. Other ensembles under the CapPride umbrella include the pep band, which performs at Ohio State football tailgate parties in the fall and other events throughout the year, and the holiday brass, which spreads musical cheer at German Village Lights each December. CapPride also takes its talents on the road performing in Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, and Pittsburgh.

    Recently the band partnered with the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus and performed its first commissioned piece “It Gets Better”— an original song written by local singer/songwriter Adrian Helser, who joined the band and chorus as soloist for this number, and arranged the chorus’ Artistic Director Dr. Timothy Sarsany.

    The Capital Pride Band performing with the Columbus Gay Mens Chorus.
    The Capital Pride Band performing with the Columbus Gay Men’s Chorus. Photo by Sean Hoxworth.

    I am proud to say that I was that lone trumpet player all those year ago. Not long ago someone asked me what my vision was when this band was first getting off the ground. My honest response was that I had no vision; I just wanted a musical outlet for playing my trumpet with others of like-mind in an atmosphere of fun and inclusion. Seeing where we are today, never in my wildest dreams could I have envisioned this. I hope you will join us at the end of the month to see for yourself.

    Capital Pride Band – Celebrating 10 Years will be presented at the Lincoln Theatre on Saturday, March 28, 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 29 3 p.m.

    For concert tickets visit ticketmaster.com.

    For information about membership, sponsorship, non-musician volunteer opportunities, and other upcoming performances, visit CapPride.org.

    GCAC Presents is a bi-weekly column brought to you by the Greater Columbus Arts Council – supporting art and advancing culture in Columbus – in partnership with the Columbus Arts Marketing Association, a professional development and networking association of arts marketers. Each column will be written by a different local arts organization to give you an insiders look at the arts in Columbus.

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    Kevin Vaselakes
    Kevin Vaselakeshttp://cappride.org
    Kevin Vaselakes is Director of Communications and a founding member of the Capital Pride Band.
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