A New Era! Meet the Blazing River Freedom Band
by George Oberdorf; President, Blazing River Freedom Band
December of 2006 proved to be an affirming yet difficult time for the Cleveland Lesbian/Gay/Allies Concert/Marching Band. The band had lost its Conductor and Artistic Director with less than three weeks before initial rehearsals were to begin for the Spring 2007 set. With a quick move by President George W. Oberdorf, the CLGACMB Board of Directors put in motion a plan to revitalize and re-image the band. In less than two weeks time, the band had scrapped the original concept for the upcoming concert, shuffled around conducting duties to five of its members and selected the music for the concert based on member feedback. This process began on a whim of Dr. Oberdorf's. Over twenty-five pieces of music from the Broadway and Film repertoire were selected to be read by the members during the first two weeks of convening rehearsals. At that time, members were handed music rating sheets that were based on a scale of one to five and were asked to rate the pieces based upon numerous factors, such as likeability, ease of play and audience gratification. A composite score was then entered and the top ten pieces were selected for the set. Some of the works that were chosen are Pirates of the Caribbean, Moulin Rouge, Hello Dolly, King and I, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and The Great Muppet Caper. The idea went over swimmingly with the band and rehearsals have been nothing but exciting and energetic!
The CLGACMB is currently operating without an Artistic Director, with Dr. Oberdorf and former associate conductor Jamie L. McDaniel serving as chief Concert Band organizers. In addition to the aforementioned individuals, conducting has also been shared with band members Wade Tolleson, Daniel Letwin and Co-Directors of Marching Band Performance, Kevin R. Cline and Thomas S. Casarona, Jr. While the band is in the market for a permanent Artistic Director, they are happy to be operating under such an avant-garde form of production. "It just seemed to be the right place for the CLGACMB to go after the upheaval," stated Director of Marching Band Performance, Kevin R. Cline. "The band seems very happy and is playing this music like they have been rehearsing it for weeks!"
On Monday, March 12, 2007, in a huge step designed to make the band more community inclusive and reachable, the CLGACMB Board of Directors voted unanimously to change the name of the corporations' Concert and Marching Bands. While the band will still operate under the original corporation name, the performance ensembles will take on a new identity that was voted upon by the general membership and ratified by the Board. From here on forth, the group will be known as The Blazing River Freedom Band.
The new band name stems from a significant part of Cleveland history, which has been embraced over the years by locals. On June 23, 1969, Cleveland's oily, contaminated Cuyahoga River caught fire. Flames climbed as high as five stories until fireboats brought it under control. The fire was attributed to wastes dumped into the river by the waterfront industries. Oil and debris on the river caught fire at least a half-dozen times before 1950, often causing substantial damage to docks, ships, and other industrial properties along the crooked river's banks. So, it is with great pride and reminiscence that the Band voted to change its name to The Blazing River Freedom Band.
If you are in Cleveland anytime soon, make sure to check in and see if we have anything going on! Saturday, April 14, 2007 will bring about the band's tenth concert, Stage and Silver Screen: Act II. They will also be marching combined with the Pride of Indy and Great Lakes Pride Band at the Cleveland, Indianapolis, Lansing, Detroit and Columbus Prides in the summer of 2007. Fall of 2007 will bring about Heroes and Villains: Music Inspired by Literature featuring pieces such as Carmina Burana, Jane Eyre and a work commissioned by local mezzo-soprano Dawn Mitchell and composed by Dr. George W. Oberdorf. A vast majority of the Blazing River Freedom Band will also be traveling to St. Louis for the LGBA Conference in October. As you can see, the BRFB is working tirelessly to enhance and enrich our lives with music one note at a time!
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