Gay Freedom Band of Los Angeles: The Ol’ Song and Dance
Under the baton of artistic director Joseph Vranas, the Gay Freedom Band of Los Angeles (GFBLA) takes you on a journey through ancient tunes and lively jigs, beautifully reinvented by modern composers David Maslanka, Philip Sparke, and Norman Dello Joio, among others. Hosted by emcee and musicologist Candace Hansen, this GFBLA concert explores how songs can make you dance and how dances can make you sing!
Event Details
7:30 p.m. GFBLA Brass Quintet + refreshments | The Rose Hills Foundation Garden Court
8 p.m. GFBLA performance | Rothenberg Hall
9:30 p.m. End of program
For questions about this event, please email Joy Yamahata or call 626-405-3457.
About the Band
The Gay Freedom Band of Los Angeles (GFBLA) is the second-oldest LGBTQ+ community wind ensemble in the world. GFBLA provides public concerts throughout Southern California, offering a wide repertoire of music ranging from classical to contemporary. The band focuses on providing a positive environment for everybody, enriching the community through music and setting an example of acceptance and camaraderie among all people. Find @GFBLA on Instagram.
About the Featured Artists
Candace Hansen, Emcee
Candace Hansen is a Ph.D. candidate, drummer, educator, journalist, scholar, artist, and event producer currently studying and teaching at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and UCLA Department of Gender Studies, writing for the Los Angeles Times and Spin, and drumming for Alice Bag, Reckoner, dimber, and the Josie Wreck Noise Ensemble. Hansen believes in the power and potential of writing about culture, especially queer culture, as a tool of healing, recognition, and care that can push conversations from the critical lens of a fan writing for a more just world. Their forthcoming dissertation is rooted in their life as a queer punk drummer and explores how DIY trans and queer punk music and approaches to music making are life-giving endeavors that exist in opposition to the oppressive conditions of capitalism.
Joseph Vranas, Artistic Director/Conductor
Joseph Vranas conducts orchestra, band, and chamber music and has performed with ensembles around the world, such as the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, the Pride Bands Alliance, and the Newfound Chamber Winds. Since 2022, Joseph Vranas has served as the artistic director for the Gay Freedom Band of Los Angeles, one of the world’s oldest LGBTQ+ community bands. With over 45 years of history, the band brings together musicians to perform in concert, marching, pep, and jazz ensembles.
As an educator, Vranas has been active in education programs—such as Youth Orchestra Los Angeles in partnership with the LA Phil, the Saturday Conservatory of Music, Harmony Project, and EduCare—as well as youth orchestras and wind ensembles, and he teaches classes in trumpet, music theory, philosophy, and history. He has been recognized for his excellence in teaching by the city of Bell, California, and the Texas Music Educators Association.
Gay Freedom Band of Los Angeles.