You’re going to hear a debut from a newly-formed group in San Antonio this weekend: the San Antonio Pride Orchestra, performing Friday at the First Unitarian Universalist Church.
Members dropped by the TPR Studios to play for you, and talk about the show.
“This is our first concert as our own organization," says board president and violinist Adam Garza. They were an ensemble as part of the Pride of San Antonio Show Band, but, as Garza says, “We said, hey, I think we can do this.”
“I would go to their rehearsals, just because so many friends were there, and I was like, wow, this is a great community moment to be with people we can identify with, and share music with them. … There aren’t a lot of pride orchestras around the U.S. and so we are among a very few of them — just a handful — and so we are hoping to put on these free concerts to invite our LGBT community and our allies and friends to share that passion of music with us.”
Rehearsals are more than rehearsals: “We spend a lot of time rehearsing, but also cackling and making jokes and having a good time.”
Everything on the program is related to Halloween and Dia de Muertos, and All-Saints; a remembrance of those who came before us. “We will have an ofrenda at the concert, so listeners are welcome to bring a picture of a loved one. We’ll have have stuff on there; it’ll be decorated and during the concert it will be up for viewing and remembrance.”
You can hear them play rendition of Juan Gabriel’s “Amor Eterno,” which visibly (and audibly) touched the studio audience, plus a number of other previews of their debut concert, on the player above.
- Free concert, 7 p.m. Friday Nov. 6
- First Unitarian Universalist Church
- All the information is available by searching for SA Pride Orchestra on Facebook and Instagram.
