Spring has certainly sprung and the sound of marching band is in the air. Yes, Pride season is upon us and DC's Different Drummers is gearing up for what looks to be the most jam-packed June ever.

DC's Capitol Pride Symphonic band kicks things off with a tremendous concert on June 3rd at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation. This is the first June concert I can remember (I've been in the band 5+ years) and it comes on the heels of the band's ground-breaking concert at the Capital Arts Center in Concord, New Hampshire just a few weeks ago.

Read below about the trip. The buzz is we brought down the house and you can expect the same and more at this upcoming concert!

The excitement has been growing across our ranks and you can expect to see some of this not only at the Pride parade in DC on the 10th of June but also at the Pride Arts Stage on the 11th.

On the stage will be our own DC Swing! performing some great favorites as well as some new pieces from their remarkable repertoire.

The DCDD marching band will liven up the afternoon as well so it's a great time to visit the festival for sure.

Then for those in town for the July 4th, DCDD will be marching in the Pallisades Parade bringing that neighborhood our own musical magic as well.

For more information on this and all of DCDD's activities, please keep checking in on our website www.dcdd.org.

So, I'm looking forward to seeing you all at the June 3rd concert and cheering us on as we play and march by at the parades.

Stan Goff

DCDD President

The band was invited by the William Gile Community Concert Series to perform in Concord at the Capitol Center for the Arts. Band member Jiffie Rainie arranged the invitation, after her father, Dr. Robert Rainie heard a recording of the band.

We arrived in Concord and proceeded to meet every gay person in Concord. We invited them all to the concert! Some actually attended. After dinner, some folks frolicked at poolside at the hotel, others went to nearby Manchester.

On Saturday after a morning rehearsal and some downtime, we assembled in the restored, 1920's Capitol Center for the Arts for the concert.

The concert started at 7:00 and as the audience gathered, we knew it would be a wonderful night.

Promotion for the concert didn't mention that we were a LGBT group, so we did a bit of outreach and let the audience know that we Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and straight. No one stormed from the hall and we got a rousing ovation at the end of the concert.

Following the concert, many of us went to the 313 Club in Manchester to relax and dance! True amazement that everyone was ready to board the bus the following morning by 9:30 for a quieter trip home.

Thanks to a grant from Brother Help Thyself (BHT), DCDD will be producing a concert to benefit the Whitman/Walker Clinic. Featured in the performance will be Quilt Panels: For my Love, for my Grief, for my Letting Go, by composer Rob Maggio.

Also in June, 2007, the Capitol Pride Symphonic Band has been invited to perform with the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington (GMCW) in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.

The concert will be held at Lutheran Church of the Reformation, 212 East Capitol Street, NE.

Guest performers will the Lutheran Church of the Reformation Choir, under the direction of Mr. Paul Leavitt.

George Gershwin is the featured composer for this concert and the band will perform Symphonic Gershwin and a medley of selections from Porgy and Bess. Gene Batiste, a Bass-baritone vocalist, will sing two songs in the medley - I Got Plenty o' Nothing and I'm On My Way. Gene also plays trombone with DCDD.

More information on the concert can be found on the DCDD Homepage.

Tickets are $15.00 in advance and can be purchased online at DCDD Box Office or in person at Lambda Rising. Tickets at the door are $20.00