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Update #6:

Band Rosters and Chamber Ensembles

Good evening, Pride Bands Alliance and 2024 Columbus Conference Attendees!

We are exactly three and a half months away from The Heart of it All! That’s 107 days for those of you counting. Update #6 has a lot in the way of announcements, so make sure you read all the way to the bottom so don’t miss a single thing.

Don’t forget, you can reach out to conference@pridebands.org with any questions or if you need any information.

Host Hotel Update

Our room block at the conference host hotel, the Downtown Renaissance Columbus by Marriott, is over 90% occupied. We still have a few rooms available (we’re currently at 565 rooms filled out of 612 in the block), and we will be requesting our room block be extended again to accommodate as many guests as possible. 

If you plan to stay at the host hotel, don’t delay! Book your room now via the link below:

Our room block runs Tuesday, July 15th through Saturday, July 20th.

If the room block is full by the time you go to make your reservation, please reach out to conference@columbuspridebands.org so we know how many extra rooms to request for extending the room block as well as assisting in finding alternative lodging options in Columbus.

Registration Numbers

Atlanta Freedom Band continues to dominate the registrations at 26,

but Cleveland Pride Band at 23 and Triangle Pride Band at 22 are close behind.

Philadelphia Freedom Band at 16 and Lakeside Pride Music Ensembles at 15 are still within striking distance of 20 registrations and at $100 gift card to Stanton’s Sheet Music.

Honorable mentions go to the Oak Lawn Band which jumped from 3 to 9 in the span of just one week! Thanks for the extra work in promoting the 2024 conference!

Concert Band Rosters and Repertoire

The initial rosters for the concert bands is available via the link below:

Please note these rosters are tentative at this time and are subject to change to ensure instrument and member band balance. Registration is still open, and changes may need to be made to best accommodate them. Should your placement be subject to change, you will be notified by the conference team directly to let you know of these changes.

Our concert band repertoire is listed below:

The Olentangy River Band

“AYO” by Katahj Copley
“Vulnerable Joy” by Jodie Blackshaw
“Let Me Be Frank With You” by John Mackey
“Defying Gravity” by Steven Reineke
“With Heart and Voice” by David Gillinghamu
“Spoon River” by Percy Grainger, arr. Bainum
”Highlights from Bye Bye Birdie” by Charles Strouse, arr. Custer

The Olentangy River Band will be playing the 1st movement of our commission piece written by Viet Cuong.

The Scioto River Band

The Scioto River Band will be playing the 2nd movement of our commission piece written by Viet Cuong.

“Fanfare Hayabusa” by Satoshi Yagisawa
“The Heart That Gives” by Andrew Boysen, Jr.
“Zoom” by Scott Boerma
“Fantasy on American Sailing Songs” by Clare Grundman
“Be Still and Still Moving” by Nicole Piunno
“110th St. Rumba” by Dana Suesse, arr. Tam
“The Genius of Ray Charles” by arr. Michael Brown

The pieces we have selected are the ones we will be performing at the conference concert, but we are still considering swapping a couple of pieces around between the two bands. Additionally, the concert order as well as which conductor will be on the podium for each piece is still being finalized.

Part assignments along with music distribution will go out in our May 1st update. As we are still receiving registrations, we want to wait as long as possible before assigning parts to ensure balance.

The Columbus conference team worked diligently to ensure each of the two concert bands was balanced in instrumentation and number of musicians. We took into consideration part preference as well as making sure each Pride Bands Alliance member band was well represented in each ensemble. We will do our best to accommodate requests to be placed in a specific band or with specific people, but we aren’t able to guarantee anything at this time.

Announcements of concert dress, listening links, rehearsal schedules,

and Artistic Directors are planned for our May 1st update.

Pep Band Rosters and Song Selections

The initial rosters for the pep band is available via the link below:

The list of pep band tunes can be viewed below:

Hang On Sloopy arr. Tatgenhorst

Industry Baby (arr Jay Bocook)

Play That Funky Music (arr Chris McDonald)  

Whip It (arr Tom Wallace)

Ride (arr Victor Lopez)

Let It Whip (arr Tom Wallace)

Life is a Highway (arr Paul Murtha)

Dance The Night (arr Paul Murtha)

Fireball (arr Victor Lopez)  

Our pep band music represents iconic Ohio rock bands from decades past and notable Ohio favorites. We also added in some more recent top 40 hits to keep the band and our audience dancing and singing. We may add one or two more tunes to this roster, so stay tuned!

Part assignments along with music distribution and listening links will go out in our May 1st update. As we are still receiving registrations, we want to wait as long as possible before assigning parts to ensure balance.

Announcements of full pep band dress and rehearsal schedules are planned for our May 1st update, as well.

Big Band Auditions Closing and Tentative Repertoire

The tentative set lists for the Big Band performance and swing dance are listed below:

The Big Band artistic team will be reviewing applications and auditions in the coming days, and we hope to announce performers soon afterward.

Chamber Recital Update

The Thursday evening Chamber Recital at the Ohio Statehouse is turning into quite the event! We have ten small ensembles signed up to perform, listed below:

There is still opportunity for one or two more ensembles to participate! If you are part of an ensemble or interested in putting one together at the conference, sign up via the link below:

Color Guard Update

Conference Concert Band Tickets

Now On Sale!

Tickets can be purchased for $25 via the link below:

Tickets for the Saturday, July 20th concert band performance are now on sale! We are performing at the Jo Ann Davidson Theatre in downtown Columbus where we will premiere our commission composed by Viet Cuong honoring Civil Rights activist Jim Obergefell, both of whom will be in attendance at the performance.

Dedications and Sponsorships

for Concert Band

Dedications and sponsorships for the concert band program are now available for $100. Whether it’s a beloved partner, a cherished friend, or someone who lives on in your heart, this is your chance to honor them through the power of music.

Your sponsorship not only pays tribute to those who have touched our lives but also helps support the incredible work of the Columbus Pride Bands and the entire Pride Bands Alliance. Together, we’re spreading love, joy, and acceptance through music!

Make a dedication and sponsor a concert band piece by following the link below. 

Hurry! Two pieces have already been selected….

Have Questions? Need Info?

Something Wrong with Rosters and Assignments?

You can reach out to conference@columbuspridebands.org if you have any questions or need any additional information. And please get in touch asap if anything looks wrong or needs to be changed with the rosters that were just released.

We had a LOT of information to review, process, format, concatenate and send out. It would be very easy for something to get added or omitted by error.

See you soon!

-The Columbus Conference Team

Also, don’t forget to join our Facebook page to connect with fellow conference attendees! Be on the lookout for updates to our Instagram page as well!

This conference is hosted by the Columbus Pride Bands. Check out our upcoming events at our band’s website!

The Columbus Pride Bands is a proud member of the following organizations: