A LITTLE CLOSET MUSIC

Next Friday, March 15, the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band plays a concert consisting entirely of Symphony #1, Lord of the Rings, by Johan Meij.

The concert will be guest-conducted by Martin Seggelke, a music teacher at SF State.

Professor Seggelke's impressive resume shows a dedication to wind band music.  He looks like a guy who could whip a band into shape.

Seggelke is one of three conductors trying-out to be the band's permanent conductor/artistic director.

It appears that Dr Seggelke doesn't really want the job. On his personal website, his list of upcoming events refers to the band as "San Francisco Freedom Band":

I emailed Dr Seggelke as well as the band's president to alert them to the mis-naming, and received no response. 

The most likely explanation, or suspicion, is the Martin Seggelke doesn't want the words  "Lesbian/Gay" on his website.

Since the bands main mission is "visibility," Seggelke's reluctance to use the words "Lesbian/Gay" disqualifies him out-of-hand.

The need for a new conductor has been known for almost a year and a half, and will continue with two more try-out guest-conductors.

My conclusion: Seggelke is not seriously being considered for the permanent conductor position.

This has the feel of a corporate-like due diligence charade.

Another weird, closet-y kind of thing involves SFLGFB's first chair flutist of eighteen years, Ruth Keys.

In my first conversation with Ruth I said something about "clueless straight people," and Ruth let me know right away that she was married--to a man.

She must have seen a look on my face, so she assured me: "I play with lots of groups, but the gay band is my true home." Eye to eye, sincerity oozed.

However, in her Bio on the SF Sinfonietta website, the closest she comes to mentioning her "true home" is:

Ms. Keys regularly plays with a number of Bay Area music organizations...

The SF Sinfonietta is also performing this weekend. Ruth will be playing a flute piece composed by her husband.

The Symphony #1, which the Lesbian/Gay band will be performing at Herchurch on Friday has no connection to the music used in the Lord of the Rings movies.  The symphony was written years before the movies came out.

Meij's symphony is just wind band music, supposedly suggested by the pop-fantasy book series.

Parents might want to listen to youtube to see if it's something the kids could sit through. (Note: the following clip is just the first of six or so movements.

 

 

My take on the music: hopefully they'll play a Sousa march encore to wake everybody up for the drive home.

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