QUO: the Queer Urban Orchestra

QUO percussionist Brian Reynolds making it work at home.

QUO Marches With You! We've missed seeing you all at our concerts, especially last weekend at what would have been our annual Pride Gay-La. But with Pride weekend approaching, we just couldn't bear the silence any longer. We are pleased to present to you our virtual orchestra performance of Les Toréadors from Carmen Suite No. 1 by Georges Bizet. In choosing to play a march, we add ourselves to the nationwide movement taking to the streets on behalf of #blacklivesmatter, spea...king out against police violence against people of color. For LGBTQIA+ folks, there is no more appropriate occasion than the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which were first commemorated with a protest march, to add our musical voice to the cause. Whatever you do to celebrate this weekend, we at QUO hope you have a happy and safe Pride.

We post today with sadness in our hearts. For the past several months, we have witnessed one of the most unparalleled moments in our lifetime. We witnessed xenophobic attitudes as the pandemic spread, disproportionally impacting black and brown communities. We saw individuals weaponize their white privilege to continue to demonize black citizens. These most recent incidents of violence towards Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and David McAtee are the latest among... the many atrocities that people of color have had to endure time after time. Over the last several days, people all across the nation are standing up against oppression, police brutality, and white supremacy. QUO stands with them. QUO is committed to celebrating the diversity within our orchestra. We want to specifically acknowledge and honor the deep pain and exhaustion our musicians of color are experiencing right now, and have experienced for a long time. You are loved members of our community and we will stand next to you, use our voices with you, and fight oppression alongside you, firmly rooted in the principle that black lives matter. As we move into Pride month, we celebrate our queer community’s own history of resistance to oppression. We must remember that it was black and brown trans folks who threw those first bricks at Stonewall. This month, this year especially, we need to acknowledge that queerness is in all communities, and that the pursuit of racial justice and LGBTQ+ liberation are connected. When a community is hurting, it is our queerness that can reach out with empathy and commitment. Let our Pride stand up and speak out for the rights of others, especially our black and brown brothers, sisters, and others. To do this, we must collectively commit to the work of anti-racism, and call on our white members to critically and actively engage in this process. Similar to our own roles as musicians, we must listen carefully to the voices around us that need to be heard, we need to think critically and each do our own individual work, and we need to realize that we are collectively stronger together. QUO will continue to listen and work to take action as we can. We are here as a community to support each and every one of you however we can. #blacklivesmatter

From our homes, members of the Queer Urban Orchestra present this musical offering to brighten your day. We cannot wait to play for you again in person!

Even though we might be bound to the walls we live in, we here at QUO still have music to share with you all. Starting with our principal hornist, Kyle Walker, this is the beginning of a series called Quo Quarantined where each of our section leaders share a particular passage of music that speaks to them. We hope that our music can bring some light to your day and that all of you are staying safe during this unprecedented time of quarantine. #quo2020

The board and staff of QUO have been mindfully monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic in relation what it means for the future of our season and organization. At this point we cannot see a path forward to continue our season as planned, and have decided to cancel all QUO activities for the remainder of the season, including our annual GayLa scheduled in June. This is a heartbreaking announcement, but the health and wellbeing of our community must always be at the forefront of our decisions. We hope you will continue to join us in the fall with our 2020-2021 season.

Message from Calenna Garbä: "Dear brothers and sisters, I send you a big greeting and take care. I am sure that we will all see each other and make music. From Argentina with love for you." We love you too, Calenna!

Our concert tomorrow is SOLD OUT! We will still sell standing-room-only tickets at the door for $15, but online sales have closed. Looking forward to having all of you there tomorrow for our first concert with artistic director Ian Shafer, assistant conductor Luke Nosal, and 2020 QUO Concerto Competition winner Justin Lee!

Join us this Saturday for our first concert of 2020!!! This will be the inaugural concert for our new artistic director, Ian Shafer, assistant conductor, Luke Nosal, and we will be featuring the winner of our annual competition, Justin Lee. https://facebook.com/events/s/quo-presents-soliloquy-of-drea/1444290712406410/?ti=icl

Only TEN days away until our first concert of 2020!! Our brand new Artist Director, Ian Shafer, and Assistant Conductor, Luke Nosal, will be leading the Queer Urban Orchestra through a dream-like program that you, your family and your friends will not want to miss: Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun Gabrieli: Canzon Per Sonar Septimi Toni a 8... Griffes: Poem for Flute and Orchestra -featuring our concerto competition winner Justin Lee Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade Do you have your tickets?! If not go to https://www.queerurbanorchestra.org//soliloquy-of-drea/and to book them now!