Santa Cruz Pride & Kuumbwa Jazz Present: A Queer Evening in May – Music to Celebrate 50 Years of Pride in Santa Cruz County
The 50th Anniversary of Santa Cruz Pride is a milestone in history unlike any across the country. It is the fourth oldest Pride event in the state and one of the first continuous smaller city Pride events in the nation. At that first Pride in 1975, there was a variety of music featured.
In the mid 1980s, a group of gay and lesbian people started producing A Gay Evening in May (or AGEM) which was a variety show of music and skits performed at the Civic Auditorium each May. AGEM ran for over 15 years, and in this spirit we are celebrating A Queer Evening in May – AQEM – on Thursday, May 29 in partnership between Kuumbwa Jazz and Santa Cruz Pride.
AQEM is celebrating the expansive musical talent of a variety of musicians from different generations, co-hosted by Nic Laflin and Diane Syrcle, and featuring the following artists:
Diane Syrcle – Choral and solo singing credits include, but are not limited to: SC Opera Project, Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus, Ensemble Monterey, Oregon Symphony, Portland Opera, Portland Gay Men’s Chorus, Dallas Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and Shreveport Opera.
Akindele Bankole – Owner of Veg on the Edge, composer, musician, and tenor. As part of his compositional repertoire, Bankole combines his traditional Yoruba tribe tonal and rhythmic melodies with western classical genre, which he calls “Classical Fusion.”
Patti Maxine – Lap steel virtuoso, vocal stylist, and household name in the Santa Cruz area. Her achievements include an induction into the Sacramento Western Swing Society Hall of Fame in 2011 and a Gail Rich award 2017. Patti performed at the first Santa Cruz Pride in 1975.
Sandy Stone – Author, performer, engineer, theoretician, Banff Centre Senior Artist, UC Humanities Research Institute Fellow, National Women’s Hall of Fame inductee, State of California and City of Santa Cruz Lifetime Achievement Awardee.
Riley Nicholson – Executive Director of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. As a composer, pianist and performer, Nicholson creates ambitious and collaborative new works that are innovative and inviting.
Christie McCarthy – Singer-songwriter and a ‘soul poet’ with a fresh take on a ‘70s vibe. She’s been compared to the likes of Brandi Carlile, Natalie Merchant, Joni Mitchell, John Mayer, and even Bob Dylan.
Jorge Torrez – Former member of Cabrillo Symphonic and Cantiamo! choruses at Cabrillo College. Torrez is a graduate from University of the Pacific’s renowned Conservatory of Music and currently teaches voice and theater arts at Santa Cruz and Soquel High Schools.
Red Keener – Recent UCSC graduate and an independent audio designer, musician, music producer, and singer/songwriter.
Santa Cruz Pride Website
(Ticket Includes 5% City of Santa Cruz Admission Tax)