Date: 07 Jun 94 22:11:03 EDT
From: Michael Furey <75716.504@CompuServe.COM>

PRESS RELEASE:
 
Lesbian & Gay Bands of America
P.O. Box 300788
Houston, Texas  77230-0788
 
And the Band plays on...
For Immediate Release
 
Sunday, June 05, 1994
Contact:        Connie Moore
Lesbian & Gay Bands of America
713-741-3107              FAX 713-522-9604
CompuServe 71303,1013
 
New York: An important part of the Cultural Festival which is included in
this June's international gay and lesbian sports extravaganza will be the
part played by Lesbian and Gay Bands of America (LGBA). LGBA is comprised
of 22 bands from all over the United States and parts of Canada whose
members meet in different host cities twice annually to discuss
organizational business and to perform combined concerts. This
international gay cultural organization will be present in full force
 during Gay Games IV in New York.
 
LGBA's bands are scheduled to appear with the Lesbian and Gay Big
Apple Corps of New York at the Opening Ceremonies. Later in the week the
massed band will star in a gala concert event at the Paramount Theater at
Madison Square Garden. LGBA concerts in the last two Gay Games in Vancouver
(III) and San Francisco (II) have been the centerpiece of the cultural
events. It is expected that this year's concert will be more spectacular
than ever. Scheduled for 8 p.m. Thursday, June 23rd, the show, called "here
and now!", will feature about 200 LGBA band members. LGBA has extended an
invitation for musicians from all over the world to join them in playing
during the week, making this a truly multi-national event.
 
The concert program includes music by such composers as Gershwin,
Offenbach and Bernstein,. The combined band will be joined by pianist James
Adler, an international chorus hosted by the Stonewall Chorale, and the
ever-colorful cheerleading of the Bay Area Raw Rahs. After the close of the
Games, the combined bands will join hundreds of thousands who will assemble
to march in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion,
 providing music for this festive event.
 
Tickets for the concert are $15 and $20, and are available through
the Madison Square Garden box office (212-465-MSG1), through all
TicketMaster locations (212-307-7171, 201-507-8900, 516-888-9000, or
914-454-3388), and at Unity Center during the Games. For more information
about tickets, call 212-598-4527. For more information about Lesbian and
Gay Bands of America, call 713-741-3107.