Lakeside Pride Music Ensembles is Chicago’s premier family of performance groups for members and friends of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. The Lakeside Pride Pops Ensemble began in the fall of 2021 and performs a wide variety of concert band repertoire including musical medleys, movie soundtracks, standard classical works, pop arrangements, and more.

We request that you not miss more than three rehearsals. The most important thing is for you to let Maxxie know about an absence beforehand by filling out the attendance form.

That’s okay! Many of our members have had decades-long gaps in their performing history. We are happy for this ensemble to give you a chance to reconnect with your instrument. There’s no shame in taking something down an octave or sitting out for a section of a piece as you’re getting back in the swing of things.

All members and friends of the LGBTQ community are welcome to perform with us. About a quarter of our membership are straight, cis-gender allies.

Membership in all of our ensembles ranges from $90 to $120.

Payment plans and need-based concessions are available.

While most musicians bring their own instruments, Lakeside Pride has a small number of instruments that are available for members to use. Occasionally, a member may have an instrument available to lend. Contact Maxxie if you are looking for an instrument and she will try to connect you with one.

The Pops Ensemble performs a wide variety of concert band repertoire including musical medleys, movie soundtracks, standard classical works, pop arrangements, and more.

Ask away! pops@lakesidepride.org

Our rehearsal sites and most performances are accessible by public transit, Uber, Lyft, and taxi. If that isn’t workable – we understand you’re probably traveling with an instrument – we encourage you to get in touch. There might be another member in your area we can pair you with.

With an organization as large, busy, and diverse as the band, we know how important it is that people understand what’s going on!

Announcements

Each rehearsal, our main announcement time is just before break. If you wish to make an announcement, just raise your hand or stand up when no one else is talking. Announcement items should be generally relevant to the Band and kept fairly short.

Weekly newsletter

Our email newsletter goes out once a week, usually on Fridays. It’s a great source of information about what’s happening currently with all Lakeside Pride ensembles, including upcoming events, calls for volunteers, performance opportunities, and rehearsal notes from the conductors.

Facebook group

You’ll be invited to join the Lakeside Pride Facebook group, as one more way to stay informed about band activities, share pictures, join events, and generally stay connected.

We typically rehearse Thursdays November to February for the fall season and March to June for the spring season from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. All of our rehearsals and performances, including locations, are listed on our calendar.

You are welcome to participate in the initial rehearsals without having paid dues.

Bring a tuner, a pencil, and your printed sheet music (or a tablet if you are using one). You can access the music through the members page of the website. For login credentials, contact membersteam@lakesidepride.org

There are no auditions for any Lakeside Pride ensemble. We welcome musicians of all playing abilities.