Artist Snapshot: DCDD's Chad

Hey there,

Earlier this month, I posted about DC's Different Drummers. Well they're wrapping up March with their spring concert, My Favorite Things, tonight!!  And one of the musicians playing tonight took some time to share a little bit about himself.

Chad Koratich plays the Alto and Baritone Saxophone and has been a member of DC's Different Drummers since 2002. Without further ado, here's Chad:

JR: When did you start playing (on your own & with DCDD)?

Chad: I first started playing the saxophone and studying music in 5th grade. That was... gulp... 1981... 31 years ago. The school band director came to our music class and talked about the band and asked who was interested. I had no idea what instrument to pick but I knew that my mom loved the saxophone so I chose it. I played all through elementary, junior high, high school and college. Being a gay adolescent, even though I hadn't come out to even myself yet, was very rough. I was bullied all through school... and music was my shelter. Had it not been for band, I can't imagine what high school would have been like for me. After I graduated from college I joined the Army and didn't touch my sax again for about 8 years.

Then a miracle happened. I met Matt Swearman (our current President) who was at that time a fairly new member of DC's Different Drummers. We became fast friends and through that he found out I played sax. He told me about the band and invited me to a rehearsal. So, I dug my sax out of the closet and played around with it a bit and realized I was still pretty decent. I decided to take him up on his offer. That was, and forever will be, one of the best decisions of my life.

JR: What is one of your favorite memories with DCDD?

CHAD: I remember that first rehearsal with the symphonic band to this day. I played for a few measures and then stopped. I was in complete amazement at how great the group was and became emotional, choking back tears at the fact that I knew I had found something special... a group of adults like me, who were gay and loved to make music. DCDD became my haven, a place where I could be openly gay and do something that I loved and had missed for several years. Shortly thereafter, DCDD became my family... and Matt Swearman... well, he bacame my best friend.

JR: What inspires you to play?

Chad: What inspires me to play? That's easy, these very people. They are - in a word - AMAZING! I have MANY fantastic memories over the 10 years that I've been with the band. My favorite time every year is band camp. Yes, a bunch of adults go to band camp. It happens every September or October before our fall concert. We road trip to Elmer, NJ and take over the Appel Farm Art & Music Center for the weekend. We have concentrated rehearsal time but also plenty of time to relax, have fun and strengthen friendships. I owe so much to this amazing group and as long as I live in DC and can play my sax... I will be a member of DC's Different Drummers, one of my most favorite things!!!


So many thanks to Chad for taking some time to answer a few questions!! And, if you're looking for something to do in DC tonight, check out DCDD's My Favorite Things at the Columbia Heights Education Campus, and say hi to Chad and the rest of the folks in the Capitol Pride Symphonic Band and Capitol Pride Winds.

You can buy tickets here. And bookmark DCDD's calendar to keep up with any future events they've got going on!!

- J Street Jr

Arts' intrinsic value at Arena Stage tomorrow

Hello,

So tomorrow, a dissemination tour comes through the metropolitan DC area, specifically Arena Stage (which you can follow on Twitter and like on Facebook, and you should, if you don't already).

The tour is to share finding from a recent report released by Theatre Bay Area, located in San Francisco, titled "Counting New Beans: Intrinsic Impact and the Value of Art". Now I had't heard of a dissemination tour before and, at first, by the more I read about the report as well as the tour and partnering organizations, the more I realized that there's no other word which could've more appropriate, or more timely.

At the nonprofit I work at full-time, we represent artists and provide art & cultural programming to communities around the DC, MD & NoVA. A conversation that keeps coming back is how to make our artists and their programs more marketable, and one tactic is arts integration.  And the Kennedy Center has a wonderful resource on Arts Integration.

Anyway, this realies on an extrinsic argument and value on art, in that it is useful in pursuit of learning other subjects and skills. This is grossly oversimplifying the issue, but I'll leave it at there for now.

And if it's not arts education, one other popular extrinsic argument is the economic impact of the arts.  Even in a recent Huffington Post article, DC Advocates for the Arts board chair, Robert Bettmann made a compelling but single-minded argument that simply addressed the financial issues related to government support for the arts in DC.

Theatre Washington also organized an online petition recently, to restore funding to the DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities, with the text focused on, well...funding. Don't get me wrong, this was a well-executed and concise call to action, with just enough detail to inform.

To Theatre Washington's credit, they do so much more than that online petitions (if you're not familiar with the organization), and although their flagship program might be the annual Helen Hayes Awards, in terms of visibility, their effort to promote the art of theatre in the area is a year-round one.

So the dissemination tour of "Counting New Beans..." is coming to DC in association with Theatre Washington, and is at Arena Stage, tomorrow, from 10am-1pm. And I'm fortunate enough to work at an organization that allows me to attend events like this, both for the org and for myself.

I'm not sure if they're still taking RSVP's, but if you're interested, you can send an email to dtaylor@theatrewashington.org.

If you're there, please say hey!! And keep an eye out for a blog this weekend, about the event.

- J Street Jr

DC's Different Drummers

Hey,

So I can't think of a better way to kick-off the post-Intersections blogging than with the group that helped wrapped up the festival, DC's Different Drummers, with one of their ensemble groups, DC Swing!

As is my style, I won't try to say anything that isn't better said already:

In addition to creating fine music, our goals are to have fun, play with pride, work together, and educate others. Although we have differing backgrounds, experiences, talents and abilities, we share the goal of excellence in music.

I can say, from what I heard at the closing Tea Dance party, they certainly seem to be accomplishing their goals.

Here's another clip of their Marching Band participating in last week's DC Pride parade:

So definitely check out their website for more info, and like them on Facebook!

If you're interested in participating, check out each ensemble for instructions on how to contact 'em.  And if you're particularly interested in DCDD's Marching Band, they've got an open house coming up April 9th, so mark your calendar.

Also if you're interested in seeing an upcoming performance, mark March 31st on your calendar as well. Their Capital Pride Symphonic Band and Capital Pride Wind Ensemble will be at the Columbia Heights Education Campus for their spring concert, My Favorite Things!.

You can also keep track of them through two of our wonderful, local LGBT publications, Metro Weekly with the DCDD tag (I think there might be others, but this is the most recent one I found),  as well as Washington Blade's DC Different Drummers tag.

And if you ever want to really get to know an organization, get to know the leadership. I actually got to meet Matt Swearman, DCDD's president, at last Sunday's tea dance (can't believe it's already been a week), and WB's Joey DiGuglielmo did a piece profiling Matt last November, so definitely check out Queerty: Matt Swearman.

Also, hoping to get in touch with some of the musicians, as well as their special guest conductor, former Artistic Director, K. Scott Barker for the concert on the 31st, so keep an eye out for more blogs about this wonderful local community musical organization.

- J Street Jr

Intersections: Final lobby vlog

Hey there,

It's pretty self-explanatory:

Until next year, for the festival.

But keep an eye out for upcoming posts as I keep up with what various artists are up in the area :-)

- J Street Jr

Hey,

Just a clip from the Kogod lobby on this final family saturday at this year's Intersections festival, at the Atlas Performing Arts Center in DC.

Artists who work with kids deserve a very special award, especially young kids. Beyond having to have a tremendous amount of energy just to match them, they're a hundred times tougher than any adult audience to keep engaged. Kudos to every teaching artist who work with youth,

JR

Intersections Artist Snapshot: Amanda Aldag

Hey there,


Another Intersections artist snapshot on this penultimate day of this year's festival at the Atlas Performing Arts Center. Amanda Aldag is a local vocalist who will be performing today with Euphonism, one of two a cappella groups featured in this afternoon's show.

Intersecting A Cappella Imagine doo-wop meets pop meets gospel meets R&B meets Motown when two fantastic DC a cappella groups share the stage.

I actually have the pleasure of having met Amanda through my day job at Class Acts Arts, which represents a number of artists and companies. One of the groups on our roster is Snowday, another a capella group Amanda is involved in.

And, if you haven't observed by now, the DC area performing arts scene continues to get smaller and smaller, and I LOVE it. With that, I'm glad to introduce you to Amanda:

JR: When did you start singing?

Amanda: I started singing when I was about 7 in the school choir. I participated in every music club that my schools offered but always was most at home singing. I first got involved in a cappella in college where I was part of an all-female group.

JR: How did you become involved w/ Euphonism?

Amanda: I was one of the founders of Euphonism. A few months before, I had just moved to DC after having lived in Japan for several years. I was finally getting settled in at my new job and learning my way around and really missed singing. None of the existing groups were holding auditions so when I saw an ad on Craig's List about a new group getting together, I jumped at the opportunity.

JR: What inspires you to sing?

Amanda: Singing makes me happy in a way that nothing else does. In the few brief periods in my life when I was not singing there was definitely a void. Singing has always come pretty easily to me, but creating music completely a cappella adds an extra challenge for me. Plus, the community is one in which I feel supported and inspired.

JR: What is one of your favorite Euphonism memories?

Amanda: So many memories to choose from! We laugh a lot in rehearsal which I know means a lot to all of us. After a tough day I know that a few hours with the group is enough to make me smile again. Lately we've been offered bigger and bigger opportunities which has been really exciting, like our recent performance at the London A Cappella Festival. Being a part of that event was one of the most thrilling things I've done as a performer. But, even better, was the time the group spent together over the week we were there. It was a wake up call to me about how lucky I am to have these 6 wonderful people in my life.

JR: What are you an Intersection of?

Amanda: Euphonism is an intersection of pure vocal harmonies and fun, cutting edge technology. We've merged traditional vocal stylings with some really unique electronic effects for a exciting show!

Very grateful for Amanda taking the time to share this with me. As you can probably imagine, she's pretty busy. Keep up with her on Twitter (which is where I snagged her awesome singing photo from, hope you don't mind, Amanda!!), as well as Euphonism. If you're more of a FB person, like their page here.

You can catch Amanda and Euphonism, today at 4pm!! Buy tickets here, RSVP here on FB, do so in THAT order, and hope to see you at the Atlas later on today. And whether or not you go to the show

-- JR

Intersections Artist Snapshot: Carolyn Kamrath

Hey there,

Here's an artist snapshot of dancer Carolyn Kamrath. Now, funny thing is Carolyn and I go back about 6 years. We first met at the American Dance Festival summer of '06. It wouldn't be too long before our paths crossed again, at American University's Arts Management program.

What's great is that living in the Brookland Artspace Lofts, I live right next to Dance Place, one of the organizations she's involved with.

JR: When did you start dancing?

Carolyn: According to our home videos, I’ve been dancing since I could walk! Just ask my Dad for a sampling of my early choreographic hits in our living room. I started formal classes at age 3 and have been dancing ever since – including as a dance major at GWU.

JR: How did you become involved with DancEthos & Dance Place?

Carolyn: Tiffany Haughn, the Artistic Director of DancEthos, was one of my college professors. She asked me to dance in one of her works for CrossCurrents Dance Company and a few years after that we formed DancEthos together. In addition to dancing for DancEthos, I do a variety of administrative work and choreograph for the company (check out my latest piece in our show at Dance Place June 23-24!).

I am also the Marketing Director for Dance Place. I started as a summer intern in 2007 and came back as a staff member while I was in grad school at AU for Arts Management. I’m very excited that Dance Place is presenting Illstyle & Peace Productions from Philadelphia as part of INTERSECTIONS on March 9-10 – besides being awesome dancers who are captivating to watch, they are very kind and loving people who we love to have around!

JR: What inspires you to dance?

Carolyn: I think movement as a form of expression is just ingrained in me. I’ve always danced – it’s always been completely natural to me and creates a sense of wholeness in my life. These days I find so much inspiration in how other people’s bodies move, especially non dancers. I continue to be curious about the body itself, let alone all of the interesting concepts that can be portrayed through dance!

JR: What is one of your favorite moments w/ any of the companies/organizations you're involved in?

Carolyn: Every rehearsal with DancEthos is hilarious, heartfelt and fun. Too many favorite moments! But recently I have loved revisiting a duet with Tina Fratello for our INTERSECTIONS performance of Unsung. We have a really honest connection when we dance this duet that is so fulfilling. I hope the audience this weekend enjoys it too!

JR: What are you an intersection of?

Carolyn: 

So yeah, it's a small world and it keeps getting smaller, especially the dance community in the area.

You can catch Carolyn, with DanceEthos as well as alight dance theater and Glade Dance Collective, today at 4:30pm, at Intersections.

With only a handful of tickets left, you can buy tickets here.

- J Street Jr