YOUR LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY
BAND IN CINCINNATI

Hear Us! Join Us!

About Us:

Our Mission
Musical Leadership
Timpani Campaign

The Queen City Freedom Band provides for the education and musical development of its members and community, presents music-based programs for public benefit and for charitable purposes, promotes visibility of LGBTQ+ community and their allies, and builds understanding between and among LGBTQ+ and other communities.

We believe that all talent is worthy of development and that visible artistic expression improves our communities’ health

Dr. Jon Noworyta, Artistic Director

Jon Noworyta is the Artistic Director of the Queen City Freedom Band. He is Assistant Professor of Music and Director of Bands, Instrumental Activities, and Educational Outreach at the University of Indianapolis. There, he administers all aspects of the woodwind, brass, and percussion area, teaches basic and advanced conducting and courses in music education, and conducts the Symphonic Wind Ensemble, Pep Band, and opera. A versatile conductor who is equally comfortable with orchestras as wind and brass groups, Noworyta is the Director of the Crossroads Brass Band of Indianapolis, IN, and the former Assistant Conductor of the Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra. Ensembles under his direction have given notable local, state, national, and international performances, the most significant being Carnegie Hall in 2009, the 2010 Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic (rehearsal lab), and the 2012 Music for All National Festival. Noworyta has led groups at such legendary venues as Chicago’s Symphony Center, the Kennedy Center, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Carnegie Hall.

Noworyta’s professional affiliations have included the NAFME, CBDNA, WASBE, NABBA, NBA, Pride Bands Alliance, GLSEN, the Conductors Guild, and the Indiana, Illinois, New York (NYSSMA) and Ohio Music Educators Associations. He currently sits on the Committee for Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion for the North American Brass Band Association, is listed among the Who’s Who in America Educator’s Edition, and is a founding member and on the advisory team for the 32,000+ member “Band Director” Facebook group. Noworyta shared his personal-professional story in “Out In Front: Queer Identity and Visibility in the Wind Band,” a compilation of queer career and coming out stories included in the recent GIA publication The Horizon Leans Forward… stories of courage, strength, and triumph of underrepresented communities in the wind band field by Erik Kar Jun Leung. 

A Western New York native, Noworyta holds degrees from Baldwin-Wallace University (BME), Northwestern University (MM), and the College-Conservatory of Music of the University of Cincinnati (DMA). Additional study as a participant in conducting workshops at the Eastman School of Music, the New England Conservatory, and the Juilliard School, has given Noworyta the opportunity to work with the major conducting pedagogues in the field today.

The QCFB is seeking to purchase a set of timpani, a pitched percussion instrument  called for in most pieces of music and a standard instrument of the percussion section. The cornerstone of a great sounding band, it is a standard practice for bands to own their own set. 

Currently, the QCFB has the chance to purchase a set of 5 timpani from a local high school. We have already taken possession of the timpani with a down payment. We must fundraise the money by April 2025 to keep the timpani. This is a great set of Ludwig timpani for a reasonable price. With some new drum heads and a little bit of cleaning, they will be a valuable addition to the QCFB’s musical capacity!

This fund will cover the cost of the timpani, new drum heads, a truck to pick them up, and a new stool used to play the timpani. In the event this fundraiser is not able to meet its goal, the timpani will be returned and funds raised will be held for a future timpani purchase project.

Donors can support with card payments, Venmo, Paypal, ACH, and Donor Advised Funds on Givebutter. We also accept cash or checks made out to the QCFB. Reach out to Fundraising Board Member Jackson Weber at [email protected] for more information.

Visit GiveButter.com/QCFBTimpani for more information or to donate.

Joining the Band:

The Queen City Freedom Band (QCFB) is the LGBTQ+ concert band in Cincinnati, OH. Open to woodwinds, brass, and percussion players of all abilities and orientations – including allies – the QCFB places a high emphasis on community building through music. All are welcome, COME OUT and play!

Our season runs concurrent with the academic year, with concert cycles in the Fall, Spring, and early Summer. Rehearsals are Sundays 1:00-3:00 PM during the regular season in Elmwood Place. No auditions are required and music is sent electronically to print or download on a tablet. Membership dues are requested at $30 per season, but don’t let cost be a barrier! QCFB musicians are given the flexibility to commit to individual concert cycles.

If you are ready to sign up, please fill out this Membership Form! This will add you to our musicians mailing list. You only need to fill out this form once.

In addition to the membership form, players should sign up for each cycle within the season by completing the Rehearsal Attendance Form for that cycle, linked below. After you fill out this form, you will receive a link to the music for the corresponding cycle.

Fall Cycle 2024-2025
Songs, Dances, Ballads, and Ballets
Spring Cycle 2024-2025
Homecoming
Pride Cycle 2024-2025
Pride

Rehearsals will be Sundays from 1-3, starting on September 8th, 2024.

The concert will be Sunday, November 3rd, 2024, at 3pm, at the Cincinnati Ballet’s Valentine Center For Dance, 1801 Gilbert Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45202.

To join, fill out our Membership Form and this cycle’s Rehearsal Attendance Form.

 

Rehearsals will be Sundays 1-3, starting on January 26th, 2025.

The concert will be the weekend of Sunday, March 23rd, 2025, time and location TBA.

 

Rehearsals will be Sundays from 1-3, starting on April 27th, 2025.

The concert will be Sunday, June 8, 2025, time and location TBA.

Unsure about joining? Want to try it out first? Interested members are welcome to come try out a rehearsal. Send us an email with your name and instrument, and we’ll let you know when the next rehearsal is. Remember, all are welcome! 

Concerts & Events

Songs, Dances, Ballads, and Ballet
Sun, Nov 3, 2024, 3PM
Homecoming
Mar 2025
Pride
Sun, Jun 8, 2025

Join us on a world tour celebrating the beauty of song and the power of dance from every corner of the globe. Sunday, November 3, at 3pm, our fall concert, Songs, Dances, Ballads, and Ballet will feature special guest vocal soloist Alyssa Davis.

We are excited to be hosting this concert at a new venue – the beautiful Cincinnati Ballet Valentine Center for Dance! 

Free and open to the public. Free parking is available in the form of street parking as well as surface lots connected to the building and on the grounds.

Location:
Cincinnati Ballet, Valentine Center For Dance
1801 Gilbert Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45202

Register for your free tickets at GiveButter.com/QCFBConcert. $10 suggested donation at registration or the door. No one turned away.

QCFB Songs, Dances, Ballads, & Ballets poster. Sunday November 3, 2024, 3pm at the Cincinnati Ballet Valentine Center For Dance

Join us and special guest Jim Obergefell the weekend of Sunday, March 23, for our spring concert.

Featuring trombone soloist Russ Zokaites, founder of the current iteration of the Queen City Freedom Band.

Also featuring the local debut of John and Jim by Dr. Viet Cuong. This piece was commissioned by the Columbus Pride Bands and the Queen City Freedom Band for the 2024 Pride Bands Alliance Annual Conference, celebrating Ohioans Jim Obergefell and John Arthur who brought marriage equality to the United States of America.

More information and concert poster to follow.

Join us Sunday, June 8, 2025, for our pride concert. More information and concert poster to follow.

Queen City Freedom Band Videos

This video of the QCFB was part of a larger video concert performance recorded in June, 2021.

You will see an introduction by our Artistic Director, Dr. Jon Noworyta, followed by our band performing two short band selections. 

This video from of the QCFB was part of a larger Cincinnati Points of Pride series in June, 2023, and features clips of our band rehearsing before our 2023 Pride concert. 

Contact Us!

We can’t wait to hear from you!

Let us know if you have questions, or need a ride to rehearsal.

Queen City Freedom Band lined up on steps

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QCFB logo with music notes