An Opportunity of a Lifetime
One of the highlights of the evening will be the appearance of our guest conductor, member Emily Ranta, whose passion for the music is bound to shine through in every note. Emily won the opportunity to conduct a piece in this concert last year at the Rainbow City Gala. Her mother fostered a passion in music in her at a young age, and after she passed, Emily was proud to utilize some funds from her settlement to be able to live out this dream to conduct a band.
Emily has a diverse background in music. She plays the flute in the concert band but also has experience in mallet percussion, piano, and recorder. Emily started performing music in school in Rochester, Washington. She later joined the Capital Area Youth Association in 7th grade, and then joined the student orchestra of greater Olympia. After graduating from high school and finishing college, she joined the Rainbow City Concert Band and soon after joined our Board of Directors in 2021.
Color Guard Makes a Splash
The Color Guard has many hopes and aspirations for this concert. They hope that the audience will be inspired by their creative expression both in the choice of music, the design of their choreography, and a diversity of equipment used such as flags, swing flags, sabres, and air blades! It is quite rare to get the opportunity to be in a color guard.
Members say: "We have had many performances and we look forward to this one in particular!"
They recently debuted their first ever Winter guard performance at the local high school competition. Although they weren't competing, they were happy to be in the community with the local color guard teams.
During that performance, we had the opportunity to talk to a parent of a student that was in the LGBT community and their child felt amazing knowing that there are LGBT color guards for adults.
The Rainbow City Color Guard looks forward to the upcoming performance and is excited to interact with patrons and fans. They would love the audience to interact by making noise while leaning into the joy of the music! They are so happy for all the love this community has shown and our support for the growth of their visibility and impact!
Uniting Through Music
Together, let's create a symphony of love, acceptance, and belonging.