8 pm, Thurs., June 26 & Fri., June 27       First Unitarian Universalist Church       1187 Franklin St., San Francisco

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Heidi Beeler (415) 828-0167 sfprideconcert@yahoo.com www.sfprideconcert.org

ATTENTION ARTS & FEATURES EDITORS

KRON-TV & KCBS RADIO’S “HAT LADY” – JAN WAHL
TO APPEAR AT 2008 PRIDE CONCERT: “OUR MESSAGE IS MUSIC”

 

San Francisco – June 19, 2008. Jan Wahl, San Francisco’s celebrated film critic and events journalist – affectionately nicknamed the “Hat Lady” – has just agreed to appear at the Thursday performance of the 2008 Pride Concert. Presented by the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco, San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band, the Annual Pride Concert celebrates the 30^th anniversary of the Band, the first openly LGBTQ music group in the world, and showcases some of the flashiest music written for wind ensemble and for choruses. The concert takes place 8 pm, Thursday, June 26 and Friday, June 27 – at First Unitarian Universalist Church, 1187 Franklin Street (@ Geary), San Francisco. Tickets are $15-$35. Info: www.sfprideconcert.org, (415) 865-ARTS (2787).

 

“I’m thrilled to be sharing the stage with these talented performers,” says Wahl. “They remind us that we all need to keep singing in the rain!”

 

Vancouver Magazine called Wahl “San Francisco's sharp-witted solo answer to Ebert and Roeper.” Recognized as a woman of many hats, film critic Jan Wahl joined KRON 4 in October 1990. Sporting a different chapeau each week, she critiques recent movie releases, reviews new videos, conducts celebrity interviews, and offers interesting background on show business. In addition to her work at KRON 4, Wahl provides cultural and show business reports for KCBS Radio and is a featured regular on LIVE 105, KITS 105.3 FM. When she's not working in television or radio, Wahl emcees community events, teaches, lectures and delivers show biz talks on international cruises. Wahl also teaches a class called “Critical Thinking of the Mass Media”, a course she originated for corporations and schools.

 

Before joining KCBS, Wahl was the entertainment reporter and movie/video reviewer at KNBR Radio, where she hosted a three-hour call-in show “Hollywood Calling.” Prior, Wahl frequently appeared as a film critic and historian on KGO Radio. Before coming to the Bay Area, Wahl worked for ABC in Los Angeles, first as a documentary producer, and later as a stage manager and director of “Rona Barrett's Hollywood,” “The Lawrence Welk Show,” “Match Game,” “Family Feud,” “Good Morning, America” and various specials such as the Oscar and Grammy telecasts.

 

In 1977, Wahl won an Emmy Award for producing and writing “They Still Say I Do,” a humorous documentary on the palimony case of Lee and Michelle Triola Marvin. That year she also became a member of the prestigious Directors Guild of America. In 1999 she won a second Emmy for “A Filmgoer's Bill of Rights.” A movie enthusiast since her youth, Wahl began collecting movie memorabilia at age seven. Wahl entered the journalism field as a newswriter for KGO-TV, where she also produced two documentaries while attending San Francisco State University. She graduated with a degree in Broadcast Communications and Arts. During school, she also worked at KRON 4 as a panelist on a community affairs show called “Youth Inquires.” Wahl is a native of West Los Angeles and currently resides in Marin County.

 

“Jan is not only a sharp critic, she’s a colorful entertainer in her own right, not to mention a terrific supporter of the LGBT community,” says SF L/G Freedom Band Artistic Director Roberto-Juan González. “She came out for our Dance-Along Nutcracker® last year, and her swing dancing was one of the highlights of the show. We couldn’t be more delighted to share the stage with her.”

 

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Founded in 1978, the year the rainbow flag was created and Harvey Milk rode in the Freedom Day Parade as supervisor, the San Francisco Gay Freedom Day Marching Band & Twirling Corps claimed an American symbol for the newly emerging Gay community as it struggled for its civil rights. The Band quickly became a symbol of pride for the Gay community and played music to build understanding between its community and the larger world. Thirty years after its first march up Market Street, the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band (as it is known today) continues to make music as a symbol of LGBTQ pride. Named the official band of the City of San Francisco in 2003 and the Most Absolutely Fabulous contingent of the 2006 San Francisco Pride Parade, the Band continues to march in city parades, pride festivals and July 4th celebrations. Its Dance-Along Nutcracker® has been featured in national media such as the Wall Street Journal, The Ladies’ Home Journal, Good Morning, America , the Today Show and on HG-TV. After three decades, the Band continues to be one of the busiest and most vibrant community bands in the country. (www.sflgfb.org)

 

Founded by Jon Sims in 1978, San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus first performed on the steps of City Hall the day Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone were assassinated in November. From its beginnings that day as the world’s first openly gay men’s chorus to its triumphant national tour in 1981 to appearing around the world at venues like the Kennedy Center, Sidney Opera House and Carnegie Hall, SFGMC, conducted by Artistic Director Dr. Kathleen McGuire, has been a source of gay pride and musical accomplishment. SFGMC presents its 30th anniversary season through December 2008. (www.sfgmc.org)

 

The world's first mixed lesbian and gay chorus, the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco (LGCSF) was founded in 1980 by Bay Area musicians and community members under the direction of conductor, singer and pianist Robin Kay. LGCSF was the first gay and lesbian group to win the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce Arts Excellence Award (1994). Directed by Artistic Director and Conductor Stephanie Lynne Smith, LGCSF has continued to provide a forum for San Francisco 's gay and lesbian music lovers to develop their talents and share their gifts with diverse communities in San Francisco and at events ranging as far abroad as Chicago and Sydney, Australia. (www.lgcsf.org)

 

The Annual Pride Concert is co-presented by the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco, San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band. First produced in 1979 at Grace Cathedral, this concert is one of the longest-running annual performances in San Francisco and represents one of the first forms of open artistic expression to come from Harvey Milk’s Castro and the LGBTQ community here. For 30 years, the Pride Concert provides a showcase for the community music and dance groups that kicked off the gay music movement that was begun in this city and quickly spread to cities across the country and around the globe. These programs have provided a safe space for LGBTQ artists to come together to develop their talents and to demonstrate how the LGBTQ community enriches the society at large despite the discrimination it faces.

 

Our Message Is Music  is co-produced by the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco , the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus and the San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band, and is an official 2008 San Francisco Pride Event. For information on this concert, check out the official event website at www.sfprideconcert.org or call 415/865-ARTS (2787).

                                                                                                            

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