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Atlanta Freedom Bands provides a positive representation of our city’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, (LGBTQ+) and ally community through music. AFB is a community-based, service-oriented organization that provides an opportunity for creative musical expression and outstanding entertainment in a welcoming, inclusive environment. We believe in the power of visibility to foster LGBTQ+ acceptance and strive to be a source of pride for the entire community.
AFB accomplishes its mission through a number of performing ensembles: the Atlanta Freedom Concert Band, the Atlanta Freedom Marching Band and Color Guard, and the MetroGnomes Stage Band. Each ensemble attracts musicians and performers from across the Atlanta metropolitan area, bringing together people from a wide range of backgrounds, ethnicities, orientations, ages, and identities. Although based in the LGBTQ+ community, AFB ensembles seek to connect with audiences of all types in a variety of venues from the Concert Hall to parades to neighborhood events and more. With every performance, AFB tries to build bridges of acceptance and understanding.
AFB is proud to be a member of Pride Bands Alliance, the Association of Concert Bands, and the Atlanta Queer Arts Alliance (AQuAA).
Our Vision: Fostering an inclusive community through artistic expression.

Swing Into the Holidays 2026

Holiday Passport

2027 Tournament of Roses Parade

2027 Atlanta St. Patrick’s Day Parade

Guide to Pride

Americans We

Americans We: Celebrating Our Shared Story in Music

Chosen Family

Give

O'Shae Best

Kurt Wackerly

Aaron Smith

Abby Gaskins

Fitz Dement

Beth Herndon

Nic Chambers

Michel Boddie

Cliff Norris

Celebrate the Holiday Season with Atlanta Freedom Bands! 🎷 Dance with the MetroGnomes at our annual “Swing Into the Holidays” event on December 11 at Tucker Brewing. 🌎 Take off with the Concert Band for our globe-trotting “Holiday Passport” concert on December 19 at the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center, hosted by TAYLOR ALXNDR. 🌹 Watch the Tournament of Roses Parade on January 1 to see the first-ever LGBTQ+ group in the parade - a 300+ member massed band from Pride Bands Alliance! - https://mailchi.mp/2cd6fc886e46/afb-2026-holiday1

10 WEEKS TO GO! Yes, AFB Fans, we are just 10 weeks away from the 2027 Tournament of Roses Parade @rose_parade on January 1. AFB members will join our friends from bands all across the country as the @pridebandsalliance forms the first-ever LGBTQ marching band to appear in the parade. It will be history in the making as our massed band of more than 300 people makes the turn at TV Corner! All the member bands are engaged in a campaign to raise the money to create a new set of uniforms for the parade (and future events) and cover the all the logistical costs of managing a band that size in Pasadena for a week. The goal is $300,000 and we are right at the $200,000 mark. Earlier in the year, this year's President of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Terry Madigan had a chat with AFB's Development Director Cliff Norris about the importance of this event for our national and worldwide LGBTQ community. Please donate to our fundraising campaign to help make this long-time dream become a reality. The donation link is: https://www.pridebands.org/donate/ #RoseParade2027 #TournamentofRoses #RoseParade

The Atlanta Freedom Bands @AtlantaPride booth is OPEN! Come see us at Piedmont Park starting right after the parade until 7pm!!! 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

Today’s the day! Happy @atlantapride!!! The rain yesterday can’t stop us — we’ll be in the parade at noon and at our booth in Piedmont Park immediately after the parade! Come see us!! ❤️ 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

You can't rain on our parade! The @atlantapride parade is happening Sunday at Noon down Peachtree! AFB's Marching Band and Color Guard will be marching Louder and Prouder than ever before! We can't wait to celebrate with you!

Like any good band, AFB is great at playing things by ear! We're SO EXCITED for Atlanta Pride this weekend! For the safety of our performers and volunteers, we're pausing our plans for Saturday and focusing on the Pride Parade and Marketplace on Sunday! We'll keep you posted on our socials. HAPPY PRIDE! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ #AtlantaPride

Whatever the weather may be, we are ready for Atlanta Pride! The forecasts for Sunday are improving, so we hope you come out to see and hear us. This year’s parade play list includes Huntrix’s “Golden”, “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes, and Journey’s inspirational classic “Don’t Stop Believin’”. We can’t wait to see you!

Volunteers needed — How would you like to march in the Atlanta Pride Parade with AFB? AFB has the privilege of mustering the honor guard that carries the geographical and identity flags that appear at the front of the parade. We just need a few more people to make sure we have someone for every flag and to provide alternates just in case. We also need a few additional folks to help carry water for the honor guard and the band members. If you would be interested, please fill out our volunteer form. The volunteers will gather before the parade at 10:30 AM on Sunday and finish at Piedmont Park. Fill at the form at the link in our bio!

We are just 90 days away from our appearance in the 138th Rose Parade on January 1 in Pasadena. AFB is joining with other Pride Bands Alliance members from across the country to form the first-ever LGBTQ+ marching band to appear in the parade. Over 70 million people in 55 countries will see us in the parade, making a truly global moment of visibility for our community. While the participants are paying for their own travel, we have to raise an additional $300,000 to cover the cost of new uniforms, on-the-ground logistics for a week of rehearsals and performances, instrument rentals, music licensing and more to make the parade appearance possible. We have already raised more than $170,000 toward the goal, and we are asking our Atlanta community to step up and do its part. Listen to our friends in bands from coast to coast describe what an important moment this is for our community. Then visit https://www.pridebands.org/donate/ to do your part in making history! @rose_parade @pridebandsalliance #pridebands #roseparade #roseparade27 #BetterWithTheBand

We’ve got a big weekend ahead of us at Atlanta Freedom Bands! On Saturday, Sept 19, join the Marching Band and Color Guard for the Beltline Lantern Parade on the West Side Trail at 8pm! Then on Sunday, get your dancing shoes ready to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the MetroGnomes! Join us for an afternoon of music (and cake!) at Tucker Brewing Company - Sept 20 at 1:30pm.

We had a wonderful time this weekend with our friends in the Charlotte Pride Band as they celebrated Pride! We performed twice at the festival yesterday and marched down Tryon Street today for all the crowds. The heat index at step off was 105°, and the music was just as hot! Thanks to our hosts for making us feel so welcome! #charlottepride #AFB33

Happy International Cat Day, AFB Fans! We would love to see pictures of our feline fans. Drop a picture of your favorite furry buddy in the comments! 🐱 #internationalcatday

We had a wonderful time today at the first-ever Fayette Pride! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ Thanks gafayettepride for inviting us to be in your first Pride parade and a part of the festival. We so enjoyed performing for our Fayette County neighbors and meeting everyone this afternoon. We look forward to a return. The parade was a good workout for our Marching Band and Color Guard as we prepare to take part in the Tournament of Roses Parade just FIVE months from today in Pasadena! Over 330 musicians and performers from bands like ours will come together to appear in the @rose_parade in January, making history as the first-ever LGBTQ+ identified group to march! Stay tuned to our page as we step closer to the date.

We had a wonderful time opening the 16th AUGUSTA PRIDE Festival today! With all the downtown construction, the parade did not take place. That gave us a chance to play a full set of music along with multiple equipment changes from the Color Guard. We always look forward to a bringing Pride and Joy to Georgia’s Garden City! #AFB33 #pridemonth #augustapride

What a weekend! The color guard performed at @zooatl for Zoo Pride 2026 and brought an incredible vibe to the evening 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Thanks to everyone who joined us for last night’s “Americans We” concert. We had an amazing experience making music for you. It is always such a joy to bring music to our fans and our community, especially when we bring a new piece of music to life. Thanks also to our donors whose support throughout the season makes musical events like this possible. Thanks to the staff at the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse College for being such wonderful hosts for the concert. And, thanks to our artistic staff and volunteer musicians for all their hard work through a season of rehearsals of some of the most challenging music we have ever presented. While season 33 is in the books for the Concert Band, AFB’s performing ensembles have lots in store leading up to Atlanta Pride in October. Look for our posts about where to see us at events around town. Then, we hope to see you again in December for our “Holiday Passport” concert. We are proud to be YOUR community band! #AFB33 #BetterWithTheBand

The dress rehearsal for tomorrow night’s concert is underway. We can’t wait for you to experience “Americans We: Celebrating Our Shared Story in Music”. We have so much festivity packed in the program with Pride Month, the Semiquincentennial, Juneteenth, National Black History Month, and more! Tickets are still available, so join us for the show! 📆 Saturday, June 20th 7 PM 🏛 Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse College 📍 900 West End Ave SW, Atlanta 30310 🎟 https://atlantafreedombands.com/events/americans-we/ #pridemonth #semiquincentennial #afb33 #BetterWithTheBand morehouse1867

Have you ever been in the first audience to hear a new piece of music? Here’s your chance! Atlanta Freedom Bands has commissioned a new work that we will premiere at our “Americans We” concert this tomorrow evening. Composer Christopher Kyle Green has written “We the People”, a piece that speaks directly to our LGBTQ+ community as we arrive at this Semiquincentennial moment in our nation’s history. The piece honors the quiet resiliency that has allowed our community to survive the rough times while celebrating all we have accomplished so far on the way. The piece ends with musical fireworks that explode with queer joy. The composer has a special invitation for you, followed by a clip from the band’s rehearsal of the piece. Be present for this special moment when a new piece of music is born! 📅 Saturday, June 20, 7 PM 🏛 Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse College 📍 900 West End Ave SW, Atlanta 30310 🎟 atlantafreedombands.com/events/americans-we/ #pridemonth #semiquincentennial #afb33 #BetterWithTheBand @morehouse1867

This Saturday's "Americans We" concert features BANNED music! That's no typo. "A Mother of a Revolution", composed in 2019 by Omar Thomas, celebrates the life and legacy of Marsha P. "Pay it no Mind" Johnson. Our friends in the Desert Winds Freedom Band commissioned the work for the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising. AFB presented the Atlanta premiere of the piece in June of 2019. Since then, the piece has reached community and college bands across the country, telling Marsha's story in music. Last month, the Symphonic Band of Watertown, Wisconsin, planned to perform it during their spring concert. Then suddenly, the Watertown School Board decided that the piece glorified lifestyles inappopriate for children and celebrated violence against the police. They banned its performance. A tremendous outpouring of support from their fellow students, the Watertown community, and musicians across the nation quickly developed. The piece was eventually performed at a church in the town to an overflowing audience with the composer conducting and donations pouring in for the band program. As an added bonus, tens of thousands more people learned about Marsha's life and the role that the transgender community played in the early days of the movement for equality. Thomas' music gives Marsha a superhero theme with a disco twist. Don't miss your chance to hear this exciting piece of Banned Band music performed live. Get your tickets from the link below. See you Saturday! 📅 Saturday, June 20, 7 PM 🏛 Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse College 📍 900 West End Ave SW, Atlanta 30310 🎟 atlantafreedombands.com/events/americans-we/ #pridemonth #semiquincentennial #afb33 #BetterWithTheBand @morehouse1867

Part of our American story is the conversation that different threads of our culture have through time. Composer Chandler Wilson’s piece “Conversations” weaves together the songs “America the Beautiful” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing”. “America the Beautiful”, a poem written in 1893 by Katharine Lee Bates (who lived in a “Boston marriage” with her partner Katharine Coman), paints a majestic view of the country’s landscape and the dreams its people had at the turn of the 19th century. “Lift Every Voice and Sing” was written by James Weldon Johnson and set to music by J. Rosamond Johnson in 1905. They wrote about the resiliency, pride, and dreams for freedom and equality for African Americans at the time. The two songs worked their way through American culture at the same time, thus inspiring Wilson’s work that places the melodies together in new and unexpected ways. It is one of the pieces we will present this Saturday evening during our “Americans We” concert. Enjoy this clip from our rehearsal, then click the link to purchase your tickets to this show. You won’t want to miss all the pieces we have in store! 📅 Saturday, June 20, 7 PM 🏛 Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse College 📍 900 West End Ave SW, Atlanta 30310 🎟 atlantafreedombands.com/events/americans-we/ #pridemonth #semiquincentennial #afb33 #BetterWithTheBand @morehouse1867

We are just four days away from our season-closing concert, "Americans We: Celebrating our Shared Story in Music". AFB's Artistic Director O'Shae Best provides a preview of the show. He describes his inspiration for celebrating the Semiquincentennial through the diversity of our country and the stories that make up our shared culture. He also gives insights into several of the pieces on the program. And, he speaks for a moment about how he feels as he finishes his first full season on the AFB podium. Check out the video, and then purchase your tickets for the concert. You won't want to miss all the music, the premiere of a brand new work, and celebrating Pride Month with AFB! https://youtu.be/etis1O5nu78 Be sure to join us for the concert: 📆 Saturday, June 20th 7 PM 🏛 Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse College 📍 900 West End Ave SW, Atlanta 30310 🎟 Ticket Link in our bio!

A new instrument joined our percussion collection tonight: the waterphone. It makes those spooky sounds you often hear in suspenseful movies. You can hear it and more than 20 other percussion instruments this Saturday at “Americans We: Celebrating Our Shared Story in Music”. We are celebrating #pridemonth and giving our take on the Semiquincentennial. With a wide diversity of composers and stories, we have something unique to offer the community. Plus, we will premiere a brand new work written just for the concert. Don’t miss all the great music we have in store. Tickets are available at the link in the bio. 📅 Saturday, June 20, 7 PM 🏛 Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse College 📍 900 West End Ave SW, Atlanta 30310 🎟 atlantafreedombands.com

AFB Fans, there are just 9 days left to get your tickets to “Americans We: Celebrating Our Shared Story in Music”. Our concert serves double duty as our #pridemonth concert and our take on the Semiquincentennial. With a wide diversity of composers and stories, we have something unique to offer the community. Plus, we will premiere a brand new work written just for the concert. Don’t miss all the great music we have in store. Tickets are available at the link in the bio. 📅 Saturday, June 20, 7 PM 🏛 Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse College 📍 900 West End Ave SW, Atlanta 30310 🎟 atlantafreedombands.com

🎹I’m Still Standing Preview🎹 The Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus is excited to be performing I’m Still Standing and other Elton John hits in Beyond The Yellow Brick Road at Mable House Barnes Amphitheater THIS SATURDAY with Yacht Rock Schooner! 🗓️ June 13th 📍Mable House Barnes Amphitheater ⏰ 7 pm Visit our site, voicesofnote.org , for tickets and more information 💛❤️💛❤️

AFB's Pride Month Activities kick off today! Spend the first Sunday Funday of June with the MetroGnomes and our Color Guard at Tucker Brewing Company. Slamming brews, banging food, swinging tunes, twirling flags -- it's going to be great! See you there! 📅 Today, 1:30 PM 🍺Tucker Brewing Company 📍 2003 S Bibb Dr, Tucker, GA 30084 🆓 Free admission #AFB33 #metrognomes #pridemonth

AFB is on the move for #pridemonth!! Come celebrate with us all month long! Visit AtlantaFreedomBands.com for details for each event!

The time is drawing near for our upcoming concert “Americans We: Celebrating Our Shared Story in Music” on Saturday, June 20. The concert serves double duty as a commemoration of the 🇺🇸 Semiquincentennial and our annual 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ Pride Month concert! We have something unique to offer our community that is NOT your typical patriotic concert. Our concert celebrates the diversity, the varied voices, and shared stories that make up our country. The music will challenge, inform, entertain, and delight. 🎆 And, you won't want to miss the premiere of "We the People", a new work for band that AFB has commissioned from local composer Christopher Kyle Green just for the occasion. The piece gives voice to our community and its steadfast resilience in surviving and thriving even during difficult times 🎶 Join our mighty and fabulous Concert Band as the take the stage at the beautiful Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse College. Tickets are on sale now! 📅 Saturday, June 20, 7 PM 📍 Ray Charles Performing Arts Center, Morehouse College 🗺 900 West End Ave SW, Atlanta 30310 🎟 https://atlantafreedombands.com/events/americans-we/ #AFB33 #Semiquincentennial #Pride #pridemonth

Join Atlanta Freedom Bands for an evening of music that elevates the diverse voices that make up the American story. Americans We tickets are available now on our website - AtlantaFreedomBands.com

Join the MetroGnomes and Color Guard at @tuckerbrewingco this Sunday! The free show starts at 1:30pm — we’ll see you there!

That's a wrap on our social media takeover! Thanks to our friends at Atlanta Freedom Bands for helping share the music. We'll see you this weekend at 2p and 7p at our show, Chosen Family! Tickets and more info at the link in our bio.

The AWC Social media takeover continues! Music speaks to everyone, and we're happy to share it far and wide. The AWC recently took a trip to the Whitworth Women’s Facility, a detention center in North Georgia where we performed pieces from our upcoming show Chosen Family. Some of the residents even worked with us the night before and sang as part of our chorus at the performance. It was such a special day for us and the people of Whitworth.

A behind the scenes look as AWC prepares for Chosen Family this weekend! We recently had our small group visit our sibling chorus – the AGMC – at one of their rehearsals to sing True Colors for them, a song for our upcoming show Chosen Family performed by our small ensemble, Sorellanza, which means sisterhood in Italian. Come see us this Saturday at 2p and 7p! Tickets and info at the link in our bio. ❤️

🎶 "Music is what feelings sound like." ❤️ Join us behind the scenes today for the Atlanta Women’s Chorus social media takeover! Listen to one of our members share her favorite song on this program. Come experience the magic with us this Saturday! Just five days left! Info and Tickets at the link in our bio!

Behind the scenes with the Atlanta Women’s Chorus! 🎤🔥 We’re officially taking over AFB's socials today and giving you an inside look at how we are getting ready for Chosen Family this Saturday. Here's a little "We Are Family" magic, and hit the link in our bio to lock in your tickets! 🎟️👋

🚨 The Atlanta Women's Chorus is taking over AFB's socials for the day! Stay tuned for some exciting updates as they prepare for their concert, Chosen Family, this Saturday! 🎟️ Tickets and info ➡️ Link in bio

To all of our members, friends, supporters, and allies, and friends we haven’t met yet, HAPPY PRIDE MONTH!! We love you and we’re proud to be your community band!

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🎶 AFB's Semiquincentennial concert celebrating the diversity of music in our country is coming soon! You won't want to miss the premiere of our commissioned work, "We the People", and all the other great music. Plus, AFB's ensembles are performing all over town for Pride Month. From Tucker to Smyrna to Grant Park and more, find out where and when to find your favorite band! - https://mailchi.mp/1754cfd7f07d/afb-2026-americans2

Congratulations to AFB’s Director of Development on being awarded the 2026 Pride Bands Alliance Pillars of Pride award! If you know Atlanta Freedom Bands, you know Cliff! Celebrating 30 years with Atlanta Freedom Bands, Cliff has shaped not only our organization, but the Pride Bands Alliance and the LGBTQ+ community in Atlanta. He’s held just about every role in the band over the years and continues to be an integral part of the organization every day. @pridebandsalliance is a is a membership organization of LGBTQ+ community concert and marching bands from cities around the world, with 36 member organizations. Pillars of Pride recognizes extraordinary accomplishments, services, or contributions by those actively supporting Pride Bands Alliance. Congratulations, Cliff!

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ Celebrate Pride Month with Atlanta Freedom Bands! 🎷 Start by swinging over to Tucker to hear our MetroGnomes on June 7. 🎺 Then, catch the Marching Band and Color Guard at Smyrna Pride on June 13. 🎼 Finish strong as our Concert Band presents “Americans We” on June 20 at the beautiful Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse College. Get your tickets today! - https://mailchi.mp/967257f23bc6/afb-2026-americans1

Today we welcomed Terry Madigan and his husband Kevin to Atlanta on 404 Day! Terry is the President of the Rose Parade, and he is visiting bands across the country who will take part in the next parade on January 1. AFB members will join our bandmates from across the Pride Bands Alliance in the first-ever LGBTQ-identified group to appear in the parade. We enjoyed sharing a bit of Atlanta hospitality with them during their travels. We will see them again soon at the Pride Bands annual conference in Philadelphia next month.

No Fooling! Nine months from today, members of Atlanta Freedom Bands will join with our bandmates across the country as the @Pride Bands Alliance marches in the 2027 Rose Parade. We will make history as the first-ever LGBTQ+ identified group to appear in the parade. The massed band numbers over 250 participants, making it one of the largest bands in the parade! Our members are busily increasing our step counts so we can take on the 6.5 mile route through Pasadena. Look for more updates as the time draws near.

Today is the 17th International Transgender Day of Visibility. On this annual remembrance, we celebrate our Transgender siblings and recognize the contributions they make and have made to society. While we at AFB love doing that in a parade, such as the annual Trans March during the Atlanta Pride festival, we also try to be a supportive ally to our Transgender members and our local community. The day also gives us a moment of take stock of the work that still needs to be done to achieve full equality and spread acceptance and awareness. AFB is rooted in the same soil that produced the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. We are proud to continue the work that advances equality for all people. #afb33 #transgenderdayofvisibility

Everyone at Atlanta Freedom Bands thanks you for making last night’s “Georgia on Our Minds” concert such a success! We hope you enjoyed hearing some of the newest music by Peach State composers, including the premiere of “Solstice” by Brady Chandler. We also hope you enjoyed experiencing the music in the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center. We are so grateful to everyone at Morehouse College for making us feel so welcome. We can’t wait to make music there again with our season-closing concert “Americans We” on June 20. Thanks to all our patrons and donors for making this possible. We hope to see you again at the RayPAC in June! #afb33 #westendbestend #westendbestendatl #morehouse

We had a wonderful dress rehearsal tonight, giving us our first chance to perform in the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse College. It is a marvelous venue, and the band sounds amazing. You will love our interesting and entertaining collection of music by Georgia composers on Saturday evening. Don’t miss this show. Get your tickets today at the link below. Doors open at 6 PM with the concert at 7 PM. See you there! https://atlantafreedombands.com/events/georgia-on-our-minds/ #afb33 #westendbestend #westendbestendatl

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