Meet Dan Bassett | Artistic Director/Conductor of the South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble & Head of Middle School for Saint Mark’s Episcopal School

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dan Bassett and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dan, why did you pursue a creative career?
I was extremely lucky to grow up in a small town in Upstate New York (Malone) that had an amazing music program. In fact, it was one of the best in the state. From an early age I knew that making music would be part of my life and career. There was nothing I loved more in my teens than playing my trumpet. After playing in concert band and jazz band in high school, I pursued a degree in Trumpet Performance and Music Education at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. It wasn’t long before I was playing trumpet professionally and began my teaching career.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
Not long after moving to South Florida in 1996, I discovered what was then known as the Flamingo Freedom Band, an LGBTQ+ and allies concert band. I played with them for several years before auditioning for the position of artistic director/conductor. In 2006 I began my journey as their artistic director. We made a few changes at the beginning of my employment, like changing the name of the organization to the South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble. We also began to actively promote the band in the greater South Florida community and started performing all of our concerts at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. This process wasn’t easy, but it was an absolute labor of love and was all made possible by the dedicated Board of Directors and band membership. who believed in my vision for the ensemble.

Along the way I’ve learned that change doesn’t come easy. It takes time, teamwork, dedication, and above all, patience. You should always aim high and even if you don’t reach the stars, if you get part way, you may at least reach the moon.

What I am most proud of about the South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble is our Youth Pride Band component. Each year for the past 11 years, we have had high school students from the tri-county area participate in an honor band. They rehearse alongside Pride Wind Ensemble coaches for three weekends, and then put on a performance under the direction of a world-renowned composer/conductor. In the past 11 years we have awarded $159,000 in college scholarships through donations of our members, audience, and community partners. However, the most important aspect of the Youth Pride Band is our mission, which is to stand up against bullying in high schools while being a safe space for LGBTQ+ students, adults, and their allies to make music together.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
The City of Fort Lauderdale is an incredible place to visit. As a typical Florida resident, I never go to the beach. However, if friends are in town, it is one of the first places we will go. The night life on Wilton Drive is also a must-experience destination. I enjoy dancing at Hunters or having a cocktail at Drynk. Teejay’s Sushi Thai restaurant is one of my favorites so we would definitely plan an meal there. However, there’s nothing like hanging out with friends, enjoying a pool day, playing cards, barbequing or watching a movie.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shoutout is to the members of the South Florida Pride Wind Ensemble and our amazing audience members.

Website: www.pridewindensemble.org

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PrideWindEnsemble

Image Credits
Photos courtesy of Brett Hufziger Photography