We’re excited to announce our artistic leadership for the Lesbian and Gay Band Association’s WorldPride marching band and color guard.
Leading the overall artistic effect will be Cameron Elliott, of the Charlotte Pride Band, and heading up the color guard is Michael Boddie, of the Atlanta Freedom Bands.
Cameron Elliott is in his third year of teaching in North Carolina and currently serves as the Associate Director of the Charlotte Pride Band. He graduated in 2016 from East Carolina University with a Bachelor of Music in Music Education. While at ECU, he was an active performer with the Wind Ensemble, Symphonic Band, and Symphony Orchestra, as well as various chamber ensembles.
As an educator, Cameron has worked with some of the top marching band, concert band and color guard programs across the state, including White Oak High School, Green Hope High School, Cleveland High School, Archer Lodge Middle School and Northern Nash High School as well as Carolina Gold Drum and Bugle Corps.
As a conductor, Cameron studied under Dr. Scott Carter (ECU), Dr. Jorge Richter (ECU), and has participated in conducting workshops with Dr. Travis Cross (UCLA), Professor Eugene Corporon (University of North Texas), Dr. Mallory Thompson (Northwestern University), Dr. Craig Kirchhoff (University of Minnesota), Dr. Jack Stamp (retired, IUP), Professor Michael Haithcock (University of Michigan), and Dr. Frank Battisti (New England Conservatory).
He takes great pride in his North Carolina heritage and loves sharing his passion for music making and the LGBT community with the greater Charlotte area.
Michael Boddie is from Milledgeville, Georgia, and began dancing and studying theater at the age of five. In high school, she was a member of her marching band, playing the clarinet. Before his senior year began, the unthinkable happened and his clarinet broke. At the suggestion of the band director, she was told to join the color guard because she was on the basketball dance team and it would be similar — oh, it wasn’t similar. But Michael fell in love with the artistry of color guard and never looked back.
While pursuing a degree in Spanish at Georgia Southern University, Michael spun with the Southern Pride Marching Band and Color Guard where he helped to craft the dance to the Georgia Southern fight song. Upon completing education at the university, Michael moved to Atlanta with a specific goal in mind: to join the marching band she had seen at her first pride 10 years prior, the Atlanta Freedom Band.
Michael has been a member of the Atlanta Freedom Band Color Guard since 2013 and has enjoyed every minute. Michael has been a choreographer for the group since joining, choreographing various dance flag and rifle routines. In 2018, Michael was named the coordinator for the group and under her direction, the group has grown in membership and craft. Michael has choreographed and danced around the country and is happy to be a part of this amazing group. Utilizing the skills he has picked up as a dancer and performer, Michael has created amazing shows with the Atlanta Freedom Band.
He is looking forward to bringing all of his experience to the table for WorldPride and joining the artistic team to create something truly memorable. As an outspoken genderqueer person, Michael is ready to bring the artistry of color guard to WorldPride and celebrate the birth of a movement that began with Stonewall.
