Kickstarter

UPDATE 3/3/2012: Las Tubas de Tucson would like to thank everyone for their generous support of our project.  In just a little over two weeks we were able to reach our initial goal.  We couldn't be more grateful for everyone's contributions.  Although we have reached our goal, we can still use your support! 

When we first launched our fundraising effort, we weren't quite sure what sort of response to expect so we made our initial goal more modest than the full expense of the project.  Our goal of $2,100 was designed to cover our airfare, instrument transportation, and part of our conference registration. Honestly, we weren't sure if we would reach that goal, but the generosity and support we have received over the past couple of weeks has been truly inspiring.  We will still be collecting donations over the last 26 days of our effort.  These donations will be used to cover the rest of our registration fees, vehicle rental and lodging.

OUR STORY, OUR PROJECT:

Tucson's favorite tuba quartet, Las Tubas de Tucson, has been invited to perform at the 2012 International Women's Brass Conference in Kalamazoo, MI.  This is an exciting opportunity for the group that has called Tucson home for the past 3 years.  Brought together in 2009 by their teacher at the University of Arizona, Las Tubas quickly gained prominence as one of the top chamber groups of its kind in the country by winning the 2010 International Tuba and Euphonium Conference Quartet Competition.  In 2011 the group was invited to perform at the Southwest Regional Tuba and Euphonium Conference in Flagstaff, AZ.  They followed up their conference performance by spending  time in the recording studio laying down tracks for an album to be released later this year.

As part of Las Tubas de Tucson's performance at the 2012 IWBC, the group has commissioned THREE NEW WORKS for Tuba/Euphonium quartet to be premiered at the conference.  In 2011 the group approached three up-and-coming composers and asked them each to write a work for our quartet.  The end result was 3 exciting new works for our ensemble.  The tuba quartet is a relatively new ensemble and has very few pieces written directly for it; most music is borrowed from pieces written for other ensembles and arranged for tuba quartet. Adding three new pieces written specifically for the tuba quartet is quite significant. Our performance will not only be a platform for our ensemble, but a platform for these three composers to have their work heard by brass musicians from all over the country.

Why do we need your help?  Unfortunately, a tuba/euphonium quartet is largely a labor of love, with countless hours of rehearsal and preparation that results in little monetary payoff.  Sufficed to say, taking the group to this conference isn't possible without your help. (Traveling with a tuba is really expensive!).  Performing at this conference is an opportunity we and our composer friends cannot pass up .  Help us and our composer colleagues pursue our artistic endeavors by sending Las Tubas de Tucson to the 2012 IWBC!