Tucson Federation of Musicians

Our “Find A Teacher Workshop” is scheduled for September 21, 2013 at the University of Arizona from 12 to 4pm.  This will be an exciting opportunity for music students of all ages to meet and work with prospective teachers in a unique trial setting.  Further information TBA. Interested members and students, please contact us at local33afm@gmail.com.

FROM: Bruce Ridge, ICSOM Chairman
SUBJECT: Petition to support the musicians of the Indianapolis Symphony

A petition has been established where you can express your support for the
musicians of the Indianapolis Symphony.

We’d like to encourage musicians everywhere to sign this petition, and we
also encourage you to share the link with all of your friends through e-mail
blasts and your social networking sites.

The petition can be found at:

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/support-the-indianapolis-symphony-orchestra-2-2/

(link may have to be copied and pasted)

Please note: after you sign the petition, you may see a donation page
soliciting support for the website that hosts the petition, but no donation
is required to sign the petition.

Let all of our voices be heard as we support our friends and colleagues in
the Indianapolis Symphony!

Thank you,
Bruce Ridge,
Chairman, International Conference of Symphony and Opera Musicians (ICSOM

Five Questions for… Featured Member of the Month: FRED HAYES, Drummer
with Jay Vosk

Fred is a ‘First Call’ drummer  and a highly respected member of Tucson’s Jazz Community

Why did you decide to become a drummer?
I am not ashamed to say I wanted to start playing drums because of Ringo Starr. I just thought that was the coolest thing in the world. I was 12 years old!

Why did you decide to join the union?
I originally joined the union in the seventies when I was traveling with bands. Then later the Tucson local kind of faded away. I recently joined the new local because I think we need to try to get all the musicians we can from the different styles of music to come together as a community and work to make Tucson a better place for working musicians.

What was your most memorable gig?
That’s hard. There have been many. Doing reunion shows with the Jeff Daniel Group with Dianne Schuur the last few years has been really great. Touring Mexico with Jazzberry Jam years ago was very memorable. I think just the fact that I have been able to make a fairly descent living playing music is the most memorable thing.

What was your least memorable gig?
There have been may of those also. I have said  a lot of times “of all the gigs I’ve ever played….this is one of them.” I have done quite a few out door jobs that aren’t much fun. Incredibly hot or so cold I can’t feel the sticks in my hands. But also we get to play in some beautiful weather here in Tucson.

What advice would you give to the aspiring drummer?
I think it is important to learn to play as many styles of music as you can. Listen to everything and don’t be close minded. Then when playing any gig focus on trying to make to band sound as good as you can. Be a team player!

Local 33 hosted its first ever community event, the Tucson Youth Music Fair, on Saturday, May 12, 2012 at the Tucson Symphony Center. The Music Fair was designed to be a fun and educational opportunity for children and families to explore the many musical resources Tucson has to offer. Over 200 people — including kids of all ages, parents, and grandparents — attended this unique afternoon of musical fun and discovery! Participants had the opportunity to play in masterclasses, create homemade instruments, experiment with composition and “found sounds,” attend Music Together classes, and experience live musical performances. The centerpiece of the event was the Instrument Petting Zoo, where kids could touch, play, honk, strum, bang, and generally create quite a ruckus. Thanks to the generosity of our members and four Tucson music shops, several dozen types of instruments were represented at the zoo.

Hosting this first public event was a huge undertaking for Local 33, and we learned a tremendous amount in the process of organizing it. The feedback from our members and the public has been overwhelmingly positive, signaling that the Music Fair was a great success! One of the key reasons for hosting this community event was to raise awareness about Local 33′s presence in Tucson. We want to bring attention to the critical role professional musicians play in the cultural and educational life of our city, as well as exhibit the skills and services our members have to offer. The Music Fair was promoted through several media outlets, including an article in the AZ Daily Star, an advertisement and article in the Tucson Weekly, public radio spots, online community calendars, blogs, email blasts to music teachers and band directors, and flyers posted around town. Creating this presence in the local media continues to be a long-term goal of the Local 33 Executive Board. We are planning to build this awareness and translate it into increased teaching opportunities and gig referrals for our members.

The Music Fair was also an occasion for all members of Tucson’s musical community. to showcase their organizations and services. Youth music programs and local music shops were on hand to distribute information and sell merchandise. A few special touches made the Music Fair especially festive. Balloons, popcorn, three flavors of Eegee’s ices, and fun prizes were enjoyed by all.

We absolutely could not have made this event happen without the help of our members!  We would like to especially thank the volunteers who staffed activities and masterclasses, brought instruments, donated prizes, gave performances, served refreshments, and helped clean up. A special thanks to: Mike Becker, Cassandra Bendickson, Jayson Blake, Andy Braden, Don Bourque, Rebecca Cain, Jessica Campbell, Ellen Chamberlain, Yvonne Creanga, Alicia Hagerman, Fred Hayes, Pierre Herbineaux, Adrienne Horne, Mike Levy, Paul Kalman, David Morgan, Paula Redinger, Dieter Schodde, Holly Schurr, Mike Sherline, Victor Valenzuela, and Howard Wooten. We are especially grateful to Local 33 member Emma Votapek, who coordinated the petting zoo. The Local 33 Executive Board also did a huge amount of work which included planning, arranging business sponsorships, and distributing flyers. Thank you to our awesome board members: Moisés Paiewonsky, Deena Reedy, Laura Stoutenborough, and Jay Vosk.

The Music Fair was sponsored by the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Music Store, Coyote Music Together, Eegee’s, Instrumental Music Center, Metro Gnome Music, Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus, Tucson Junior Strings, and Zoran’s Violin Shop. Peter Wilko of Time Market generously donated food for our musicians. It was great to initiate relationships with all of these groups, and we hope to work together with them in the future.

If you have any ideas or suggestions regarding the Music Fair or any other future events, please talk to one of your Executive Board members!

TFM musicians will play the national anthem at this year’s Labor Day Celebration in Reid Park! The event is organized by the Pima Area Labor Federation (PALF) and draws a crowd of approximately 2000 each year. We will also be meeting folks at our informational booth, where we’ll be distributing literature about local music performances, our Referral Service, and our fine roster of private teachers.

FREE food, drinks, and games! Families welcome!

Local 33 was superbly represented at the 2011 Conference of the International Double Reed Society (IDRS), held this year in Tempe, Arizona. Bassoonists Cassandra Bendickson, Rebecca Cain, and Jessica Campbell all performed in recital during the five-day double reed blow-out. In addition, Local 33 members Sara Fraker and Melissa Hamilton were among those who premiered a new composition by Jay Vosk entitled, “Lyric Passages for Oboe and Strings.”

Kimberly Toscano, Principal Timpanist of the TSO, has been named the new Orchestral Correspondent for Tomtom magazine, a periodical dedicated to female drummers, and her first article on Sound is available on that publication’s website. Toscano is also serving as Acting Director of Percussion at the University of Arizona and is now an Evans/D’Addario Drumheads Concert Artist (Visit her artist page HERE. In February 2012, she will be performing the Philip Glass Double Timpani Concerto with Timothy Adams, Jr.

Jessica Campbell and Cindy Behmer performed at the 2011 College Music Society International Conference held in Seoul and Gyeongju, South Korea in July. Their duo, the KontraCor Duo, gave a lecture recital on new music that they commissioned for our one-of-a-kind doubling double reed duo entitled, Exploring the Sounds of Doubling Double Reeds: Demonstrating New Music for Oboe, English horn, Bassoon, and Contrabassoon. Among the new works they performed was a duo by Jay Vosk called “Kontra-Dances.” “Professional educators and composers who were in attendance were intrigued by our presentation,” says Behmer. “As a result, we recently received a new composition for our duo that we will be performing at an upcoming CMS southwest chapter conference.” Beyond the exciting lecture-recital portion of the conference, the duo experienced great food, friendly people, and beautiful sights throughout their stay in Seoul and Gyeongju. Behmer reports: “Rather than relying on the convenient (and tourist-friendly) hotel package designed by the conference, we planned our trip on a musicians’ budget. By doing so, we were able to experience the subway and metro transportation system, several small and excellent restaurants close to our guesthouse quarters, and the local markets filled with fresh fruit and tasty snacks. Our experiences in South Korea were professionally rewarding, exciting, memorable, and completely enjoyable.”