The Tucson Musicians Museum is staging a fundraiser that celebrates its new inductees while raising money for a youth mentorship program.
The ninth annual Tucson Musicians Museum Celebration of Music & Culture Charity Event on Sunday, Nov. 13, will showcase multi-genre performances by 2016 inductees in celebration of their influence in local music.
The cost is $10 per person.
“We have numerous incredible professional musicians who live here in Tucson, and not very many people know who they are, yet in other countries and cities they are like rock stars,” said George Howard, president and founder of the nonprofit museum dedicated to Tucson’s unique musical heritage and culture.
“This is kind of an education to let people know who these people are and all that they have brought to the community and how they have shared our community and culture with other parts of the world.”
Performances at the event include:
- Ceremonial dance and music by Tony Redhouse, renowned for New Age and Native American vocals, flutes and percussion
- A trio that will perform Cuban and Latin music led by percussionist Guillermo Bubba Fass/Faz
- Rock and reggae guitarist Hal Jackson
- Blues pianist/vocalist Heather Hardy
- A 15-piece gospel choir led by Steven T. Wilhite
The program also will honor inductees James Wilson, who played first trumpet for the Tucson Symphony Orchestra for 40 years; fiddler Don “Horsefly” Johnson; Broadcaster/DJ Jonathan Holden; and Jean-Paul Bierny, who served as president of the Arizona Friends of Chamber Music from 1978 to 2013.
Additionally, the evening will feature performances of mariachi and classical music by students in the museum’s Youth Mentorship Program, which partners with schools to provide instruments and mentorship to more than 100 youth who wouldn’t otherwise have access to musical education.
Howard said the mentorship program embraces diversity and seeks to expose young people to not only classical and mariachi music but other genres such as blues and jazz.
The mentorship program places a strong emphasis on volunteerism and giving back to the community.
“We really instill the importance of community service in our kids. Lots of them who learned mariachi are now coming back to teach other kids. Music is making their lives better in ways they could never imagine,” Howard said.
