URI Music Department sponsors day of
'low brass bliss' with Tubarama

KINGSTON, R.I.-September 28, 1999 -- If you should feel the earth move under your feet Saturday, October 9, don't be afraid. It's not the next big hurricane. The deep rumblings you'll hear are due to the dozens of tuba and euphonium players who will be descending upon the URI campus to participate in the second annual Tubarama.

There will be several opportunities for the public to hear a variety of music from these low brass instruments. The Walach & Buttery Duet, a mandolin/tuba duo, will be playing at the Emporium across from the Fine Arts Center at URI during the noon hour and the URI Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble will give a 3 p.m. performance in the Fine Arts Recital Hall.

The day will conclude with a 7 p.m. concert including the URI Tuba/Euphonium Ensemble, the Octuba Ensemble (comprised of the massed group of conference participants) and the guest artist, Jim Self. Tickets are $6 for adults, $4 for senior citizens, and free to URI students with an I.D. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

Self, a Los Angeles jazz tubist and recording artist, has performed since 1974 as a free-lance musician for Hollywood studios. He did solo work in John Williams' score to Jurassic Park, Home Alone I and II, Hook, and was the voice of the mothership from Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He has performed as a recording artist with many artists, including Frank Sinatra and Barbra Streisand.

Gary Buttery, URI Tuba/Euphonium faculty and director of the Traditional Jazz Band, began Tubarama as a means to share the extensive variety of tuba music with performers and listeners alike. More than 100 performers are expected to participate in the day's events, and all low-brass enthusiasts are welcome to join.

For information about participating in the Tubarama festivities, call the URI Music Department at 874-2431 or e-mail Gary Buttery at tubasoon@aol.com.

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For further information: Jan Sawyer, 874-2116