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Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus History

Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus

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Based in: Tucson, United States.

In 1939, Eduardo Caso, "the tenor of the American airwaves," came to Tucson to rest and recuperate from the tuberculosis, which had interrupted his career. An Englishman, singer and teacher, he carried to the West the dream of a boys choir rooted in the European tradition, but uniquely American in sound and repertoire. As Arizona's January sunshine restored his health, Caso gave back to Arizona, founding the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus. In 1945, TABC was incorporated as a nonprofit educational organization. As the fame of the Tucson Boys Chorus spread, activities expanded to include national radio broadcasts, concert tours of Arizona and the Southwest, and early television appearances.

After performing at the Chicago World's Fair in 1950, the boys were hailed by one reporter as "the finest walking advertisement a city ever had," and subsequent tours won hosts of admirers from coast to coast. Tucson's "Ambassadors in Levis" were gaining momentum. Singing ³Cowboys² enthrall European audiences In the summer of 1955, Caso and 30 of his young "cowboys" swept through Europe winning ovations with every appearance. Their horizons expanded to Australia in 1960 with similar results. In 1963, the American ambassadors brought their music to all of America, singing at the White House tree-lighting ceremony. The boys suffered the loss of their mentor in 1965 when Caso passed away suddenly, almost on the eve of a live appearance on NBC's Bell Telephone Hour. Like true professionals, the boys decided, "the show must go on." Led by University of Arizona doctoral student Jeffrey Haskell, they performed to rave reviews. Refusing to lose its spark with the loss of Caso, TABC flourished during the next 10 years under Haskell. After a decade as Director, Haskell resigned to pursue other interests.

In 1980, Dr. Julian Ackerley was named Director, bringing to the organization extensive teaching experience at all levels, including three degrees in music with emphasis on music education, choral direction and voice performance. Under Dr. Ackerley's leadership, TABC experienced a boom in membership and activities. During the 1989-90 season, TABC's historic 50th Anniversary was celebrated with an Alumni Reunion attended by more than 700 guests. That same year, the Chorus toured the Soviet Union, Germany, Austria and Poland. Notable activities continued through the 1990s. In 1991, the Chorus returned to sing at the White House, performing for President & Mrs. Bush on NBC's "Today Show". In April 1993, TABC embarked on a sojourn "down under" performing in Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii. European Tour includes a performance at the Vatican In the early 1990s, the Chorus released a recording titled, "Holiday Treasures". In 1996, the group was featured at the NFL Experience as part of Super Bowl XXX. They also traveled to Spain, France and Italy on European Tour '96, including a performance in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. In 1996, TABC was acknowledged for its long-term excellence by receiving Arizona's highest arts honor, The Governor's Arts Award for Arts in Education. In late November 1996, the Chorus traveled to New York to participate in the 70th Annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus celebrated its 60th anniversary during the 1999-2000 season. The year was marked by community-wide media coverage, including a television documentary and city, state and national proclamations. In a historic tour, 2001: Orient Odyssey, the Touring Chorus ventured to Thailand, Vietnam, China, South Korea and Taiwan. That same year, the Chorus was named and performed as National Anchor Choir for the prestigious international singing festival, AmericaFest, held at St. John's University in Minnesota. The strong traditions of the past and exciting opportunities of our modern society have paved the way for the Tucson Boys Chorus' continued success as a world-renowned professional touring group and an organization benefiting Tucson youth.


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