FALCONE FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES NEW PRESIDENT BEGINNING 2025

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The Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival is pleased to announce Chris Combest as the successor to long-time President Phil Sinder, beginning in 2025. This leadership transition coincides with the Festival’s 40th anniversary, celebrating its enduring legacy of excellence and inspiration in the low brass community.

Dr. Combest, a decade-long member of the Board of Directors, brings extensive experience and a deep commitment to the Festival. He has served as a regular adjudicator for the competition and as a member of the Music Committee, chairing the Falcone Composition Competitions in 2024 and 2020.

Outgoing President Phil Sinder has led the festival through significant growth, with expanded programming and international engagement. Since its founding in 1985, the Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival has become a cornerstone event for low brass musicians, drawing participants and audiences from around the world to its home at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp.

As the Festival prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary, this transition marks an exciting new chapter in its history, ensuring that it remains a vibrant and impactful event for years to come.

The Board of Directors of the Falcone Festival has modified the Student Eligibility for the 2025 Festival as follows:

FOR THE 2025 FESTIVAL: There is an age limit for applicants in the student divisions. Participants must not have reached their 20th birthday prior to September 1 of the Festival year. For the 2025 Festival, a participant who will be 20 years old or older on September 1, 2025, is not eligible to apply in either student division. To put it another way, if you answer the question “How old will I be on September 1, 2025?” with the answer “20,” you are not eligible to apply in either student division. 

The Falcone Festival is held over a four day period each summer and has been housed since its inception at Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Twin Lake, Michigan. In addition to the competition aspect of the Festival, participants are offered the opportunity to attend master classes and recitals provided by internationally recognized euphonium/tuba artists. For more information about Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp, please visit their web site at www.bluelake.org