Our Background

Tucson has a long tradition of classical music leadership in the Southwest. The University of Arizona has offered instruction in music since the late 1800s, and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra is the oldest continuing professional performing arts organization in Arizona.

With these artistic partners as a foundation, the Tucson Desert Song Festival was formed in 2010 as a Section 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation by a group of music-loving volunteers. The driving force behind the festival is Jack Forsythe, co-founder of the successful St. Paul, Minnesota Summer Song Festival, which ran from 2002 to 2006.

Our purpose is to coordinate, subsidize and publicize a unique classical voice festival highlighting the rich musical life of Tucson along with some of the country’s leading vocal performance artists through a series of concerts, lectures and master classes throughout the three-weekend festival.

The participating organizations in the festival include the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, the Tucson Chamber Artists, UApresents, Ballet Tucson, the Tucson Guitar Society, Arizona Friends of Chamber Music, Chamber Music Plus and the University of Arizona School of Music.

The annual festival presented its inaugural performances February 8 – 17, 2013.