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Octubafest a major draw for Tech campus

Tech’s Tuba Ensemble celebrated the 51st annual Octubafest in the Bryan Fine Arts building on Nov. 9 to showcase their talents to the community.

The ensemble, eight-time Carnegie Hall attendees, is made up of undergraduate students and, since 1974, the decade-long tradition has given students and faculty the opportunity to bring recognition to the tuba community.

“We get to show people that were not in the back all the time playing the oompas. We can be musical, we can be aggressive, we can show you all these different colors with these bass instruments,” Dan Davis, a graduate assistant, said. “So, I think it’s really cool that Octubafest gives us the chance to do that, and its something that everybody can do.”

Students involved in the tuba ensemble have worked with well-known individuals within the music community, such as Daniel Boone and Joy Rechore. This opportunity helped gain more of an audience for the ensemble, all while improving student’s musical abilities.

Students from across the United States have chosen Tech as a school to attend specifically due to the Octubafest event.

“Octubafest is pretty much the entire reason I came to Tech and I am from San Diego. I heard some recordings in San Diego and I was kind of like they seem like a really fun group to play with,” Tom Ryan, ensemble member, said.