Photo Credit: Alan Nyiri
Watershed Soundscape
About
The loss of perennial desert flows after colonial settlement has forever altered the landscape and ecosystems of the Santa Cruz Watershed. As we face the challenges of development, mining, and climate crisis, it is essential to understand our desert rivers and creeks as living waters. The Watershed Soundscape project convenes a dynamic new cohort of university researchers, nonprofits, Indigenous voices, school communities, and creatives. This artist-led initiative creates a multidisciplinary platform to explore drought mitigation and ecological restoration, fusing watershed science with sensory experiences to promote educational outreach grounded in Tucson’s unique sense of place.
Upcoming Events
Consortium Concert Series
featuring Sonoran Rivers: a Celebration of Desert Water
music by Yuanyuan Kay He
text by Alison Hawthorne Deming
February 25, 7 PM | Marana High School Concert Band - Marana High School
February 26, 7 PM | Sonoran Winds - Grace St. Paul's Episcopal Church
March 6, 7 PM | Rincon/University Wind Ensemble - Rincon/University High School
March 11, 7 PM | Mountain View High School Wind Ensemble and Orchestra - Mountain View High School
March 25 | Tucson Magnet Concert Band - Tucson Magnet High School
March 25 | Sabino Concert Band -Sabino High School
April 12, 7 PM | Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra - DesertView Performing Arts Center, Saddlebrooke
April 13, 3 PM | Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra - Catalina Foothills High School
April 24 | Flowing Wells High School Wind Ensemble - Flowing Wells High School
May 1 | Lancer Symphonic Band - Salpointe Catholic High School
May 2, 7:30 PM | University of Arizona Wind Ensemble - Crowder Hall, University of Arizona
May 4 | Tucson New Horizons Band - Crowder Hall, University of Arizona
May 6, 7 PM | Ironwood Ridge Wind Ensemble - Ironwood Ridge High School
May 6, 7, 8, 9:45 AM | Tucson Symphony Orchestra at Linda Ronstadt Center
May 7 | Walden Grove High School Band - Walden Grove High School
May 7 | Sunnyside Concert Band - Sunnyside High School
May 8 | Mica Mountain Symphonic Band - Mica Mountain High School
May 8, 7 PM | Catalina Foothills Wind Ensemble - Catalina Foothills High School
May 9 | CDO Wind Ensemble - Canyon del Oro High School
May 11, 7 PM | Tucson Pops Orchestra - Reid Park
May 15, 7 PM | Pueblo High School Band - Pueblo High School
May 15, | Sahuaro Concert Band - Sahuaro High School
May 15 | DVHS Symphonic Band - Desert View High School
May 29, 7 PM | Arizona Symphonic Winds - Udall Park
Project Components
music + art + landscape events at Empire Ranch, WMG Living Lab, and the Patagonia Opera House
A consortium of 22 ensembles from across Pima County, including high school and community bands will perform Sonoran Rivers: A Celebration of Desert Water. This is a new work by composer Yuanyuan Kay He and poet Alison Hawthorne Deming, inspired by local watershed data
Tucson Symphony Orchestra marquee performances at Young People's Concerts in May 2025 at the Linda Ronstadt Music Hall
Guest artist workshops at UA School of Art and Tohono O’odham Community College with environmental artist Heather Bird Harris
Song workshop for O'odham youth, in partnership with the San Xavier Department of Natural Resources
Sonoran Rivers Classroom Videos
Santa Cruz River Watershed
People
Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan
Tohono O'dham Community College
Nicandro Guereque
Undergraduate Intern
School of Music | School of Film and Television
Esteban Hernandez Parra
Assistant Professor
School of Music
Cassandra Bendickson
Performer
Ivan Ugorich
Performer
