On Monday, the tuba/euphonium community lost one of its hardest working members. Dr. Kelly Thomas passed away after complications from an allergic reaction. Kelly was one of the main driving forces behind the recent ITEC conferences, and was the newly appointed Vice President of ITEA. He leaves behind a loving wife and four beautiful children. I was so lucky to have met Kelly when I was a very young musician in middle school. He was my student teacher for a semester, and was the first true euphoniumist I had ever heard. He helped me with figuring out how a spot in a solo piece went that I was having trouble with. Since then, every time we've crossed paths he's been nothing but warm and supportive. You would hear hundreds of other similar stories from anyone who knew him or even encountered him. His loss will be profoundly felt in the community. As he was the sole provider for their family, this puts them in an unexpected financial tight spot for the immediate future, and they could use any help available. If you'd like to consider donating to help them cover expenses, please check out this link: https://www.giveforward.com/fundraiser/bl29/the-kelly-thomas-memorial-fund |
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