A project of the Tucson-Almaty Sister Cities Committee (TASCC)

On September 29th, 2003, a group of teenagers and adults will depart Tucson for Almaty, Kazakhstan. The teenagers, drawn from three different Tucson high schools, all have one thing in common….they play in Mariachi Monarca from Sal Pointe High School. How did this thing come about? What is the driving force behind this wonderfully cultural, educational and emotional odyssey?

TASCC, founded by a resolution of the Tucson City Council in 1989, is a model sister cities program. The committee ‘guiding light’ is the stated mission of Sister Cities International….’People-to-People diplomacy through grass-roots connections in education, culture and economic development’.

When Almaty mayor Victor Khrapunov and wife Leilia visited Tucson in 2000, they were entertained at a reception by a teenage Mariachi group from Tucson High School. On the spot and totally unprompted, the Mayor proclaimed that he wanted this group to be his guest in Almaty in July of 2001 to perform at the Voice of Asia Festival. The unfortunate circumstances of 9/11 upset the planning in process but did not dampen the enthusiasm of TASCC to bring Mariachi to the Silk Road in Central Asia.

WE ARE ON OUR WAY! Anyone wanting to help out can send donations to: TASCC, P. O. Box 32527, Tucson, AZ 85751-2527. Call Barbara at 325-1420 or Jerry at 886-1260 if you have questions.

Or you can use this form, and we will contact you soon: