Mesa Public Library presents Dr. Richard Antoine performing Thursday at Fuller Lodge. Courtesy/LAC

COUNTY News:

The staff at Mesa Public Library is presenting Dr. Richard Antoine White live Thursday, Aug. 11 at Fuller Lodge.

This free public program will open with a performance by the Los Alamos Jazz Project youth ensemble at 6 p.m. on the lawn of Fuller Lodge, followed by a presentation and short performance by White at 7 p.m., and just before 8 p.m. a book signing.

White’s presentation, R.A.W. Tuba: The Power of Overcoming, Resilience, and Determination, will focus on his own deeply personal and inspiring story about overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds to achieve unprecedented success in his field. As Principal Tubist for the New Mexico Philharmonic and Santa Fe Symphony Orchestra, he has spent two decades performing on the world’s classical music stages and was recently featured on NPR’s Fresh Air, Trevor Noah’s The Daily Show, and PBS NewsHour after the publication of his autobiography I‘m Possible: A Story of Survival, a Tuba, and the Small Miracle of a Big Dream. He is the subject of the powerful documentary film R.A.W. Tuba, which won national acclaim.

White is a tenured professor of tuba/euphonium in the Department of Music at the University of New Mexico. In 2021, he was honored with UNM’s distinguished Research and Creative Works Leadership Award. 

Ryan Finn, Band Director for Los Alamos Public Schools and Jazz Director for Santa Fe Youth Symphony Association, was instrumental (pun intended) in organizing a student music ensemble for this special program. He regularly shares White’s documentary with his students as part of his curriculum. As a result, many students are eager for the opportunity to see White in person in Los Alamos.  

This event is free to the public and is made possible by Friends of Los Alamos County Libraries.

Fuller Lodge is at 2132 Central Ave. in Los Alamos.

For more information, go to the event calendar at LosAlamosLibrary.org. Direct questions to Mesa Public Library’s Program Specialist, Jessica Jenkins, at jessica.jenkins@lacnm.us or 505.662.8257.