The Leonard Falcone International Euphonium and Tuba Festival ("Falcone Festival" or simply "Falcone" for short) is an amateur tuba and euphonium festival and competition, held annually the second week in August at the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp at Twin Lake, Michigan.

Origin and goals of the festival

Leonard Falcone (b. 1899 Roseto Valfortore, Italy, d. 1985 East Lansing Michigan) was a longtime director of bands and professor at Michigan State University who taught, performed and recorded as a master of the baritone horn and a pioneer of euphonium artistry. The festival was founded by former Falcone students in 1986, to honor his memory. Among its stated goals are to enhance the repertoire of the euphonium and tuba through the commissioning of new works, to promote outstanding artistry on these instruments, and to encourage young people to study them. Over the years, the Festival has become highly competitive and visible; it is among the most prestigious amateur competitions for both the tuba and euphonium. Presently, there are four divisions: Student Tuba and Student Euphonium, for players age 20 and younger, and Artist Tuba and Artist Euphonium, for amateur players of any age†, though in reality this translates to college students, mostly at the graduate level.

Developments in the festival

The Falcone Festival has undergone several changes since its inception. Some prominent developments include:

Prestige of the Festival and famous alumni

Many past winners of the Festival's various divisions have gone on to win major performing or teaching jobs. Some well-known Festival alumni include: Euphoniumists Tubists