E-Mail us at TAMA for more information on membership or upcoming shows.

The Truckee/Tahoe Alliance for the Musical Arts was formed in 1988 by musicians involved in the Truckee Actors Guild production "Celebration '88". After the TAG show, the musicians wanted to create an organization dedicated to creating musical shows for local musicians.The very first performance for the fledgling organization was a fundraiser for the family of Rick Emily, a local restaurateur who died in an accident at his home in Truckee. Held at the Bar of America in Truckee, the tremendous support and response from the community at the rock and roll dance party gave T.A.M.A. members the encouragement to attempt a larger, more formally arranged production. T.A.M.A.'s first major production, 1969 A Night at the Fillmore in March 1989, was a great success. As a result T.A.M.A. was asked to play at Sand Harbor during the North Tahoe Fine Arts Council's summer music festival as the opening act for John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. In the years that followed, TAMA also opened for Leon Russell and Nicollete Larson. T.A.M.A. has been a thriving, successful, local music organization ever since. With an original group of about 30 musicians, T.A.M.A. has now grown to include over 100 members. Membership in T.A.M.A. is free, it is rewarded by participation in a production and is a lifetime membership. Members donate their time and effort and members are not paid to participate. No current members of T.A.M.A. make their full time living as musicians, but many do perform in local bands.

The proceeds from T.A.M.A. shows are used to fund scholarships for graduating seniors from the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District who plan to continue studying music in college. The scholarships are given in memory of two local musicians, Sandy Leinegar and Gary Cisco, whose memory and love of music lives on through the students T.A.M.A. supports.

Recently, in the Spring of 2006, T.A.M.A. made a decision to finally "hang up its spurs" and retire from active performances, leaving a legacy of scholarships behind.

For a brief history of all the T.A.M.A. shows since 1988, please go to our T.A.M.A. History Page.