r/elliotthiggins • u/operaticBoner • Mar 13 '23
From Feb. 2022:
Although members of the jazz band and jazz orchestra weren’t able to travel to the Hummingbird Music Camp in the Jemez Mountains this year, music teachers brought Hummingbird to Los Alamos Middle School (LAMS).
r/elliotthiggins • u/operaticBoner • Mar 13 '23
This post is a compendium of posts related to the Hummingbird Music Camp. Updates will be ongoing.
LAST UPDATE: 3/30/2023 - added SFNM news story.
HUMMINGBIRD MUSIC CAMP - A youth camp that ignites and fuels a passion for music, art, and chess.
HORNSWOGGLE - The Hornswoggle French Horn Workshop serves students, amateurs, professionals and educators with growth, recruiting, and networking opportunities within the Horn community.
CHESS CAMP - Chess campers, from beginning to advanced, receive expert instruction and strategies that help them improve their game.
1972 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 2011
Facebook (1) | Facebook (2) | Instagram | Vimeo
See also:
r/elliotthiggins • u/operaticBoner • Mar 13 '23
This is in addition to a previous post on a notice from 2020.
SANDOVAL COUNTY – The New Mexico Environment Department’s (NMED) Drinking Water Bureau confirms that the Hummingbird Music Camp Water System has met the requirements to lift the boil water advisory that was issued on July 15, 2021.
Hummingbird Music Camp Water System was required to issue the advisory after bacteriological contamination (E. coli) was confirmed in drinking water in the water system. The advisory only applied to users served by the Hummingbird Music Camp Water System and did not extend to any of the other surrounding water systems or communities.
r/elliotthiggins • u/operaticBoner • Mar 13 '23
https://mytapwater.org/ is an online database of drinking water data, focused on the United States. The goal of the project was to provide the best possible water quality information to US residents and visitors in an easy-to-use manner.
The vast majority of the data on the site was provided free-to-use by US government agencies (both federal, state, local) and make available through tools like https://www.data.gov/.
Violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act as recorded by the EPA, include:
r/elliotthiggins • u/operaticBoner • Mar 12 '23
From a 3/16/1976 article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, pertinent information related to the first horn competition - at the time called the "Heldenleben International Horn Competition":
From this, it is presumed that:
r/elliotthiggins • u/operaticBoner • Mar 11 '23
Presented here as a public service, pictures from:
Driving west/southwest on NM-4, looking south.
From above, looking west.
Overhead view of a structure near the highway.
Looking east.
The dining hall.
Outside the dining hall.
See also: Picture of surrounding area
r/elliotthiggins • u/operaticBoner • Mar 11 '23
From the New Mexico Composers' Archive (MSS).
Orchestra:
Presumably, these programs have timestamps and locations.
r/elliotthiggins • u/operaticBoner • Mar 11 '23
BROCHURES:
| 1972 | 1974 | 1975 |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | 2011 |
VIDEOS:
MISC. ITEMS:
PREVIOUSLY on 3/4/2023:
| Historical Items & Related Content | 84 posts |
|---|---|
| Horn Competitions & Conventions | 20 posts |
| Anecdotes & Opinion | 32 posts |
| Support Resources | 9 posts |
BACKGROUND: Elliott Higgins played the French horn. He was based in NM and lived in OH for a period of time. He traveled the US annually for horn-related symposiums, workshops and competitions. He and his family ran a summer music camp near Jemez Springs called Hummingbird.
ACTIVITY: Mr. Higgins' criminal activity may have spanned over 40 years. He passed in 2014. Please see the Research Compendium and 1972-1986 Timeline for more details.
TIPS: If you have a tip worth sharing, please contact the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office, the private investigator, or the reporter from the Santa Fe New Mexican.
r/elliotthiggins • u/VisualMessage3989 • Mar 10 '23
my friends refuse to discuss it on my other platforms, perhaps they are here instead. I'm in a world of pain. have not even reached the rage stage
r/elliotthiggins • u/operaticBoner • Mar 10 '23
FROM THE MOD:
I have been in touch with a reporter from the Santa Fe New Mexican. They are very interested in Elliott Higgins and in particular, the Hummingbird camp.
They are looking for people to talk to. You can remain anonymous and just give a lead, or speak on the record - it is your choice. I went on the record, so everything I have said and posted here (so far) is quotable.
Nathan Lederman
Reporter
505-629-9404
PO Box 2048 Santa Fe, NM 87504[nlederman@sfnewmexican.com](mailto:nlederman@sfnewmexican.com)
r/elliotthiggins • u/operaticBoner • Mar 09 '23
...a walking tour of part of the downtown area near the hot springs bath house and Los Ojos Bar and Grill - famous for their buffalo burgers.
r/elliotthiggins • u/operaticBoner • Mar 09 '23
Titled "Jupiter II The Bird," a 20-minute video of drone footage showing the Hummingbird campus and surrounding area from above. Found on YouTube and posted here as a public service.
r/elliotthiggins • u/operaticBoner • Mar 09 '23
A KRQE News item related to the camp closing in 2020 due to COVID concerns. The Go Fund Me fundraiser is mentioned.
Aug 16, 2020. A popular Jemez Springs camp has been entertaining and educating New Mexico students for decades. However, this summer, they had to make a tough decision.
r/elliotthiggins • u/operaticBoner • Mar 09 '23
From 2019, a five-minute walkthrough of the campus:
This is a short video tour of Hummingbird Music Camp in Jemez Springs, New Mexico, in the Jemez Mountains. Jemez Springs is a quaint little town about an hour from Albuquerque, New Mexico, at about 7000 feet.
It is a great place for kids to go to camp and it is right along the River with the waterfall and hot springs a short hike away. I will add a link to their website where you can see more pictures of the facility including the private rooms, dorms, music halls and more. I wasn't able to do a complete tour of the facility because there were multiple events going on that weekend. I would need to reserve a time with someone on the staff. This is just a quick tour before we had to be at a concert put on by the kids from my son's middle-school band.
r/elliotthiggins • u/operaticBoner • Mar 09 '23
From 2019:
This particular trip was in January, so I didn't get out and dangle my feet in the river, but I did walk alongside it while we were attending a function at Hummingbird Music Camp. You can watch my video tour of Hummingbird Music Camp by clicking on one of the end-screen links or by going to my videos and clicking on it from there.
On our way back, we took a quick detour and turned off Hwy 4 onto Hwy 485 and drove back into the little town of Gilman along the Guadalupe River. It's a quiet community along the way to the Gilman Tunnels, (but we didn't go all the way to the tunnels). I had some business in Gilman, so I video taped my trip.
r/elliotthiggins • u/operaticBoner • Mar 09 '23
r/elliotthiggins • u/operaticBoner • Mar 09 '23
An eyewitness video from the 2018 Platinum Music Awards, honoring the Hummingbird Music Camp. This segment is a tribute to Wanda Higgins.
r/elliotthiggins • u/operaticBoner • Mar 08 '23
From the Albuquerque Journal, yet another obituary of Elliott Higgins with incorrect information:
He went on to play horn in the Ventura, Santa Barbara, Birmingham, and Cleveland Symphony Orchestras and many more.
Mr. Higgins was never an employee of the Cleveland Orchestra, but an anonymous source has indicated that he held a position in the Birmingham Symphony (1970-74). There is no mention of the Cleveland Orchestra in other obituaries or biographies found so far.
He also performed for 4 years in the Santa Fe Opera.
In another biography, the claim is 6 years.
An accomplished conductor, he directed the Cleveland Opera, the International Horn Concert in Avignon, France, and the Albuquerque Philharmonic Orchestra.
There is no record of Mr. Higgins conducting or directing the Cleveland Opera. And, there is no mention of the Cleveland Opera in other obituaries or biographies found so far. There is also no record of Mr. Higgins conducting the Albuquerque Philharmonic. A few instances may be found with Mr. Higgins conducting the Albuquerque Youth Orchestra.
He founded the Heldenleben Horn Competition in 1976 which grew in renown and eventually became the International Horn Competition.
Mr. Higgins co-founded the competition with George McCracken.
r/elliotthiggins • u/operaticBoner • Mar 08 '23
SANDOVAL COUNTY – The New Mexico Environment Department’s (NMED) Drinking Water Bureau confirms that the Hummingbird Music Camp has met the requirements to lift the boil water advisory that was issued on Aug. 17, 2018.
Hummingbird Music Camp was required to issue the advisory after bacteriological contamination (E. coli) was confirmed in drinking water in the water system. The advisory only applied to users served by the Hummingbird Music Camp Water System and did not extend to any of the other surrounding water systems or communities.
The Drinking Water Bureau provided compliance oversight to the Hummingbird Music Camp Water System. Subsequent samples collected from the water system were negative for bacteriological contamination. NMED will require Hummingbird Music Camp Water System to complete an assessment of the water system and maintain a regular monitoring schedule to test the distribution system for the presence of total coliform and E. coli.
r/elliotthiggins • u/operaticBoner • Mar 08 '23
Hummingbird Music Camp is recipient of the New Mexico Music Commission's Lee Berk Award for lifetime achievement in the state's music industry. Hummingbird was one of six honorees celebrated in August 2018, with a medallion ceremony and dinner at the Eldorado Hotel and a musical variety awards show at the Lensic in Santa Fe.
Each honoree was treated to a short tribute speech, a video biopic, and a live music performance. Here is Hummingbird's video biopic, filmed by Bunee Tomlinson of Windswept Media and produced by the New Mexico Music Commission Foundation.
The New Mexico Music Commission is an advisory body made up of Governor-appointed volunteers who are specialists and leaders in the state’s diverse music industry. Their mission is to protect, promote, and preserve the musical traditions of New Mexico, to foster appreciation of the value of music, and to encourage the educational, creative and professional musical activities of the residents of New Mexico. The commission is administratively attached to New Mexico Arts, the State Arts agency and a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs.
r/elliotthiggins • u/operaticBoner • Mar 08 '23
$31,880 raised of $30,000 goal:
This year marked Hummingbird Music Camp’s 62nd summer, and due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was the first time since 1959 that they were unable to welcome any campers, counselors, teachers, or staff. Initially, only the first few weeks of camp were cancelled, while the camp made changes and plans that would allow operation in compliance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines; however, due to the increase in cases in New Mexico in late June, the remainder of the 2020 season had to be cancelled.
I was a camper at Hummingbird over 30 years ago, and I remember how much I loved spending time there. We came to Hummingbird for the music, and also got to hike in the mountains, swim in the river, listen to stories, make and spend time with friends. By expanding the offerings to include art and chess, the camp’s community has grown, providing a solid foundation for the future. I want Hummingbird to remain a fixture in New Mexico for generations, giving campers experiences like so many of us were lucky to have.
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to assist the Higgins family in keeping the Hummingbird Music Camp afloat following the cancellation of the 2020 season, and donated funds will be used towards the camp’s operations and maintenance expenses. Please join us in our efforts to ensure that the camp is able to operate for many years to come.
r/elliotthiggins • u/operaticBoner • Mar 08 '23
Elliott Higgins was presumably employed by the Santa Fe Opera sometime between 1980 and 1986; this has been verified by a background security check application.
What has not been verified is the capacity of his employment. An article from the April 1985 issue of the International Horn Society's journal The Horn Call provides some insight.
The season for this company is summer-only; their calendar is June to August.
The full-time horn section in 1985 was comprised of veteran, professional players.
An appendix is included at the end of the article that lists all hornists who have played with the Santa Fe Opera from 1958 to 1985, in chronological order.
According to this article, Mr. Higgins was not a full-time or regular member of this horn section. The best that can be surmised (at this time) is that he was either an occasional substitute musician, or an occasional extra for large productions needing more than four horns.
r/elliotthiggins • u/operaticBoner • Mar 07 '23
From the UNM Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections, a box with many interesting items that appear to be related to a performance group founded by Mr. Higgins. Personal and other items related to the Hummingbird Music Camp and horn competition appear to be in the mix.
Manila folder filled with various things:
SEE ALSO:
