December, and like most people, my thoughts turn to Tubachristmas.
Wait… What… your thoughts don’t turn to massed tubas, sousaphones, euphoniums (euphonia?), baritones, and the odd helicon, or double-belled euphonium, playing Christmas carols?
Well, mine do.
Tubachristmas was started in 1974 in honor of the late William J. Bell, the preeminent tuba player in the first half of the 20th century. (For more info on William J. Bell and Tubachristmas, check the links at the bottom.) Tubachristmas is held throughout the country. Some attract hundreds of low brass players (this year Kansas City had 612 musicians), and some only attract a few, but they all achieve the same thing: celebrating Christmas through low brass.
I first participated in a Tubachristmas celebration in 1985. I was in college, and playing tuba in the band. I and a couple of the other tuba players found out about the event in Lancaster and decided to go. It was a fun, but that was it—for some reason I didn’t go the following year. Then after I graduated, I put my instrument away. Although I kept my sousaphone, I didn’t play it very often, and every year when November turned to December, I thought about Tubachristmas, but never went.
Fast forward 20 some years. I was still carrying my sousaphone around. It had been with me through several moves, but still sitting unplayed. Then one November, my wife says to me, “You know there’s a Tubachristmas nearby.” And that was it, I dusted off the old sousaphone, found the old Tubachristmas book, and started practicing. Since then I’ve played every year, but unfortunately I had to miss this year. So to get that Tubachristmas feeling, here are some videos.
Rockefeller Center - 2006
Austin Texas - 2010
Lancaster PA - 2011
Reading PA - 2010 (My local Tubachristmas, and yes I’m in the video)
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