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We had a great turn out of players and a good sized audience for the Tuba Christmas in August at Bethlehem PA's Musikfest!

50 plus players, Euph's, baritones, Tuba's BBb & CC & Eb & F,
Sousaphones in their variety, and a Yamaha 3V Contrabass Bugle in G, she was also the one to have come the farthest, from Wisconsin! We had people aged from 12 to 67.

I meet Gary Press, the event coordinator, a really nice guy,
and he's plays a Rudy!

Our Music Director Dr. Christian Wihjelm was very friendly too,
He conducts the big Tubachristmas at Rockefeller Center in NYC, He came back to chat with me and the other Sousaphone players in the back.

And of course the Conductor Ron Demkee was his usual great self, He conducts the premiere band in the area, The Allentown Band, and is a wonderful Tuba player in his own right.

The crowd was very warm and receptive of the unique sound
of the concert and they enjoyed both the Christmas
and new Summertime arraignments very much,
They went nuts for our rendition of " Its a Grand Old Flag"
We got a standing Ovation at the end of the concert.


Here is a shot just before the concert at Amerikaplatz



and here is a shot of my vantage point in the back,
Two other Sousaphone players and myself decided to stand in the back for the concert.


My first Tubachristmas, I had a Blast!

Hopefully we could do it again AT Christmas in Bethlehem, The
Christmas City!

Paul, it was nice to meet you yesterday! You were exemplary of the kind of friendly cameraderie and musicianship that symbolizes Tuba Christmas.

I was so pleased with how everything went. I thought we had a good turnout. The final actual number of participants was 45, a good number for our first Tuba Christmas in Bethlehem.

We estimate that around 1500 people came out to here our tubas and euphoniums perform yesterday. And that crowd was very receptive. We were also treated to a surprise visit from Santa ( I didn't even know he was coming)!

Very striking was the talent level. The ensemble played very well in tune and with a good quality, balanced sound. Conductors Ron Demke, Christian Wilhjelm and I were blown away by how good everything sounded. And so was the audience!

It was a pleasure to work with such remarkably talented musicians as Ron and Chris. They rehearsed the groups very well and injected so much of their wonderful personalities into the performance. Truly a pleasure to work with both of you.

The new Summertubatime books were a big hit. The arrangements, by Norlan Bewley, were really well done, interesting and unique. Everything from America the Beautiful to La Tuba (a great arrangement of La Bamba!) captured the imagination of the players and audience alike. Thank you Norlan!

The folks at Musikfest, led by Events Coordinator Robin Zaremski who was pleasure to work with, were incredibly accommodating and adapted to changing situations quickly. Whether it was setting up risers by a different stage in the middle of rehearsal to get us out of the direct sun (well, most of us anyway...my apologies to the front row!) or getting water to us while 25 other events were going on, they took care of us very well.

We had 6 wonderful volunteers from the Allentown Band who we simply could not have gone without! They ran the registration and merchandise tables, imparting vital information to participants as they arrived. They were so friendly and organized. What a pleasure it was to have them with us! We can't thank you enough.

We began this project back in February. It has been a long road to August 8 and for me, having never organized an event like this, it was an amazing learning experience. I owe a personal debt of gratitude to Harvey, Carol,and Thomas Phillips for all of their guidance and wisdom. They were avialable at all times to answer questions and make suggestions to ensure that Merry Tuba Christmas in August ran smoothly. I think they would have been pleased!

We are hopeful that this will become an annual event. Apparently, when this question was posed to the executive director at Musikest, Jeff Parks, he was quoted in a local paper as saying, ''Are you kidding me?'' said a satisfied Musikfest Executive Director Jeff Parks as he scanned the crowd. ''With crowds like this, how could this not become an annual event?''

I plan to post some photos up here soon, so keep your eyes peeled!

Thanks again to everyone involved and lets do it again next year!

Yes, I totally agree with what Gary said, It was very well run
and supported, from the Volunteers at the sign up tables,
to the wonderful Musikfest support staff, everyone made
sure that it want smoothly, I don't think I saw a single person
who didn't have a smile on their face the whole time!

I was on Cloud Nine the whole time, the new book of
music called SummerTubaTime by Norlan Bewley was great!
I Also the loved the Bit of Sousa which is in the middle of
"Jingle Bells", kinda like a piece we play in the Bethlehem Municipal
Band called Instant Concert, it has about 31 different tunes,
put together in sometimes diabolical order!

I can not say it enough! What a perfect joy it was!

Some of us don't mind traveling a bit to attend stuff in other communities, but with other Bands doing what they do at that time of year, early planning is essential.

I enjoyed meeting everyone and playing at Musikfest-TubaChristmas in August (and being Gary Press' stand mate). The festival and people-watching were great. I'll be back.

Tuba-G Bass wrote:Yes, I totally agree with what Gary said, It was very well run and supported . . . . I was on Cloud Nine the whole time, the new book of music called SummerTubaTime by Norlan Bewley was great!
I Also the loved the Bit of Sousa which is in the middle of "Jingle Bells" . . . .

BTW, the cameo march in Jingle Bells is from the trio of E.E. Begley's "National Emblem," one of the most recognizeable and crowd-pleasing marching bass lines ever. It sounds so great that whodathunk anyone but Sousa could have written it?

Boy I am sorry I missed it. I am only about an hour from Bethlehem and have played at Musikfest in the past with Basic'ly Brass. i would have loved to play. Please keep us informed for next summer. Sounds like you had a great event.

ken k

tubapress wrote:
We are hopeful that this will become an annual event. Apparently, when this question was posed to the executive director at Musikest, Jeff Parks, he was quoted in a local paper as saying, ''Are you kidding me?'' said a satisfied Musikfest Executive Director Jeff Parks as he scanned the crowd. ''With crowds like this, how could this not become an annual event?''

Plus I am sure they were glad to get some free entertainment!

I am curious, since Musikfest is a successful commercial venture in Bethlehem, did the Muskfest organization pay anything to host the event to help pay for the conductors and music, etc.; or was it financed solely on registration fees paid by the performers? Seems to me, at a commercial venue like the Bethlehem Musikfest, the performers should not have to pay to play and the Musickfest organization should pay for the entertainment value they are getting.

ken k

the cameo march in Jingle Bells is from the trio of E.E. Begley's "National Emblem,"

Darn, I should have known that!

Hey Dean, you made the local newspaper!

Here's the pic!


And a back row shot with the Contrabass Bugle on the left,


and here is the article that went with it,

It's beginning to look a lot like … tubas?
Players flock to Musikfest to celebrate Christmas in August.
By Matt Assad
Of The Morning Call

August 9, 2004

Lugging heavy brass instruments, they flocked to Bethlehem from as far as Boston, Baltimore and Milwaukee with a single goal: to fill AmericaPlatz with Christmas carols blown from their tubas.

Tuba Christmas hit Musikfest on Sunday as 45 tuba players — most of whom had never met before — came together to play a ''Christmas in August'' concert.

''I have never seen so many tubas in one place,'' Laura Direnzo said as she sat in the front row with her Bethlehem family. ''We're pretty excited.''

Tuba Christmas was conceived in 1974 by musician Harvey G. Phillips as a tribute to his late teacher, William J. Bell, who was born on Christmas Day 1902. Since it was first performed Christmas week 1974 on New York City's Rockefeller Plaza Ice Rink, it has become an event with 700 performances a year, including one last year before American troops in Tikrit, Iraq. In three decades it has amassed a cult following of musicians who sometimes travel hundreds of miles to perform in it.

It appears that, with the tuba not having the sex appeal of, say, guitar or saxophone, tuba players are tight-knit musicians who look for any opportunity to play together.

''Actually, when I started playing the tuba when I was 14, I thought it would be a chick magnet,'' said Gary Press, a Tuba Christmas player and spokesman. ''Boy was I wrong.''

With that established, Tuba Christmas lives off its philosophy that everyone with a giant brass horn is invited — no talent required. Before each planned event, organizers simply put out an open invitation and tuba players come running. Sunday's event in Bethlehem included players ages 12 to 67 from across the Northeast. Despite having only about an hour to rehearse, they sounded remarkably in sync.

Randy A. Maciver, a Harleysville tuba teacher, attended with his 12-year-old student, Dan Yocum of Souderton.

''There ain't a lot of tuba events, so when we get a chance to get together, we take it,'' Maciver said. ''We're just a group of musicians sharing our love of the tuba.''

And the more than 1,000 people who packed AmericaPlatz seemed to love them back, at times singing along with some of the songs. Some came for the novelty of seeing all that brass in one place, but others came out of loyalty.

''I'm a trumpet player,'' said Bryan Gerhab of Bethlehem. ''I'd never pass up a chance to see this.''

Tuba Christmas didn't have the draw of main stage acts such as Clay Aiken or Alice Cooper, but it may have set a new Musikfest record for most combined weight of instruments.

''Yeah, all those tubas in one place worried us a little,'' said Robin Zaremski, Musikfest's director of performing arts. ''We decided to reinforce the platform before the concert.''

While Tuba Christmas has been spouting up in towns across the nation, virtually all of them are held Christmas week. Only in Bethlehem could people sit in 82-degree weather and see a man in a Hawaiian shirt blowing ''O Little Town of Bethlehem'' out of a 25-pound instrument.

''This was a rare opportunity for our musicians to play and not freeze,'' Press said.

Of course, there were drawbacks. The scarves and wool hats weren't exactly flying out of the Tuba Christmas merchandise hut.

Musikfest officials weren't sure if Tuba Christmas would be back at the festival next year, but then again, Harvey Phillips organized the first Tuba Christmas in New York City as a one-time event.

''Are you kidding me?'' said a satisfied Musikfest Executive Director Jeff Parks as he scanned the crowd. ''With crowds like this, how could this not become an annual event?''

matthew.assad@mcall.com

ken k wrote:

tubapress wrote:
I am curious, since Musikfest is a successful commercial venture in Bethlehem, did the Muskfest organization pay anything to host the event to help pay for the conductors and music, etc.; or was it financed solely on registration fees paid by the performers? Seems to me, at a commercial venue like the Bethlehem Musikfest, the performers should not have to pay to play and the Musickfest organization should pay for the entertainment value they are getting.

ken k

Hey Ken! Sorry you couldn't make it this year, but all signs point to a return next year! Any of you that were in attendance can help out by writing to Musikfest and telling them what a great time it was!

Musikfest is supported completely by local sponsors. That's one of the truly unique things about Musikfest. As such, none of the performers get paid by Musikfest itself. Most events are free. The handful of events that are not free feature name recognition performers and use ticket sales to pay the performers.

We did okay, but we never go into Tuba Christmas with the idea of making a ton of money.

Tuba-G Bass wrote:

the cameo march in Jingle Bells is from the trio of E.E. Begley's "National Emblem,"

With that established, Tuba Christmas lives off its philosophy that everyone with a giant brass horn is invited — no talent required.

Ah the power of the media. Now I see how difficult it must be to be a politician!

Its always nice to get press coverage and there are some really good things in that article (particularly the quote by the executive director at the end!) However, its very disappointing to be misquoted. The above quote is one example the final twisting of what was actually said. When asked how we determine who is invited to perform with us I responded by saying, "We hold no auditions of any kind. Tuba & euphonium players of all ages, playing levels and backgrounds are welcome to come from all over and perform in these events."

While I cannot claim credit for the humorous "chick magnet" quote, this was an example of leading question that I responded to with a smile and a laugh. Oh well...what can ya do? The wonders of sensationalism! Guess I'll have to work on my interviewing skills!

tubapress wrote:

ken k wrote:

tubapress wrote:
Any of you that were in attendance can help out by writing to Musikfest and telling them what a great time it was!

I guess an email address would help! You can write to Robin Zaremski, Musikfest's Director of Performing Arts, at: rzaremski@fest.org