TubaChristmas -- indoors or outdoors?

[bort]

Also, why are so many on Sundays, and not Saturdays?

[roweenie]

Also, why are so many on Sundays, and not Saturdays?

I agree - Sundays can be a little inconvenient.

However, it's predicted to be °67 F here in NYC this coming Sunday.....

[Charlie C Chowder]

Ours is tomorrow, Always the second Saturday in December, at Pioneer Square under a big canopy. Most of us will stay dry, but the crowd will be huge in spite of the rain, for the 25th time. Here in Portland, OR, we run from 200 to over 300 players. I am the best dressed and have the biggest tuba with my silver 6/4 York, with its 26" recording bell and a mouth piece that will not go into any other tuba. A picture of my tuba with me in my elf costume made the Oregonian's 101 best picture list in 2014. But you can not see my face.

Out of costume, I am just a little, short, fat, old, guy with way to many musical toys.

Jose, Aka Charlie C. Chowder

[opus37]

Bort, you are now in Minnesota, get a grip. Think 3 feet of fresh snow, a howling wind and 20 below. (Yes, it happened two years ago.) For practical reasons in harsh climate areas, indoors in the way to go. Mall of America is effectively out doors. The mix of instruments change indoors versus outdoors. You get a lot more Sousaphones outdoors. I think you get a lot more interesting horns indoors. Your right, the audience is different. I like it when the audience listens. We did do Mall of America a few years ago. They let us play 45 minutes then stopped us because they were afraid we would break the foundations of the building. Well, 300 tubas could do that I guess. Tuba Christmas is a circus for the players no matter if it is indoors or out. I think the music is better indoors, you can hear the intonation of the group better and if you are listening, will play better. The disadvantage of indoor is you have a lot less room. They are in churches mostly because not many other indoor spaces can handle the group and auditoriums usually charge a rent. They are on Sunday because that is when the churches are available. Any more questions?

[edsel585960]

Being in south Florida, have to go with outdoors.

[bort]

Bort, you are now in Minnesota, get a grip.

Oh jeez, I wasn't implying anything that the one last week in the twin cities should have been outdoors -- you're totally right about that! Certainly when there are practical limitations, that wins out over just about anything else, and clearly that's fine. Yes, there are benefits to both, just voicing my preferences and an accumulation of thoughts after doing a bunch of these over the years -- some good, some bad, most just fine. The one last week was very nice.

The worst one I've been to will go unnamed... but was in a small town, in a small out of the way venue, and had both a small crowd and a small group of performers. It was indoors on a nice day, and the conductor wanted to TALK talk talk talk. It was like a concert, and had an intermission. I think it lasted well over 2 hours, maybe close to 2.5. I wanted to leave in the middle, but I stuck it out, politely said goodbye, and didn't go back again.

Anyway, I'll quit my bitchin'.

[opus37]

Bort, you are now in Minnesota, get a grip.

Oh jeez, I wasn't implying anything that the one last week in the twin cities should have been outdoors -- you're totally right about that! Certainly when there are practical limitations, that wins out over just about anything else, and clearly that's fine. Yes, there are benefits to both, just voicing my preferences and an accumulation of thoughts after doing a bunch of these over the years -- some good, some bad, most just fine. The one last week was very nice.

The worst one I've been to will go unnamed... but was in a small town, in a small out of the way venue, and had both a small crowd and a small group of performers. It was indoors on a nice day, and the conductor wanted to TALK talk talk talk. It was like a concert, and had an intermission. I think it lasted well over 2 hours, maybe close to 2.5. I wanted to leave in the middle, but I stuck it out, politely said goodbye, and didn't go back again.

Anyway, I'll quit my bitchin'.

Frankly, I did not take your post as a bitch. I just used your comments to make my points. I would have not stayed for your 2 hour fiasco. That's not Tuba Christmas. That is ........ I've played the small group of players like that too. I much prefer the larger group for pick up performance like Tuba Christmas. If I play in a small group I want it practiced with a group that has some experience playing together. Otherwise, you end up with noise.

[1895King]

I live in Great Falls, MT. We do our event at a local mall on the first Friday in December and it works well. We had 16 players this year. Yesterday, I drove 170 miles to Missoula for their Tubachristmas. We had right at 100 participants and played in the center of their main shopping mall; the result was spectacular.
I have played outside a few times (Denver and in past years Billings and here in Great Falls and I have no preference.

[David Richoux]

The first few San Jose, CA TubaChristmases were outdoors, they were very cold and wet, even in "Sunny California!"

After that we changed books, went indoors and became "Tuba Fest Xmas" for the next 20 years or so. No longer doing anything since the organizing forces got busy with other things and our regular shopping mall location closed for renovations. (a few years later they came back with Saxophone Xmas.)

[pgym]

(a few years later they came back with Saxophone Xmas.)

Welcome to hell, you'll be just in time for the concert...

Nah, hell would be 100 violas playing Christmas carols ... almost in unison.

[Veloise1]

TubaMemorialDay is usually great outdoors.
TubaValentinesDay is usually better indoors.

Did you get permission from the Harvey Phillips Foundation to use those terms?

Hahahahahaha.

I never asked for "permission" for Fat TUBAs Day.