How many at YOUR TubaChristmas?

[armytuba]

150 or so at today's Tubameisters Tuba Christmas in San Antonio:

[Rick F]

I didn't hear the official count but there was probably 30-40 at the Boca Raton/FAU Tuba Christmas today. It was my first TC in eight years; I've got to do this more often!

Darn, I wanted to make this one in Boca but something came up. I believe Sean Murray from FAU ran this one.

[muttenstrudel]

Zero. There's no TubaChristmas around where I live.

That is sad, but a great opportunity to start one!

Yep! Gonna try it next year!

[brianf]

320 in Chicago!

[imperialbari]

Zero. There's no TubaChristmas around where I live.

That is sad, but a great opportunity to start one!

Yep! Gonna try it next year!

Takes a whole lot of preparation! The US concept was more or less wholesale attempted in Copenhagen some 30 years ago, but it didn’t survive. The London event may be inspired by the US TC, but the Brits use their own arrangements and maybe a slightly different repertoire.

The German Christmas songbook may have an overlap with the American one in the more modern songs, but the German certainly have a whole lot of old songs only sung in the German speaking areas (which may even have their own deviating local traditions.

The German tradition of oval Tenorhörner and Baritone plus very common F tubas along with the BBb tubas will allow for good arrangements, but these have to be written.

I don’t know where the German military bands are stationed, but getting a core quartet of professional bandsmen interested in promoting the project might be of great benefit.

Klaus

[GC]

There were 12 at the first-ever TC in Etowah, Tennessee: 7 baritones/euphoniums and 4 tubas with an added percussionist. The folks at Etowah's Gem Theater worked hard to make everyone welcome, and being able to be indoors with heat, decent lighting, and pizza was definitely a plus.

[scottw]

Probably just under a hundred for the first of 2 sessions at Philadelphia's Kimmel Center today. There was also another hundred scheduled for the later performance. The management restricts the size of the group and the stage finishes the job! Sardines have more room. But, the place was packed with a lot of happy people watching from all the balcony levels [The ceiling is some 200' high and all glass.] A good time had by all!

[Mark E. Chachich]

We had 50 at the Bel Air Maryland Tuba Christmas.
I was told that the audience was around 150.

Mark

[Chuck W]

There were 48 players at the 10th Tuba Christmas in St Cloud, MN. 250+ in the audience. Thank you Mark Springer for the great job organizing the event and conducting.

[Dan Schultz]

Brian already mentioned there were 320 in Chicago. Here is the performance in two segments:

http://youtu.be/XJBaSkFr2ec
http://youtu.be/cpOjP3AuyJM

[imperialbari]

Listening to the Chicago video part one I note the discipline being good in matters of of time and dynamics for such large ad hoc group.

What type of hall is this? A huge ballroom?

This performance reminds me of the London equivalent in so far that the melody and the bass line are very audible, whereas the inner parts are not really audible as separate lines. Only sometimes an inner chord note can be heard. How are players distributed on parts? Are things working like in some local bands here: the director distributes the parts, but all cornets and trumpets play the top part anyway.

Klaus (now half-way into the second video)

(Forgot the name of the tune played between 5 and 6 minutes into the second video, but there the replies to the tuba theme had the euphs in thirds, which is an effect never letting me cold).

[Dan Schultz]

.... What type of hall is this? A huge ballroom?....

The ballroom of the Palmer House Hilton Hotel in Chicago.

[imperialbari]

We used to have this type of halls all over the country, smaller ones in the province, a very few really big ones in Copenhagen. Lots of atmosphere and good acoustics. They are gone now, likely because they did not fulfil modern fire safety requirements. And the largest of them all actually became victim of a fire. Fortunately the day before the premiere of a big show, so nobody were killed.

Klaus

[imperialbari]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xzkm-kbx2T4

[MajorChubbs]

We had 8 (2 euphs-6 tubas) in Pensacola,Fl. This was the first one in Pensacola...a good start.

[Carroll]

(Forgot the name of the tune played between 5 and 6 minutes into the second video, but there the replies to the tuba theme had the euphs in thirds, which is an effect never letting me cold).

God rest ye merry, gentlemen... with the melody in the low basses.

[imperialbari]

Thanks! I have played many of the English carols over the years including this one. But remembering the titles doesn’t always work.

Yes, I like this setting with the euphs responding to the theme.

Klaus

[Bandmaster]

At the TubaChristmas in Anaheim at Downtown Disney today the offical count (the total of people that actually signed in) was 425 tuba and euphonium players. I know that several showed up after rehearsal was over in sat in and played the performance (there was an hour break between rehearsal at the performance). Two years ago I was running late and had to do that myself. So the actual total might be closer to 450.

[kingdoublebell]

I went to TubaChristmas Sunday December 4th,2011 at Christopher Newport College in Newport News,VA. About 50 players showed. I brought my 1927 King doublebell bell front too. I just got it back in January. The following Friday I acquired a 1930 King double bell upright. It plays very well! I'll try and get a photo of our group posted. Play on !!!!!

[TubaNorth]

18 at the TC2: Tuba Christmas –Traverse City (Michigan). Audience guestimate of 150-200. TC2 was performed as a prelude to a community band concert.