How was your Tuba Christmas this year?

[nycbone]

**********

[Ricko]

We had a big time in Nashville today... we were down a little as we were up against final exams in at least two of the local school districts.

First Baptist live-streamed the performance on their Ustream channel... you can see it here=>
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/41818038" target="_blank

Around 105 players, both shows, around 900 attending the first - 500 in the second.

Great times!!

Ricko

[DonShirer]

Great time in Connecticut with several locally composed premieres, and an enthusiastic audience. Unofficial performer count: ~75.

[Art Hovey]

It seemed like a lot more than 75 on the stage, but I did not attempt to count. Don Shirer contributed a nice Shostakovich arrangement, and Ray Smith also contributed several new charts. That's one of the nice things about Connecticut's tubaXmas; we always get some new things to read, and they are printed full-size!

[Dean E]

We had almost 400 musicians at the Kennedy Center (Washington, DC) this evening. The archived video is here:

http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/videos/?id=M5685" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

I have my silver 2010 Cerveny F helicon (in the second row) at the center of the picture.

The evening's 89 year-old, super senior is sitting in in front of me in the first row of chairs on the stage. To his right, the first-row, middle-schooler's enormous, ruffled bow was creative, but made it hard for several of us to see the conductors.

The youngest was eight years old.

[Dean E]

We had almost 400 musicians at the Kennedy Center (Washington, DC) this evening. The archived video is here:
http://www.kennedy-center.org/explorer/videos/?id=M5685" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank
I have my silver 2010 Cerveny F helicon (in the second row) at the center of the picture. The evening's 89 year-old, super senior is sitting in the first row of chairs on the stage. To his right, the first-row, middle-schooler's enormous, ruffled bow was creative, but made it hard for several of us to see the conductors.

[Tundratubast]

I played in two TC ensembles this year, Grand Forks and Fargo ND both had approx. 35 players.
It is always fun to see these folks every year. Fargo's was this past Tuesday evening, not many high
school players as in the past, school is still session. 35 was a "nice" sized group.

[hellebek@gmail.com]

We haven't had them in Denmark for some years. Unfortunately. What I then did this year was to sit down - all by myself at my local church and record four voices in layers. One tune after another. After having made most of the arrangements that is

Now the music can be found online which might not be as lonesome virtually spoken


https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/santa ... d785648794" target="_blank" target="_blank

Merry
Santa Tuba Xmas

[scottw]

Was anyone at TC today at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia? A good time was had by all--at least me!-- and the crowd was most appreciative.As usual, Jay Krush did a terrific job keeping everything on track.
One helicon, 4 sousaphones, and the other 95 a mixed bag of tubas and euph/baritones/mellophones. That was for the noon performance. There is another one rehearsing now for a 5PM show: quite a day!
And, the best part was that I was on the bridge to Jersey exactly 20 minutes after I left the stage!

[nycbone]

**********

[Rick F]

Morristown, NJ huh? I spent my early years there from age 0 to 12.

I didn't make a TubaChristmas this year but CBS Sunday Morning covered it. If you didn't see today's coverage on TV you can see the 5 minute clip below. It starts out with Michael Salzman playing the program's theme song on tuba. You know, the one normally played by Wynton Marsalis? Then the rest of the feature airs with Bill Geitz reporting.

It's beginning to sound a lot like Tuba Christmas:
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/its-begin ... christmas/

[butch]

We had it yesterday here in Rapperswil, Switzerland. We have been some 50 people from 10 to 80 years. It was great fun and we sounded nice.

Butch

[Mark E. Chachich]

TubaChristmas Bel Air Maryland.

Thirty seven tuba, euphonium, alto horn and serpent players showed up. Randy Harrison conducted (low brass instructor at the Maryland Conservatory of Music), he did a great job balancing the parts and making sure that the playing was musically sound. We had a standing ovation from the audience after the final piece. It was an enjoyable experience for the players and the audience.

Mark

[hbcrandy]

Mark, thank you for the the kind compliments. Merry Tuba Christmas, Bel Air, Maryland was a great success this year. For the first time ever, we played to a standing-room-only audience in the Bel Air Armory. All seats were filled but the audience members kept on arriving. About 50% of the audience had never attended a Tuba Christmas before. The audience was quite appreciative. As Mark said, we received a standing ovation at the end of the performance.

We had everthing from professional players to beginners, some having never played Tuba Christmas before. Others were veterans of Tuba Christmas. One of which had 73 Tuba Christmas notches in his gun, I mean helicon. We also had a very adept serpent player.

Our 37 performers played extremely well. The majority had attended our event for many years and had worked with me before. With the cooperation of the veterans and the new arrivals, we were able to rehearse the carols to shape phrases, follow dynamics and produce beautiful music of the season.

We even had a visit from Santa Claus, so, we must be doing something right.

Happy Holidays to all!

[HeavyMetal]

We had almost 400 musicians at the Kennedy Center (Washington, DC) this evening.

Dean: How was it? I've played at the Kennedy Center for several years, and I just couldn't bring myself to do it this year. The last two years, the conductors have talked way too much, the music has been slow ("God Rest Ye" as a funeral dirge), and we played at most two verses of the carols, and not that many carols to begin with.

To me, the event at the Kennedy Center has gone from being about playing the music for the audience, to everyone having to say something, and not enough playing. Several people who were in both the audience as well as players had the same thoughts last year, and were going to start doing the smaller performances in the WMA area instead.

[euphoniumpsycho]

We had almost 400 musicians at the Kennedy Center (Washington, DC) this evening.

Dean: How was it? I've played at the Kennedy Center for several years, and I just couldn't bring myself to do it this year. The last two years, the conductors have talked way too much, the music has been slow ("God Rest Ye" as a funeral dirge), and we played at most two verses of the carols, and not that many carols to begin with.

To me, the event at the Kennedy Center has gone from being about playing the music for the audience, to everyone having to say something, and not enough playing. Several people who were in both the audience as well as players had the same thoughts last year, and were going to start doing the smaller performances in the WMA area instead.

As someone who only plays during TubaChristmas, the slower pace gives me and other weaker players needed rest during the performance. The seventh grader I sat next to with only one year's experience and at his first TubaChristmas needed as much rest as he could get. Other TCs I have been to (two years ago I went to seven) were for the most part similarly paced.

Almost 400 musicians was a record turnout, and the crowd seemed to have a great time.