Musicians carry on a very tuba Christmas tradition

By Karie Angell Luc For Chronicle Media

An estimated 350 tuba players, from ages 9 to 80, performed on the 43rd anniversary year of Tuba Christmas, bringing holiday carols to the Chicago Palmer House Hilton.
Musicians played the tuba, euphonium and sousaphone.

An estimated 350 tuba players who performed on the 43rd anniversary year of Tuba Christmas, bringing holiday carols to the Chicago Palmer House Hilton. (Photo by Karie Angell Luc / for Chronicle Media)

“We’re a heavy metal band, what can I say?” said a joking Col. Bryan Shelburne of Macon, Ga., retired commander of the U.S. Army Band, Tuba Christmas conductor.
Fans of the holiday tradition travel annually from the Midwest and beyond. More than 200 Tuba Christmas events take place worldwide.
“Merry Tuba Christmas” buttons accompany the $10 registration fee. People collect the round buttons and often add them to Tuba Christmas scarves or hats sold in holiday jewel tones of blue, red or green. Scarves with festive fringe run $15, for example.
The event was conceived in 1974 by Harvey Phillips of Indiana who died on Oct. 20, 2010. Phillips pitched the first performance in New York City.
Harvey’s son Thomas Phillips, vice-president of the Harvey Phillips Foundation (HPF), a nonprofit, was at the rehearsal early to register folks.
“I’ll never take Harvey’s place,” Thomas Phillips said with a smile.
“Tuba Christmas is the most unique Christmas event I know of,” he added. “It’s just the camaraderie of the players getting together.”
Thomas Phillips is the youngest of three sons by Harvey and Carol Phillips of Bloomington, Ind. His brothers are Jesse and Harvey II.

Miriam Brown (left) and Kelsey Seeger, are students at Illinois State University. Seeger said, “It’s really cool to be here with other people from different areas.” (Photo by Karie Angell Luc/for Chronicle Media)

Student musicians often come as high school or college groups. The Evanston Township High School (ETHS) Wildkits were present with their holiday spirit.
“It’s cool, it’s gonna sound cool,” said Gordon Redfield-Gale of Evanston, 15, an ETHS freshman and musician.
“I’m excited, this is my first year. This should be fun,” said Zoe Hadley, 16, an ETHS junior, before the performance.
ETHS musicians on Dec. 17 included Matthew P. Bufis, ETHS director of bands, who wore a red sweater and helped direct the rehearsal in the hotel’s Exhibition Hall.
Tuba Christmas, at come one, come all, began at 9:30 a.m. with a 12:30 p.m. free performance open to the public. The Grand Ballroom is typically where family members and cell phones outnumber tubas.
“I’m really happy,” Bufis said. “I’ve been doing this since I was a kid, a junior in high school.
“I’ve done it in New York, in Baltimore and D.C. and Chicago and it’s always a great time.
“It’s great,” Bufis said, adding Tuba Christmas helps to enhance the ETHS euphonium curriculum.
Bev Collins of Bloomington, Ill. accompanied her daughter Miriam Brown and Miriam’s friend Kelsey Seegers from Crystal Lake.

Some of the 350 tuba players, from ages 9 to 80, performed on the 43rd anniversary year of Tuba Christmas, bringing holiday carols to the Chicago Palmer House Hilton. (Photo by Karie Angell Luc / for Chronicle)

“It’s really exciting,” Collins said. “I love Christmas music.
“I’m an old baritone player from through high school but I haven’t played since the fall of 1978. My daughter got me hooked up with this so here we go,” Collins said, who performed on Dec. 17 on a holiday bling-decorated baritone euphonium.
Seegers and Miriam Brown perform on sousaphone as students with Illinois State University’s Big Red Marching Machine. At Tuba Christmas, they played three-quarter sized tubas.
“(It’s) super fun,” Seegers said, in her third year performing at Tuba Christmas.
“We  Wish You A Merry (Tuba) Christmas,” is her favorite Tuba Christmas selection.

“This is my first time,” Miriam Brown said. “It’s really cool to be here with other people from different areas.”
The come one, come all, began mid-morning with a 12:30 p.m. free performance open to the public. The Grand Ballroom area is typically where family members and cell phones outnumber tubas.
“Let’s go out and stun ‘em,” Shelburne said, about an hour before musicians performed to a packed house.

Matthew P. Bufis, director of bands at Evanston Township High School, directs a rehearsal of the Tuba Christmas at the Chicago Palmer House Hilton. (Photo by Karie Angell Luc / for Chronicle Media)

“Mel Torme always said that we are all kids from one to 92,” Phillips said. “‘And though it’s been said many times, many ways, Merry Christmas to you. We’re all children at heart. We only age on the outside but we’re all children on the inside,” he added.
“Tuba and euphonium players are deeply indebted to Harvey Phillips for his vision,” Shelburne said, adding that the idea to launch the tradition at Rockefeller Plaza in the Big Apple by Phillips was,” genius.”
Shelburne said, “We can thank Harvey Phillips for that.”

 

 

 

 

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