Nearly 40 tubas of every different variety created wonderful Yuletide music in Solomons Sunday, Dec. 16. The annual Solomons Tuba Christmas attracted a large audience, who took up most of the room inside the fairly new Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church in Solomons.
Host Bill White explained the assembled tuba players did not represent an event record—one year 43 musicians participated in the Holiday show. Midway through the performance White went around the stage and asked the players to identify themselves and from where they hailed. While many were Southern Marylanders, others came from far away locations, like North Carolina. There was a native of Romania in the group and one Sousaphone player, a Mr. Claus, who claimed to be from the North Pole.
Participants arrived, registered and rehearsed two hours prior to the performance.
Under the batons of conductor Andrew Ritenour and guest conductor Zoe Humphreys, the orchestra performed several well-known Christmas classics. The audience was invited to sing along.
Tuba Christmas, which is held in various communities across the nation, is a registered property of Harvey Phillips Foundation Inc. The first Tuba Christmas was held Dec. 22, 1974 at New York City’s Rockefeller Plaza as a tribute to famed tuba artist/teacher William J. Bell.
The Solomons event has grown over the years. It was initially held in Calvert Marine Museum’s auditorium but due to the growth in the number of participants and spectators has been recently held at a sizable local church.
For more information on Tuba Christmas visit www.tubachristmas.com
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com
