Northeast Ohio's oldest and largest TubaChristmas event returns for its 33rd year in Akron.
Two concerts are planned at noon and 2:30 p.m. Saturday at E.J. Thomas Hall, 198 Hill St., Akron. The band will be led by Tucker Jolly, who brought the tradition to the city in 1980. The event now draws as many as 500 tuba and euphonium players.
The first TubaChristmas concert was organized in 1974 by Harvey Phillips to honor his teacher and mentor, William J. Bell, who was born on Christmas day in 1902. The musicians performed at New York City's Rockefeller Plaza as the band played traditional Christmas carols arranged especially for tubas and euphoniums by American composer Alec Wilder. Now there are TubaChristmas concerts in more than 250 cities, including the performance in Niles earlier this month.
University of Akron music professor Robert Jorgensen will be guest conductor, and Jewell Cardwell will be guest soloist at both performances.
Admission is free for audience members and seating is general admission of a first-come basis. For more information, call 330-972-7570.
The cost for performers is $5. Musicians can register the day of the concert between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m., and a rehearsal is planned from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. before the public performances. For more information on performing, call Jolly at 330-972-6641 or email trjolly@uakron.edu.