TubaChristmas Turns 50

Rain couldn’t dampen the spirits of more than 300 tuba and other brass players who gathered at Rockefeller Center this past Sunday. They came to participate in an annual celebration that began 50 years ago at the same location and has grown into a global phenomenon.

TubaChristmas 2007 at Rockefeller Center

(Public domain pictures of the 2023 concert are not available.)

Back in 1974, New York musician Harvey Phillips was looking for a way to honor his tuba teacher, William J. Bell. Realizing that Bell’s birthday was Christmas Day, Phillips thought a Christmas concert featuring the tuba would be a great tribute. He gathered about 300 tuba players and secured the Rockefeller Center ice rink for the performance.

The type of music for this concert was never in question; it had to be Christmas music. The challenge was to find music suitable for a band composed of tubas, euphoniums, and other instruments in the tuba family. New York composer Alec Wilder rose to the challenge and arranged the music. Paul Lavalle conducted the first TubaChristmas on Sunday, December 22, 1974.

Since then, cities and towns around the world have enjoyed TubaChristmas. Wanting to participate in the event at its birthplace, some musicians come from other American cities and places far beyond our national borders to join New York-area tuba players. It doesn’t matter how old or how accomplished a musician you are. If you can play an instrument in the tuba family, you’re welcome to join.