Southern Arizona Arts and Cultural Alliance and the Town of Oro Valley, with the support of Bill Adler, will host TUBACHRISTMAS, founded more than three decades ago, in Oro Valley on Saturday, Dec. 1 at 1 p.m.
The famous performance has taken place in Oro Valley, each year in December over the past five years.
This year, tuba players of all ages come together to perform Christmas favorites during Festival of the Arts at Oro Valley Marketplace, southwest corner of Oracle Road and Tangerine Road.
TUBACHRISTMAS was a tribute to the late artist and teacher William J. Bell, who was born on Christmas day, 1902. The first-ever performance took place on New York City’s Rockefeller Plaza Ice Rink on Dec. 22, 1974.
Through the legendary William J. Bell, the players reflect on the heritage and honor all great artists and teachers whose legacy has given musicians high performance standards, well-structured pedagogy, professional integrity, personal values and a camaraderie envied by all other instrumentalists.
Traditional Christmas music performed at the first TUBACHRISTMAS was arranged by American composer Alec Wilder, who ironically died on Christmas Eve in 1980. Wilder composed many solo and ensemble compositions for tuba and euphonium. He was a loyal supporter of every effort to improve the literature and public image of these instruments.
Through Wilder, TUBACHRISTMAS expresses respect and gratitude to all composers who continue to embrace the instruments with their compositions and contribute to the ever-growing solo and ensemble repertoire for tuba and euphonium.
