Brass musicians participate in 33rd annual Merry TubaChristmas

Angela Piazza, Corpus Christi Caller Times
·1 min read

The 33rd annual Merry TubaChristmas brass performance was held at the Plains Capital Bank building on Monday.

The Master of Ceremonies, David Irving, said 94 musicians ranging from 12 to 18 years old participated in the performance.

In addition to tubas, musicians performed with euphoniums, baritones, sousaphones, helicons and a rare double bell euphoniums, said Dan Sipes, a professor of music at Texas A&M - Corpus Christi and an event organizer.

A crowd of about 200 people attend the 33rd Annual Merry TubaChristmas brass instrument concert at the Plains Capital Bank building, on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023, in Corpus Christi, Texas.
A crowd of about 200 people attend the 33rd Annual Merry TubaChristmas brass instrument concert at the Plains Capital Bank building, on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023, in Corpus Christi, Texas.

Merry TubaChristmas is part of an international tradition that began 50 years ago in Rockefeller Center in New York, according to Sipes.

American tuba player Harvey Phillips, created the event to honor his teacher William J. Bell, who was born on Christmas Day in 1902.

This year’s concert in Corpus Christi concluded with a twist on a Christmas classic. More than 200 members of the audience were invited to sing-along with music, “We wish you a TubaChristmas, and a Happy Euph Year.”

This article originally appeared on Corpus Christi Caller Times: Brass musicians participate in 33rd annual Merry TubaChristmas