As holiday music fills the air at this time of year, an instrument you don't hear much except in Symphony Halls, the tuba, takes center stage.
For more than four decades, an organization known as Tuba Christmas has been serenading audiences around the world with holiday classics. In Akron, Tuba Christmas has been taking place for the past 37 years. The event attracts upwards of 600 tubist of various skill levels. They’re led by University of Akron, Music Professor Emeritus, Tucker Jolly, the former principal tuba player with the Akron Symphony.
Tuba Christmas is a national organization headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana, that works with local musicians in over 200 cities around the world to host events. It was started in 1974 by Harvey Phillips, a well-regarded Tubist, as a way of honoring his mentor William Bell, one of the finest Tuba players in the world, that he and Tucker Jolly knew, and idolized.