The first TubaChristmas was held at the Rockefeller Center Ice Rink in New York City in 1974. It was created by Harvey Phillips to honor his teacher Bill Bell, who was born on Christmas Day in 1902. This year, over 290 TubaChristmas concerts are held all over the world, including in Australia, Canada, and Costa Rica. The Harvey Phillips Foundation administers each concert. It is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit organization dedicated to the education and appreciation of the tuba and euphonium arts. Further information about the history of TubaChristmas and the Harvey Phillips Foundation may be found on their website.
TubaChristmas Naperville held its first concert at the U.S. Bank (current location) in 1979 under the direction of Ron Keller, Director Emeritus of the Naperville Municipal Band. Ron fondly tells the story of the year TubaChristmas nearly froze out:
“My second year here, the band thermometer said it was 13 degrees. We tried to play outside. There were only about 25 players that year. We played two numbers. During the second number, the valves froze up. We couldn’t play anything, so we went inside the bank. We had cookies. And I thought man, we need to find another place to play in case we have that again. So, eventually, I was able to work it out so we could play in Fox Valley Mall. That’s inside, and we can sit down. That’s how we got into Fox Valley.”
TubaChristmas-Naperville started performing at the Fox Valley Mall in 1981. They have performed every year until 2019. We are happy to announce that we will be returning to the Fox Valley Mall in 2024.
In the meantime, if there is inclement weather, we can bring the audience into the Municipal Concert Center (our rehearsal location) and enjoy a comfortable concert indoors. The outside hanger doors to the Concert Center cannot be opened if the temperature is below 65 degrees or the winds are above 15 miles per hour, which eliminates using the park as a TubaChristmas performance venue in the winter.
Naperville Television (NCTV17) covers this event each year. You may enjoy the article and accompanying video on their website.
Merry Christmas everyone!