Back to Downtown News

11-28-06

TubaChristmas celebrating 27th anniversary
Dec. 17 at Akron Civic Theatre
 
Start with more than 600 tubas. Garnish with tinsel, garlands and lights. Place into one historic theatre, and warm with favorite Christmas carols and sing-alongs. These magical and musical ingredients combine to create TubaChristmas, an Akron holiday tradition celebrating its 27th anniversary this year on Sunday, Dec. 17.

The performances are at 4 and 6:30 p.m. at the Akron Civic Theatre, 182 S. Main St. in downtown Akron. Both performances are free and open to the public as a holiday gift to the community from the Akron Civic Theatre and The University of Akron School of Music.

Tucker Jolly, founder of Akron’s TubaChristmas and a professor of music at UA, will conduct. During the 4 p.m. performance, radio personality Stan Piatt of WNIR-FM will make his debut as a guest soloist during the 4 p.m. performance. Columnist David Giffels of the Akron Beacon Journal will return for his sixth year as guest soloist during the 6:30 p.m. performance.

In an interesting turn-about, Akron's TubaChristmas is free for the audience while the musicians pay a $5 registration fee to participate. Low brass musicians who want to play can register on the day of the performances at the Akron Civic Theatre between 1:30 and 2 p.m. and should plan to rehearse from 2 to 3:30 p.m.

Tucker Jolly joined The University of Akron’s music faculty in 1980, and began Akron’s own version of TubaChristmas in December of that same year. The first performance was held outside on the Cascade Plaza with 55 musicians. Quickly attracting hundreds of musicians and becoming a popular family tradition, the event moved indoors to Quaker Square for the next three performances, spent the fifth year in the lobby of E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall, and expanded to fill the Akron Civic Theatre in 1985.

In recent years the Akron performances have grown to become among the largest in the country, with full-capacity audiences hearing nearly 600 musicians who crowd the Civic stage and spill into the orchestra pit and the front rows of the theatre.

For more information call Tucker Jolly at 330-972-6641 or send e-mail to trjolly@uakron.edu.