As it has been for the last 37 years, the 2013 holiday season will be celebrated with the sound of tubas at the annual Merry TubaChristmas concert. This beloved Los Angeles tradition will be held this year on Sunday, December 8, 7:00 PM, at the beautiful Hall of Liberty on the grounds of Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, 6300 Forest Lawn Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90068.
Literally hundreds of tuba and baritone/euphonium players ranging in age from 8 to 80 come from all over Southern California to play Christmas carols—and a few Hanukah songs—to the delight of all in attendance.
Guest artists will include world-renowned tubist Jim Self (the voice of the mothership in Close Encounters of the Third Kind) and the TCLA Dodecatet, a 12-piece ensemble of top professional players.
Also featured will be The Tubadours, a superb pro quartet (seen here at the 2011 concert), and the USC Tuba Quartet, recently returned from a European tour.
Marking his third year as conductor is Scott Wilkinson, a second-generation native Angelino, professional tubist, and long-time TubaChristmas participant.
The concert is free to the public, and the audience is encouraged to sing along, led by Scott's wife, singer/songwriter Joanna Cazden.
If we're lucky, Santa Claus himself will stop by to wish everyone a Merry TubaChristmas!
You might think the sound of hundreds of tubas would be raucous, but it is actually quite glorious. So glorious, in fact, that Merry TubaChristmas is performed in over 200 cities across the nation and around the world.
All tuba and baritone players are invited to play, regardless of experience and proficiency; students are especially welcome. For more information, please contact Scott Wilkinson at TubaChristmasLA@gmail.com.