11-26-03
TUBACHRISTMAS ERIE 2003 COMES TO
PENN STATE BEHREND DECEMBER 13
Amateur, student, and professional tuba and
euphonium players throughout northwestern Pennsylvania and surrounding
areas are invited to perform in TUBACHRISTMAS Erie 2003 on Saturday,
December 13, at Penn State Erie, The Behrend College. This national
event, first conceived in 1974, takes place at locations in all fifty
states. This is the second year it will take place in Erie.
"This year promises to be as delightful as last," said Dr. Gary A.
Viebranz, director of instrumental ensembles at Penn State Behrend and
a tubist himself. "People who play the tuba are generally
enthusiastic, exuberant, and festive, and TUBACHRISTMAS allows them to
be all of those things and more." Viebranz is the organizer of the
Erie area's TUBACHRISTMAS event.
The program for the event is traditional Christmas music, including
popular tunes and carols. The 1:30 p.m. concert, which will take place
in the Reed Union Building Wintergarden at Penn State Behrend, is free
and open to the public.
On Saturday, December 13, participating tuba players may register
between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. in Erie Hall at Penn State Behrend. The
cost of registration is $15, and includes a book and a TUBACHRISTMAS
button. Owners of the "Carols for a Merry Tuba Christmas" book can
register for $5. Rehearsal takes place from 9:30 to 11:45 a.m., and
the Merry TUBACHRISTMAS Concert begins at 1:30 p.m. Guest ensemble for
the concert will be Undercurrents, Erie's professional tuba quartet.
TUBACHRISTMAS is supported by the Harvey Phillips Foundation and by
Pennsylvania Partners in the Arts (PPA), the regional arts funding
partnership of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency.
Additional support comes from the Mary Behrend Cultural Fund and
Undercurrents. TUBACHRISTMAS was created by Harvey Phillips,
distinguished professor emeritus of music at Indiana University and a
renowned tuba soloist, as a tribute to the late William J. Bell, a
great artist and teacher whose legacy has encouraged high standards of
musical performance. The first TUBACHRISTMAS was conducted by Paul
Lavalle in New York City's Rockefeller Plaza Ice Rink on December 22,
1974.
For more information about participating in or attending TUBACHRISTMAS
Erie 2003, contact Viebranz at 814-898-6289. Information about the
national TUBACHRISTMAS is on the Web at www.tubachristmas.com/.
Contact:
Loretta Brandon
814-898-6063 (O)
E-mail: lzb6@psu.edu