UNCW Professor Directs TubaChristmas for its Wilmington Premiere
11/29/2004 3:52:37 PM
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Nov. 29, 2004
Wilmington, N.C. – TubaChristmas, a performance of traditional Christmas carols by a tuba-euphonium ensemble, premiers in Wilmington Saturday, Dec. 18, directed by Daniel Johnson, assistant professor of music at the University of North Carolina Wilmington. The free inaugural performances of this annual event are scheduled for Independence Mall at 12 p.m. and at Brightmore of Wilmington at 1:30 p.m. Wilmington Mayor Spence Broadhurst will be the guest conductor. Any tuba or euphonium players interested in participating in this year’s TubaChristmas, contact Daniel Johnson at 910/962-7559 or e-mail johnsond@uncw.edu.
Created by Harvey Phillips, TubaChristmas is celebrating its 31st anniversary (1974 – 2004). Merry TubaChristmas concerts will be presented in over 180 cities throughout the United States and in several other countries this year. Phillips was inspired to create TubaChristmas as an annual event honoring his teacher, the late tubist William J. Bell who was born Christmas Day, 1902. Every Christmas season, tuba and euphonium players of all ages, from specific geographic areas, gather to pay respect to all the great artists and teachers who represent their heritage.
Every TubaChristmas performance features traditional Christmas carols especially arranged for the first TubaChristmas on December 22, 1974 in New York City’s Rockefeller Plaza by American composer Alec Wilder who died on Christmas Eve in 1980. Through Wilder, TubaChristmas concerts pay grateful tribute to composers who have embraced these instruments with solo and ensemble compositions.
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