Akron’s beloved holiday tradition — TubaChristmas — will return for a 36th year for two performances on Dec. 12. Hundreds of area musicians, their tubas trimmed in tinsel, garlands and lights, will fill the E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall stage at The University of Akron to perform at noon and 2:30 p.m.
The performances are free and open to the public — a holiday gift to the community from the School of Music and Thomas Hall. Parking is also free. Thomas Hall is at 198 Hill St., Akron.
Tucker Jolly, founder of Akron’s TubaChristmas and an emeritus professor of music at UA, will conduct the holiday carols and sing-alongs. Guest conductor will be Chris Blaha, assistant professor of tuba. This year's guest soloist will be Cyndee Snider, programs director at Tuesday Musical Association.
In a reversal of roles, Akron's TubaChristmas is free for the audience while the musicians pay a $10 registration fee to participate. Low brass musicians who want to play can register on the day of the performances in the ticket lobby of Thomas Hall, accessible from the parking deck, between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m. The rehearsal is from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Jolly joined The University of Akron’s music faculty in 1980, and began Akron’s own version of TubaChristmas in December that same year. The popular family tradition has grown from 55 musicians performing outside on nearby Cascade Plaza to the hundreds of performers and thousands of audience members that now fill Thomas Hall each year. Akron’s TubaChristmas is now among the largest in the country.
For more information about performing, contact 330-972-8301 or concerts@uakron.edu. For audience information, visit UAevents.com.