PREVIEW
What: TubaChristmas
When: 1 p.m., Saturday, Dec.1
Where: Market Square
Tickets: Donations for the TC Christmas Fund
A performance of carols and student solos repeats at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday at the Philip T. Young Recital Hall at University of Victoria to raise money for student projects
While the lone basso of a tuba can be sombre and the oom-pa-pa of an ensemble reminiscent of Oktoberfest, the sound of more than 50 tubas in Victoria can mean only one thing: It's Christmas!
For the past 29 years in this city, Eugene Dowling has led TubaChristmas -- a massive tuba and euphonium carol concert in downtown Market Square.
"It's become a real family event," says Dowling, a tuba and euphonium professor at the University of Victoria. "I can bet there were well over 1,500 people there last year."
TubaChristmas was started by Harvey Phillips in New York 34 years ago. Phillips wanted to memorialize his former tuba teacher, William Bell -- "a fabulous player," says Dowling. Bell was born on Christmas Day. The event was born on the ice at Rockefeller Center, with a few tubists growing to 400 or 500 each year.
It has become a worldwide phenomenon since, with concerts in nearly 200 cities. On Dec. 21 in Disneyland, TubaChristmas is going for a record 800 players. Dowling wishes he could be there. "I'll be dishing out food at a soup kitchen," he says.
Dowling says the appeal of TubaChristmas for musicians is the chance to play together.
"The tuba can be a lonely instrument -- there's only one in most orchestras," he says. It also exposes players to the talents of their peers. "My students get blown away every year. Think about a 10-year-old standing beside the Victoria Symphony's tuba player. It makes an impression."
For the downtown browsers, Dowling says, the event is a genuine holiday affair.
"Listening to canned music at Christmas is as faux as an aluminum tree," he says, naming Jingle Bells and O Come All Ye Faithful as favourite tunes. "Real music spreads that feeling of charity and giving -- the good stuff."
Musicians from around the Island and the Pacific Northwest turn out to play, from the ages of 10 to 90.
Dowling will bring his eight students, and expects several former students to show up. Jas Linford and his wife drive up from their home near Seattle every year. A group is flying in from Kelowna this year to play. Only one musician, other than Dowling, has played all 29 concerts: Lawyer Dennis Latham.
"He's not the oldest but he's made it through them all," says Dowling. Next year, for the event's 30th anniversary, he's planning something special. "I don't know what we'll do, but it will be big."
CHRISTMAS FUND: HOW TO HELP
The 51st annual TC Christmas Fund is underway. Here's how you can help the needy:
? Mail a cheque to the ÎÚÑ»´«Ã½ Christmas Fund, 2621 Douglas St., Victoria, V8T 4M2.
? Use your credit card by phoning 995-4438.
? See our website, timescolonist.com/christmasfund.
