NEW YORK – For the third consecutive year, students from the George Fischer Middle School and Carmel High School joined 100 musicians from around the world to play holiday tunes at Rockefeller Center’s 52nd Annual Tuba-Christmas in New York City.
Teachers Erika Wahlers and Eric Pecor led the young people.
“Tubas are not instruments that typically have melodic parts. Tuba Christmas is an event that allows tuba players to make up an entire ensemble, meaning tuba players get to be the melody, the harmony and the bass,” said Wahlers. “This provides a unique playing opportunity for the students that they don’t get every day in school.”
The students performed holiday classics that included Deck the Halls, Joy to the World, Silent Night, Jingle Bells and We Wish You a Merry Christmas.
Organizers said the event was more than music.
Pecor said the young people were able to “connect with other tuba players from Carmel but also get to meet tuba players from other schools, professional musicians and adults who have continued to play for the joy of making music.” Tuba-Christmas was conceived in 1974 by Harvey Phillips as a tribute to his teacher and mentor William J. Bell, who was born on Christmas Day 1902. Now, tuba and euphonium players from around the world gather in front of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center for one afternoon a year, days before Christmas, to play Christmas carols on their horns.