On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…107 tubas booming

 

The event, now in its 20th year, drew 107 low-brass musicians who performed Christmas classics for a packed crowd at Oak Street Plaza. Players gathered on Saturday morning at Faith Church to rehearse before the 2 p.m. show. 

 

“Their music teachers have taught them well, all I do is pull it together,” said conductor Cecil Gutierrez, a former high school band director and mayor of Loveland who helped to start the tradition in Fort Collins. More than 300 cities host their own Tuba Christmas events. 

Laura Brown, 60, of Loveland dressed as Mrs. Claus. Brown started playing the euphonium in sixth grade and has performed at the event for the past 20 years in Fort Collins. In past years, Brown has traveled to Phoenix, Chicago and Detroit to play in their Tuba Christmas shows. Next year she plans to play in New York and Boston.

In most bands, tubas play a supporting role, holding down the bassline and supporting other musicians who play the melody. But at Tuba Christmas it’s different. 

“It's our opportunity to shine and show people that we don't just play the low, boring parts, we can play the high parts,” said Brown. 

Sixth graders, Tom Coulehan and Owen Morrison, 11, were the youngest participants this year. Morrison sat on a French cookbook to add a few inches to his seat.

Use the audio player below to listen to the musicians play "Deck the Halls."