More than two tons of metal and 200 musicians assembled Sunday in Skyline Park for Denver’s 37th TubaChristmas concert — giving the trusty instrument a rare moment on center stage.
“This is a heavy-metal concert,” said Bill Clark, a professor of music at the University of Colorado Denver. “We play a supportive role all the other time.”
Clark has organized and conducted Denver’s TubaChristmas since its beginning.
The tuba usually serves as the primary bass, or rhythmic backbone, in a symphony or military band.
Sunday’s downtown event, which put the tuba in a starring role, included many other low brass instruments such as the euphonium, the sousaphone, the baritone tuba, the alto tuba, double bell euphoniums and the helicon.
“Tuba players get along really well,” Clark said. “They’re not competitive . . . unlike trombone players.”
The first TubaChristmas was at New York City’s Rockefeller Plaza in 1974 and has spread across the nation.
“The idea caught on because we get to play the melody for once,” Clark said.
The tubists, ranging from age 9 to 87, came from schools, area organizations and the community.
“It’s not unusual to be the oldest, but sometimes I’m outclassed,” said 87-year-old Virgil Hughes.
Retired from the Army and a member of the 4th U.S. Artillery Regimental Brass Band, Hughes sat front and center as he played his antique ophicleide.
The brass keyed instrument reached its peak in popularity in the mid-19th century before being eclipsed by the valved tuba and euphonium.
“There is a fingering chart, but at the bottom it says, ‘If that doesn’t work, try something else,’ ” Hughes said.
In addition to 20 years as a tubist, Hughes plays the dulcimer, guitar and, since the fourth grade, the clarinet.
“I took trouble about that because boys didn’t play the clarinet,” Hughes said.
The Denver event began at Larimer Square but has been held at Skyline Park for the past five years. The low musical sounds lured the swelling crowd into the celebratory scene, enticing the audience to sing along to classic Christmas carols.
“I’ve thought about stopping,” Clark said, “but it’s really important to so many of these people.”
Kristen Leigh Painter: 303-954-1638 or kpainter@denverpost.com
