Tuba Christmas

Tuba Christmas returns to Commonwealth Plaza inside the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday, December 20, with two free performances at 12 PM and 6 PM. More than 100 regional tuba, sousaphone, and euphonium players gather there to play holiday classics, and because it's in the plaza, you can just walk up and listen without needing a ticket. It's a tradition that's been part of the city's December for a long time.

If you've never heard the story, Tuba Christmas started in 1974 at Rockefeller Plaza as a tribute to William J. Bell, a legendary tubist born on Christmas Day in 1902. From those beginnings, the custom has spread to more than 200 cities around the world, bringing thousands of musicians together to play the holidays in harmony. In Philadelphia, it's presented by Ensemble Arts Philly, and the scale stays the same: over 100 brass players filling the plaza with the low end of the orchestra.

Ensemble Arts Philly president and CEO Ryan Fleur frames this year's season around the power of participation and belonging, and he describes Tuba Christmas as a joyful, whimsical reminder that the arts meet people where they are. The two concerts fall in the Kimmel Center's official birthday month, which the center marks throughout December with free events and holiday performances. The plaza setting keeps it accessible for all ages, so it works as well for a midday break as it does for an evening out.

Both performances are free and take place at Commonwealth Plaza inside the Kimmel Center, 300 South Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102. The first is at 12 PM and the second at 6 PM on Sunday, December 20.