50th Annual Tuba Christmas at Rockefeller Center® at Rockefeller Center

The 50th annual Tuba Christmas, a beloved holiday tradition which brings together hundreds of tubists of all ages and levels to play holiday classics under Rockefeller Center’s famous Tree, will be held on Sunday December 10th at 3:00 PM on Center Plaza at Rockefeller Center. This event is free and open to the public.

Each year, student, amateur, and professional tuba players from the ages of 8 to 80 dress in their holiday finest, decorate their instruments, and perform together under the Tree. The first Tuba Christmas was held at the Center in 1974 and was conducted by Paul LaValle, conductor of Band of America. This unique holiday tradition now takes place in over 200 cities around the world, the Rockefeller Center performance is still deemed the most spectacular.

The musicians, hailing from across the country, will be led by Chris Wilhjelm, conductor of the New Jersey Wind Symphony and former conductor of the famous Goldman Memorial Band. Tuba Christmas was created by tuba virtuoso Harvey Phillips to honor his teacher, the late William J. Bell (born Christmas Day, 1902) and is a registered property of the Harvey Phillips Foundation.