Skip to content

TubaJohn Concert a holiday favourite

Annual concert set to take place on Wednesday, Dec. 13
9659298_web1_171207-WLT-M-TUbajohn1
The late “TubaJohn” Sykes’, for whom the TubaJohn Concert is named. His enthusiasm for the Christmas concert has made this event a holiday favourite.

The 12th annual TubaJohn Christmas Concert will be taking place on Wednesday, Dec. 13. at St. Andrews United Church.

With its roots being a humble quartet of tuba musicians, the musicians playing in this concert have expanded throughout the years into a brass brand, the TubaChristmas Brass Ensemble are joined by the Cariboo Men’s Choir, Quintet + and the Synergy Quartet for this festive concert.

With the name taken from the late “TubaJohn” Sykes, whose enthusiasm for music was effusive, the concert is always a holiday hit.

Brass ensemble director Rocco Catalano says they’ve played through a blizzard and still gotten a decent crowd.

Read more: Four concerts to grace lakecity stages this week

“It’s good, fun, and a decent balance with choir groups, men’s and a mixed choir group and a small quartet and the brass and then the sing-along at the end,” he says.

The concert ends with a sing-along including the crowd, but also features another tradition: the choir’s Hallelujah Chorus.

This year, the four groups will sing and play a special song Catalano found in a book gifted to him: Christmastime on the Range.

“I thought that’s pretty good considering what we’ve been through in the Cariboo Chilcotin and so we’re going to try a little something out,” says Catalano, adding they’re hoping to dedicate it to the people of the Cariboo Chilcotin.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. and admission is by cash or food donation to the Salvation Army.

*An earlier version of this story noted that the concert took place on Tuesday, Dec. 13. The correct date is Wednesday, Dec. 13.