The heart of the University of Iowa campus became the site of a Christmas concert on the last day of fall semester classes. The musicians played holiday music on the steps of the Old Capitol Building, directed by Santa, waving a candy cane stick as his baton. Bundled-up students and Iowa City community members gathered to enjoy songs like "Silent Night," "Christmas Time Is Here" and "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" on the Pentacrest.
This year, the organizers are celebrating 50 years of Holiday Tubas — an annual celebration that combines holiday tradition with brass instruments.
"People immediately get a smile on their faces when they see us, I think, because obviously we're eye candy: shiny bells and people having fun out in the cold. We're a little bit kind of quirky and crazy, but fun-loving as well. And everybody's in the mood for the holidays around this time of year," said John Manning, tuba and euphonium associate professor at the University of Iowa School of Music. He's also the Santa directing the band.
Despite the name, Manning said all sorts of brass instruments are welcome to perform at Holiday Tubas. The band is made up of UI students, staff, faculty and alumni, as well as local high school students.
To have a positive impact this season, organizers collected toys to donate to the Domestic Violence Intervention Program.
To hear this conversation, listen to Talk of Iowa, hosted by Charity Nebbe. Dani Gehr produced this episode.
