Photo by Deb Gau Tubas, euphoniums, a sousaphone and more made up the band at Saturday’s TubaChristmas concert at SMSU. A total of 39 musicians from across southwest Minnesota gathered to play Christmas carols.

MARSHALL — When people think of tuba music, what often comes to mind is the “oompah” parts of polkas. But low brass instruments are capable of a lot more, Southwest Minnesota State University band director John Ginocchio told an audience at campus Saturday.

“A lot of this event is about increasing awareness of the tuba and the euphonium, giving people an opportunity to hear what wonderful melodic instruments they can be,” he said.

Musicians from around southwest Minnesota gathered to perform at the annual TubaChristmas event on the university campus. People playing tubas, euphoniums, trombones, and even a sousaphone, performed a selection of classic Christmas carols.

The turnout for this year’s event set a new record for SMSU’s TubaChristmas. Ginocchio said the band had 39 people.

“It’s the most we’ve ever had,” he said.

Some of the musicians at Saturday’s concert have been taking part in TubaChristmas for years. Alex Nilles estimated it was about his sixth time at TubaChristmas. He’s been to events in both Sioux Falls and Marshall.

SMSU student Grace Herron said this was her fourth TubaChristmas. Herron said she started by playing in events in her hometown of Valparaiso, Indiana.

“We had over 100 people there,” Herron said.

She was happy to learn there was a TubaChristmas event in Marshall, too.

The most fun part of TubaChristmas is, “The tuba gets the melody,” Joe Dagel said.

“I just love that you’re able to get a different sound than a regular orchestra,” Herron said.

TubaChristmas is a nationwide event, Ginocchio said. Including the concert at SMSU, there are at least five TubaChristmas concerts that take place around Minnesota.

“TubaChristmas has been going on for 52 years now. It was started in 1973 by Harvey Phillips. Harvey Phillips was a really prominent tuba player,” Ginocchio said. “He was also the professor of tuba at Indiana University.”

Phillips started the event both as a way to celebrate instruments like the tuba, and to honor his teacher and mentor, William Bell.

“He thought, what would be a better way than to put together some really wonderful arrangements of Christmas music that can be played by tubas and euphoniums?” Ginocchio said.

At SMSU, musicians arrived on campus Saturday morning to rehearse, and performed for TubaChristmas in the afternoon.

“This is a really great experience for low brass players to get to come and play together,” Ginocchio said. “This is not the type of sound that you get anywhere else.”