St. Albert’s Mission Hill Brass Christmas concert will sparkle with an instrument that usually flies under the radar.
A. Daniel Skepple, Jr., co-founder and music director, shines a spotlight on tubas during the spectacular Mission Hill Brass – The Shining Star concert on Dec. 22 at St. Albert United Church.
In describing the infrequent opportunities for tuba solos, Michael Eastep, the brass band’s principal Bass Eb player said, “The last time I played a tuba solo was two years ago.”
The giant brass instruments rarely perform solos at concerts. Composers tend to put the spotlight on sexier instruments such as violin, piano, cello or saxophone. However, tubas’ low, rumbly sounds are essential for anchoring harmony from multiple sections and creating depth.
“Tubas accompany other instruments to make a total sound. On its own, a tuba makes a calm sound that allows other instruments to play over it,” said Eastep, former principal tuba for the Winnipeg Symphony and Calgary Philharmonic. The classically trained musician joined Mission Hill Brass in 2019.
His showcase moment is a mellow performance of Celestial Morn. Composed by British tuba player Leslie Condon, the 10-minute instrumental work was inspired by the Christian belief in eternal happiness through the redemption of Jesus Christ.
In performing this hymn, Eastep shares centre stage with E-flat bass David Wiley as well as B-flat bass players Mike Kischuk and Jesse Brook.
The traditional brass band of roughly 30 hornblowers will continue playing a rich repertoire from different traditions and diverse cultures. They includes a lush Christmas overture, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, and Peter Graham’s Christmas Calypso, a Caribbean-styled arrangement of The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy.
Two additional highlights are Linda Smith’s flugelhorn arrangement of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas and Taina Lorenz’s tenor horn variation of Gustav Holst’s In the Bleak Midwinter.
Mission Hill Brass – The Shining Star starts 7 p.m. at St. Albert United Church, 20 Green Grove Drive. Admission is $20 for adults, children under 12 free. Tickets at the door.
