MISSOULA — Despite this weekend’s chilly temperatures, over 100 people turned out for the annual outdoor TubaChristmas concert.
Under normal circumstances, TubaChristmas would be held indoors at the Southgate Mall, but due to COVID-19, organizers felt it would be safer for everyone to hold the concert outside at Bonner Park, where a handful of city band concerts were successfully held over the summer.
The “Tuba Team," consisting of 35 musicians, performed holiday favorites to a socially distant crowd.
Organizer Gary Gillett said the group never actually rehearsed beforehand in an effort to avoid additional contact, but seeing all the smiles in the audience, you never would have known.
While most performances have gone virtual this year, Gillett said it would be worth the cold to perform in person.
“We're just dying to make music and to make music together,” said Gillett. “That's why 35 folks will put their long underwear on today, buy plastic mouthpieces, and they'll do a number of different things, just in order to be able to make music together.”
