University of Idaho’s tuba-euphonium studio will present “Tubaween” at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Haddock Performance Hall of the Lionel Hampton School of Music.
The UI studio’s annual Halloween event is comprised of a recital, a costume contest and a skit performance. The event is free and open to the public, but donations will be accepted at the door. Proceeds will go toward tuba and euphonium events and guest artists.
Third-year UI student Zach Waite, who is majoring in management and human resources, said the event is made up of three parts.
Waite said first, there is a recital by members of the tuba-euphonium studio. Following the recital, there is a Halloween costume contest for members of the audience and a skit performed by the UI Marching Band sousaphones, he said. The sousaphone is a type of tuba, also known by some as a “marching tuba.”
“It’s a glorious moment for the tubas,” Waite said. “We’re the stars that get to shine.”
Anslee Lecher
Waite plays sousaphone in the UI Marching Band and will perform in the sousaphone skit Tuesday night.
He said the theme of the skit is “Star Wars: The Last Tuba.” The theme references the upcoming film “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” which is set to be released Dec. 15. Tubaween has been happening since at least 1999, Waite said. He said that year, the skit was “Star Wars: The Tuba Menace,” which referenced “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.”
The best part about the skit is not just performing it and hearing the audience reaction, but the process of creating the comedy, he said.
UI senior, theater major Gail Harder, who has participated in Tubaween in the past, said her favorite part about the event is having the opportunity to make a piece of art as a section. She said some of her favorite memories from college took place during her time creating skits for Tubaween.
“It’s a room full of chaotic laughing and tired children,” she said.
Harder said it is traditional for the skit to be a satire of some form of pop culture. She said the skits are usually both impromptu and improvisational.
“Satire may be one of the juiciest forms of comedy,” she said. “When you can see (pop culture) flipped upside down with its pants hanging off and boxers showing, that’s funny.”
Harder said the tuba’s unique tradition is important because it gives a chance for students to be in a creative environment and work on collaboration and problem-solving. She said it is a difficult task getting everyone together, but it is a great opportunity to get people out of their comfort zones.
Harder and Waite both said they love the level of audience involvement and engagement during Tubaween, as well as the production and the people involved.
“The tuba players are pretty grand,” Waite said.
Waite said he began playing tuba his sophomore year of high school, but music was always a part of his life. He said he took private piano lessons when he was younger, and played a few different instruments in school but decided tuba was his favorite.
“There’s a certain characteristic… a certain personality about tuba players,” he said. “Plus, we stick out with our huge bells.”
Harder also said there is a reputation around tuba players and the tuba itself. She said tuba players are usually a little abrasive and very outspoken. She said tuba players could shrink into the weight of their instrument, but instead use that weight to their advantage.
“We’re going to do this the best we can and the loudest we can,” she said.
Waite said Tubaween is a great experience for Halloween night, especially since it’s a school night and there’s not a lot else going on. Harder said it’s a fun opportunity to see everyone in costumes, which she said is the best part of Halloween.
“You’re definitely in for a treat if you’ve never seen it before,” Waite said.
Jordan Willson can be reached at [email protected]