Category Archives: VBF News

Tuba Christmas 2023 in Northfield

Vintage Band Festival is presenting Tuba Christmas 2023 in Northfield, Minnesota on Saturday, December 2 at 3:00 pm. The event will take place in Skinner Memorial Chapel, 405 1^st St. E. on the campus of Carleton College. Retired St. Olaf College professor Dr. Paul Niemisto will be the conductor of Tuba Christmas 2023.

Tuba Christmas is an annual event that brings together euphonium, baritone, sousaphone and tuba players of all ages to play Christmas carols for the enjoyment of family, friends and the general public. The music made by dozens of low brass instruments playing as a choir is an experience not to be missed, either as a participant or as a listener.

2023 is the 50th anniversary of Tuba Christmas concert events which are presented throughout the world. Tuba Christmas was conceived in 1974 by tubist Harvey Phillips of Indiana University as a tribute to his teacher and mentor William J. Bell, born on Christmas Day, 1902. The first Tuba Christmas was conducted by Paul Lavalle at New York City’s Rockefeller Plaza Ice Rink on Sunday, December 22, 1974.

There are now over 300 Tuba Christmas events produced annually throughout the United States and internationally. Registration for participants in Northfield’s Tuba Christmas will open at 12:00 pm on December 2. Registration fee is $10. There will be a rehearsal at 1:00 pm and the performance will be at 3:00 pm. Music played at Tuba Christmas will be from “Carols for a Merry Tuba Christmas” which will be available for purchase at registration. Musicians are invited to decorate their instruments if they so choose. Details for the event can be found at www.vintagebandfestival.org . This event is family-friendly, free and open to the public.

Tuba Christmas 2023 in Northfield is made possible with generous assistance from Carleton College.

And that’s a wrap for Vintage Band Festival 2023!

After a blistering July in the midwest, last Saturday turned out to be a spectacularly comfortable day in Northfield, Minnesota for the 2023 edition of Vintage Band Festival. The heat has returned to the 90s this week so we feel incredibly lucky for the weekend reprieve.

The music was fantastic, the audience was fabulous, and the setting was beautiful. If you were there you know what I mean! Thanks to the musicians for their skill and passion, thanks to the audience for being engaged, and thanks to our donors for their tremendous financial support. Thanks to the City of Northfield and our other community partners for their assistance, and thanks to Riverwalk Market Fair and their vendors for another successful collaboration. Thanks also to our food vendors: Little Frida Taco Shop, Maui Wowi, and the Knights of Columbus. We sincerely appreciate all of you!

Please share photos you may have taken on the Vintage Band Festival Facebook page. Here are a few shots of the action on Saturday.

We were treated to a grand entry by the Minnesota Pipes and Drums, a Scottish heritage band from Minneapolis.

Minnesota Pipes and Drums

Please stay in touch over the next many months until we can do this again in the summer of 2024. And don’t forget to mark your calendars for Tuba Christmas in Northfield on December 2, 2023 or the Tuba Christmas that’s closest to wherever you are.

One last VBF 2023 update

It’s the day before VBF 2023 and all through Bridge Square, not a brass tune was heard, not even a note! That will all change on Saturday and the following bands will be a big help.

Kicking off the day at 9:00 am will be the New Prague Area Community Band. They’ve been our opening act on Saturdays as long as any of us can remember and we’re grateful to them and their fearless leader, Rush Wagner, for breaking the musical ice.

Right after New Prague finishes, we’ll welcome the Sheldon Theatre Brass Band coming to us all the way from Red Wing, Minnesota. The band was founded in 1989 as the resident performing ensemble at the then newly-restored, turn-of-the-century T. B. Sheldon Theatre in Red Wing. They have played at every Vintage Band Festival!

At noon on Saturday, say hello to the Twin Cities Trumpet Ensemble. Their ranks include 24 of the most talented trumpet players in the state of Minnesota. It’s always a kick to find out what new music they’ve added to their repertoire since the last time they were at Vintage Band Festival. Don’t miss their performance!

At 4:00 pm as the sun is passing over the Cannon River to the west, the stage will be set for Metro Brass, the mid-size band with a massive sound. Led by virtuoso trumpeter, Keith Thompson, the band is sure to put on a most entertaining show.

Closing out the day at 8:45 pm will be the Bend in the River Big Band. They will give us the swing music and the classic big band sound that will make sure you get out of your chair and your comfort zone and dance the night away. Vocalist Linnea Marrin will provide the lyrics to all of the tunes that you have been humming to yourself for the past oh so many years.

All in all it’s going to be a wonderful day. Join us, won’t you? Saturday, July 29, 2023 in beautiful Downtown Northfield MN. Get all the details at vintagebandfestival.org.

Many thanks to our VBF 2023 Sponsors!

We’re grateful to the following organizations and individuals for their much appreciated financial support of Vintage Band Festival 2023. Thank you!

Festival Sponsors

Wenger Foundation

Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council (SEMAC)

Stage Sponsors

Carleton College (in-kind)

City of Northfield (in-kind)

Northfield Rotary Club

Erik & Katie Bergeson

Mary Rosenberg

James Strom

Band Sponsors

Community Resource Bank

Merchants Bank

Carl & Joan Behr

Louise Lucas & Mike Elbein

Chris & Joan Ennis

Robert & Rejean Schulte

Barbara Zaveruha & Glen Castore

Bonus concerts during Festival Week

As part of a “Senior Outreach” project associated with the 2023 edition of Vintage Band Festival, there are three bonus concerts taking place in Northfield during the week preceding VBF 2023 on July 29.

The first features Northfield’s own FiftyNorth Band and takes place Monday, July 24 at 4:00 pm at the Northfield Retirement Community Chapel, 900 Cannon Valley Drive West, Northfield. Facial masks are required for those attending the performance.

The second bonus concert is a celebration of baroque and renaissance era music by the Northfield Early Music Ensemble. The performance will be given at the Northfield Public Library atrium on Tuesday, July 25, 2023 at 4:00 pm.

On Thursday, July 27 at 7:00 pm, RAVE Brass will present a lively show at FiftyNorth, 1651 Jefferson Parkway. RAVE Brass is a subset of the Rosemount (MN) Community Band and has musicians from Rosemount, Apple Valley, and Eagan in its ranks.

All three concerts are free and open to the public.

Enjoy some “feel-good music” in Northfield

Based on the traditions of New Orleans brass bands, the Jack Brass Band is an ambassador of the Crescent City’s rich musical history. The 8-piece band plays “Feel-Good Music” for audiences of any age and any occasion. JBB has the ability and repertoire to play everything from old New Orleans jazz from Louis Armstrong’s era, to the modern street Mardi-Gras anthems with the instrumentation, feel and energy they have mastered through countless gigs, parades, festival appearances and trips to New Orleans to listen, learn and play alongside the masters.

Jack Brass Band takes the stage at 2:00 pm in Bridge Square on July 29, 2023.

Bavarian Musikmeisters return to Vintage Band Festival

Members of Bavarian Musikmeisters hail from southern Minnesota and model themselves after traditional German village bands, lederhosen and all. The band’s 35 musicians perform authentic musical arrangements on a variety of brass and woodwind instruments: flute, clarinet, trumpet, flugelhorn, tenor horn, baritone, trombone, tuba and percussion. They perform for numerous events in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area and have performed at Germanic festivals in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and South Dakota, as well as at the German-American Mardi Gras Association annual meeting in Las Vegas.

Bavarian Musikmeisters will perform at 1:00 pm on July 29 at VBF 2023.

Minnesota Pipes and Drums at VBF 2023

A pipe band is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term used by military pipe bands, pipes and drums, is also common.

The most common form of pipe band, the Scottish/Irish pipe band, consists of a section of pipers playing the great highland bagpipe, a section of snare drummers (often referred to as ‘side drummers’), several tenor drummers and usually one, though occasionally two, bass drummers. The entire drum section is known collectively as the drum corps. The tenor drummers and bass drummer are referred to collectively as the ‘bass section’ or as the ‘midsection’. The band follows the direction of the pipe major; when on parade, the band may be led by a drum major, who directs the band with a mace. Standard instrumentation for a pipe band involves 6 to 25 pipers, 3 to 10 side drummers, 1 to 6 tenor drummers and 1 bass drummer. (Minnesota Scottish Fair & Highland Games website)

The Minnesota Pipes and Drums is a nationally recognized competition and performance bagpipe and drum corps based in Minneapolis. The band performs throughout the year at parades, concerts, and global competitions. Since 1963 their mission has been to carry on the rich history and heritage of Scottish music by performing for the community and making lessons available to all, free of charge.

Minnesota Pipes and Drums will perform at 3:00 pm on Saturday, July 29 at Vintage Band Festival 2023 in Northfield.

Calling all Vintage Band Festival Volunteers

Vintage Band Festival relies heavily on volunteers to stage its annual events. Without our loyal donors and helpers, we couldn’t do what we do. If you’re interested in joining us on July 29 and you have a couple hours to help out, we’d love to meet you and give you a set of tasks. You could help us with set up on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, you could work in the information tent recording donations and answering questions or you could help us on Saturday evening as we close out the show and put stuff away.

Our work shift signup is on a site called SignUp Genius and you can follow this link to see what’s still available: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60b0e48afa92ea6ff2-vintage3#/.

We’d really appreciate the help! Thanks in advance for your consideration.

Vintage Band Festival 2023 will take place on July 29, 2023.

Latin Rhythms will once again be heard in Bridge Square

Minnesotans are fortunate to have a number of bands that focus on Mexican and other south of the border musical traditions. Two of the best (in our opinion!) are veteran performers at Vintage Band Festival and we’re excited to welcome them back to Northfield in 2023.

Banda La Verdadera

This high-energy Minneapolis band is a favorite Vintage Band Festival performer. Banda La Verdadera plays a type of traditional Mexican music that features brass instruments, woodwinds, drums and singing. The band performs a variety of musical forms, including rancheras, boleros and cumbias. They are in high demand in Minnesota and we’re lucky to have them back in Northfield in 2023.

Mariachi Mi Tierra

The mariachi ensemble is the only ensemble that requires the vihuela and the bass (guitarrón mexicano). These two instruments are the rhythm section. There’s no other ensemble in the world that uses them, except mariachi. If you go to a festival or a party and they say they have mariachi and they don’t have a vihuela and a bass, it’s not really Mariachi. The rest of the instrumentation is pretty straightforward. They include trumpets, violins, and vocal singers.

Mariachi Mi Tierra is the oldest Mariachi ensemble in the Minneapolis and St. Paul metropolitan area. Rosalio Castro (trumpet), who formed the group in 2003, has played various Mexican styles of music since he was in his teens. Eduardo Castro (also trumpet) is the group’s director. Together, the Castros have brought together a group that produces the full sound of authentic mariachi in Minnesota.

Mariachi Mi Tierra will perform at 5:00 pm on July 29, 2023 and Banda La Verdadera will take the stage at 6:00 pm. View the complete schedule for VBF 2023 here: https://vintagebandfestival.org/vbf-2023/ and check back for any updates.