South Hamilton student Josh Gardner and others from the South Hamilton area participated recently in the 19th annual Tuba Day Festival, also known as the Bill Bell Festival in memory of Iowa's nationally renown pioneer tubist who grew up in Perry.
South Hamilton's Josh Gardner
Each year a performance ensemble consisting entirely of tuba and euphonium players gathers to celebrate Bill Bell's life and career. The performance is part of the Perry Community Concert Series. Music performed ranged in style from marches to jazz.
South Hamilton graduate Matt Muessigmann with his horn which he recently rescued from an antique shop.
South Hamilton graduate Jim Kilmer, now from Marshalltown
Will Groves of the Jewell-Kamrar area
Doug Peterson, an ISU graduate, with his double-bell euphonium
Paul Anderson, ISU Landscape Architecture Professor
Jeff Funderburk, tuba instructor from the University of Northern Iowa, was the day's clinician and conductor. Jeff demonstrated contemporary compositions for the tuba accompanied by a synthesizer, performed jazz duets with one of his senior UNI students, and performed the Beatle's Blackbird during which he added harmony by singing and playing at the same time.