Kansas City trombonists challenge tuba players for Christmas brass supremacy

Trombone Christmas Kansas City is scheduled to take place this weekend with more than 100 trombone players outdoors at Union Station.
Tuba Christmas has been around since the 1970s, so Trombone Christmas is a bit of an upstart.

The first event featuring slide trombone players took place in 2010 in Anaheim, California. Now there are more than a dozen across the country, including one in Kansas City since 2017.

“Admittedly it was trombone players feeling just a little bit left out,” says Frank Perez, the director of bands at Baker University who helps spearhead the event in Kansas City.

Musicians of all ages and skill levels participate in the low brass holiday concert of traditional and modern seasonal music. In 2021, at Union Station’s Haverty Family Yards, a 10-year-old was the youngest player.