Nothing marks the end of fall semester at the University of Iowa like an intrepid group of tuba players braving below-freezing temperatures to deliver some warm, holiday cheer.

The annual Holiday Tubas performance on the steps of Old Capitol has become a campus tradition, and on Dec. 9 an ensemble consisting of musicians from the UI School of Music and the community trotted out a 30-minute program of popular seasonal tunes including “Frosty the Snowman,” “Jingle Bell Rock,” “The Dreidel Song,” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”

Donning a Santa suit, Collegium Tubum director John Manning conducted the group waving a large, plastic candy cane. With temperatures in the low 20s — and a wind chill, to boot — the musicians periodically had to climb the steps and enter the museum to thaw frozen spit valves. An enthusiastic crowd of about 100 gathered in the chilly air; some swayed to the melodies, while others sang along.

Collegium Tubum continued its tradition of collecting new, unwrapped gifts for Toys for Tots. A “Silent Night” arrangement by euphonium student Steve Neilssen was dedicated to former School of Music director Himie Voxman, who died Nov. 22 at the age of 99, as well as to Gene Wibben, longtime tubist with the Des Moines Symphony, and Mel Culbertson, professor of tuba at the National Superior Conservatory in Lyon, France.

—photos by Tom Jorgensen