TubaChristmas Personalities

Dr. Keith Wilkinson

Conductor, Brass Band of the Western Reserve; Conductor, St. Louis Brass Band; Faculty Member, Capital University

Dr. Wilkinson brings a world of knowledge and expertise to his conducting. His experiences are steeped in the British brass band tradition. During his formative years, in the heart of brass band country in the UK, he began performing on baritone and later as soloist on euphonium. Eventually his performing skills led to his becoming principal euphonium in the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain.

While still a student, he began building a reputation in conducting and rose to great achievement as bandmaster of the Salvation Army and other highly regarded bands. His extensive conducting experience includes concert tours throughout Great Britain and Europe, along with many guest conducting performances. Wilkinson’s leadership led to outstanding contest successes and his credits as a fine conductor continued to grow with each accomplishment.

Dr. Wilkinson’s reputation has continued to be recognized after moving to the United States. He has been responsible for bringing brass bands to northern Ohio and is currently conductor of The Brass Band of the Western Reserve and The St. Louis Brass Band in Missouri, both of which are regarded among the finest brass ensembles in the country. Both bands have achieved acclaim, including competition awards and The Brass Band of the Western Reserve has been named Ensemble-In-Residence at The University Of Akron.

Wilkinson has several highly respected Brass Band CD’s to his credits in England and the United States. 

We are so pleased to have Dr. Keith Wilkinson as our guest conductor for TubaChristmas Cleveland.

Horst Buchhholz

Canon for Music and Worship; Artistic Director - Music & Performing Arts at Trinity Cathedral.

Dr. Horst Buchholz was raised in Germany, but has lived in the United States since 1989 and considers this country to be his home.  He has been active as a conductor, organist, and lecturer in the United States, Japan, Korea, Mexico, and throughout Europe and has performed on some of the most famous organs in the world.

Horst Buchholz received his early musical training in a boys’ choir in his native Germany and started conducting at age 16. When he was 21 years old, he had his Berlin Philharmonic debut as organ soloist, and shortly thereafter he founded the Berlin Chamber Orchestra. Dr. Buchholz holds two terminal degrees, one in Church Music from the University of Arts in Berlin, and one in Orchestral Conducting from Indiana University in Bloomington.  As an assistant with the Berlin Philharmonic Chorus he had the opportunity to work with and learn from such eminent maestros as Claudio Abbado, Riccardo Muti, and Herbert von Karajan.

Buchholz has appeared as guest conductor with the Boulder Philharmonic, the Colorado Symphony, the Sinfonia of Colorado, Central City Opera, the Akron Symphony, and other orchestras. He performed in some of the world's most prestigious concert halls, as well as for the United Nations in Vienna. In the summer of 2000 Dr. Buchholz had his conducting debut in Salzburg during the International Summer Festival and has returned to Salzburg annually as conductor and organist.

Dr. Buchholz will be performing with the TubaChristmas Ensemble in: Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, J.S. Bach; and Good Christian Men, Rejoice

Deborah Decker

Soprano

Deborah Decker is an amateur musician with experience in both vocal and instrumental performance. She has sung with the Downers Grove, IL Oratorio, the Cleveland Lutheran Acapella, and numerous church choirs. She has also played flute since fifth grade and performed with the Ft. Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra, the LCCC Orchestra, and the North Royalton Community Band. Deborah is married to the Rev. Wayne Decker and works as a physical therapist in geriatric rehab at Pleasantview Care Center in Parma, Ohio.

Bill Park

Music Educator, Composer, Arranger and Conductor

Bill Park has taught elementary and secondary instrumental music for over 35 years in Ohio and Michigan. He holds a Bachelors degree in Education from Bowling Green State University and has pursued graduate work at Eastern Michigan and Cleveland State Universities.

His band and ensemble music is published by Band Music Press, JPM Publishers and Great Works Publishing and is performed throughout the US and appears on several state contest lists. Additional works are published by his company, Dynamic Music.

Beyond the school setting, his conducting experience includes directing the Perrysburg (Ohio) Suburban Singers for 4 seasons. With the Suburban Singers and Perrysburg Community Orchestra, he conducted Handel's Messiah plus theatrical productions ranging from Gilbert and Sullivan to Victor Herbert. Mr. Park is the founding director of North Royalton Community Band in which capacity he has served since 1998. In addition, Park hosts the Northeast Ohio Community Reading Band and has been Coordinator for TubaChristmas Cleveland since 2002.

Carl Schanz

Firefighter, Paramedic, Actor

Carl Schanz is a career Firefighter and Paramedic for North Olmsted Fire Department.  

As a local actor for the past 35 years, he has portrayed such characters as the King in the "King and I", Fagin in "Oliver", Pilate in "Superstar" and "Godspell", "Peter Pan" and many others throughout the greater Cleveland area.  

Also on Carl’s resume are TV commercials for Safe Auto and General Motors; movies such as "Those Lips Those Eyes", "One", "Will Work for Food" and being the voice for Tuba Christmas Cleveland since 2005.