TubaChristmas offers even obscure tuba family members to enjoy the spotlight for a change. "This year, we had a helicon, which is like a Civil War version of a tuba," Golemo says.

Los Angeles and its sounds are pivotal to “The Tuba Thieves.” All kinds of noises, welcome or not, make it into the movie: the crackling of fires, the roar of traffic and, above all, the ...