Wanting an alternative to the canned, over commercialised Christmas? If you’re in Auckland, Unwrapping Christmas could be for you. With free music, dancing and theatre in Aotea Square, Xmas is just an excuse for creative fun.

Renee Liang interviews Bronwyn Bent on TubaChristmas, one of the upcoming events.

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Do you love the smell of Xmas trees but hate the thought of killing them first? Does being in tinselled malls make you nauseous? Would you like to squash the next electronic, carol-playing Santa you come across?  Join the club.  If you hate over commercialised Christmas, maybe you’ll enjoy THE EDGE’s Unwrapping Christmas programme from 9 - 21 December. (Some of it is just an excuse for fun and doesn’t even mention Xmas! Yay!)

Although TubaChristmas does involve carols, somehow the thought of a bunch of tuba-playing musicians doing a kind of flashmob in Aotea Square sounds kind of cool.  I interviewed organiser, sometime musician and serial-troublemaker Bronwyn Bent about it.

How did you come across TubaChristmas?

I read an article online about it, and from there I was down a YouTube rabbit hole of watching videos of hundreds of tuba players playing Christmas music together, like this one.

Why is the idea of a whole crowd of tubas playing Christmas Carols so compelling?

I think one reason is that there's something quite comical about the tuba, so getting a whole group of them together is slightly ridiculous. Secondly, the tuba very rarely gets a chance to take center stage, usually relegated to the back of any ensemble it is in, so this is a brief chance to shine. Overall, I think we can say "the novelty factor" is quite big in play here.

You're a tuba player yourself... what's great about playing the tuba?

There's a few things! I personally really enjoy anchoring everything with the bass; although often lots of the time the bass doesn't get the flashiest parts to play, other players will take their cues from you, so its quite satisfying when you get to set the tone for everyone else. I also just like the sound of it; in the hand of a good player, it can go from rich to mellow to sharp over the space of a few notes. Finally, you get a misplaced reputation for having a "lot of breath" (as in: "you must have a lot of breath to blow that thing").

What do people need to do to join?

It's pretty straightforward, if you want to get free car parking and free lunch, email me beforehand at tubachristmasnz@gmail.com , or just turn up on the day ready to play.

Will it cost anything?

Not a thing! The American versions ask players to pay $10 each, to cover music costs, but here that cost is covered by THE EDGE. (Thanks!)

Do they need to practise beforehand?

Probably not a huge amount, although its up to each player. Christmas seems to be a time where there's a demand for brass groups, so many players will know these tunes very well. I have played carols allover the place - on the back of a ute in Cambridge, on the roof of Kirkcaldies and Stains in Wellington, and for a Freemason's Christmas party (which was nowhere near as exciting and mysterious as I was hoping) so I know a few of them very well.

Can players of other instruments join?

I'm afraid not - but maybe if they can disguise their instrument as belonging to the tuba family.

What if you can't play any instruments at all, can you join anyway?

You can come and sing along if you want.

Why do you think communal music-making is so fun, and why are we prone to it at Xmas?

I think that communal music making like this is pretty democratic, in that allows lots of different people to play together and contribute to a greater whole, which is pretty satisfying as obviously what you can create together is something you can't do by yourself. I myself am a pretty amateur tuba player, and know that I enjoy myself far more playing with other people than just tootling away on my own.

For this particular event, we'll have everyone from professionals through to beginners; people who have been playing for fifty years and people who have been playing for five months, so for those more experienced players obviously there is a lot less pressure than their usual gigs; for newer players it's great to sit alongside those more accomplished players; overall its all pretty relaxed so everyone can just enjoy themselves.

I'm not sure why there's a rash of communal music making at Christmas! I wonder if it comes from a practicality, in that lots of music was written for congregations to sing together, so most of the music requires a group of people to perform it, rather than relying on a soloist, and of course form there, it becomes a tradition that we just keep doing.

What will happen after the TubaChristmas... will there be a TubaParty?

A slightly terrifying thought, but actually sort-of yes: we'll be having lunch, and a few beers.

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TubaChristmas is part of Live at Lunch
Thursday 19 December 12 noon to 2pm
Aotea Square
FREE