Old tinkers tell us that ‘there’s money in brass’, but it’s all about the music and the thrill of competition for Howick’s Max Christiansen. The Pacific Festival of Brass (July 10-13, Due Drop Events Centre, Manukau) features enthusiastic amateurs and seasoned professional musicians alike.
“I’ve been playing trombone with the Howick Brass Band for 20 years or so and we’ve attended almost every national competition during that time,” Max confirms. “We compete in the C Grade competition. A Grade is (mostly) for professional bands whereas we’re a community band so we don’t pay players or bring in any experts.”
Featuring a wide range of performances by bands, soloists and ensembles from New Zealand and overseas, the festival also includes workshops, and activities. All things considered, it is expected to go off with a bang!
Max isn’t the only trombonist in his family – his father (Darcy), grandfather (Kenneth) and brother (Neil) all played the instrument, as does his son, Luke.
“Luke is also competing this year,” Max says. “He grew up playing for Howick brass and has an honour’s degree in music. After he moved to Christchurch he started competing with Woolston Brass, which is one of the top A Grade bands.”
Not one to ‘blow his own horn’ Max says he is quietly confident that Howick Brass will shine.
“We’ve won [the C Grade] a few times before and always finished in the top half. It is very competitive but, whatever happens this year, we’ll give it a good go,” he adds. “With more than 30 bands competing, nearly a thousand players in total, there will be some great music played so people can definitely expect to be entertained.”
Click here for more information about this year’s festival. Howick Brass Band is also set to perform with the Parramatta City Brass Band (July 10, 6:30–8pm) at Uxbridge Arts & Culture, Howick.
