Auckland Philharmonia player Alexander Jeantou. Photo: Supplied / Auckland Philharmonia
You'd think having the biggest brass instrument in the orchestra would be a bit of a liability when you're travelling, but Alex Jeantou has found a way of turning that liability into an asset.
Turns out all that space in the instrument's big bell (that's the bit where the sound comes out) is perfect for packing loose items of clothing.
In fact, when the Australian-born Jeantou got the call from the Auckland Philharmonia to head across the Tasman at short notice, he packed most of his clothes into the two tubas he brought with him.
Your standard orchestral tuba; packs quite a lot in... Photo: Wikimedia Commons
That was when Jeantou was hired as the interim tuba player during the height of the Covid pandemic.
These days he's got a permanent gig, and this month Jeantou and some of his fellow Philharmonia brass players will take their instruments on a tour of suburban Auckland.
In Your Neighbourhood: Tuba Tones is a three-concert tour with performances in Glen Eden, Devonport and Remuera.
The title suggests an all tuba programme, but Jeantou will be playing with eight other members of the Philharmonia's trumpet, horn and trombone sections.
However, they will be performing music with great tuba parts, such as Andre Previn's "Four outings for Brass" - one of Jeantou's personal favourites.
Jeantou grew up in the Victorian city of Geelong and began making music because his school had an "all in" policy when it came to playing a wind instrument.
Initially he wasn't that keen, but once he picked up a tuba it was pretty much an instant love affair.
For Jeantou it's not just the sound, but the feel of the instrument. The way it vibrates against a musician's body, like you're holding it in a warm embrace, he explains.
Alex Jeantou when he's not hugging his instrument. Photo: Thomas Hamill Photography
Of course, all the sound begins with the mouthpiece the musician blows into (more correctly, blows raspberries into - what people in the trade politely call the 'embouchure').
Jeantou was so keen on that, he'd practise his embouchure wherever and whenever he could, sometimes to the annoyance of other members of the family.
However, the love and devotion he's shown the instrument has been richly rewarded - think of all the extra baggage space he's had access to over the years.
Which leads to one final question: has he ever forgotten to "unpack" his tuba? Has a big solo ever been wrecked by a pair of underpants clogging the works?
"Only in rehearsal," Jeantou replies, when he once discovered a towel in the bowels of the instrument. And during one practice, a mate chucked a sandwich down the tube.
"It is a bit of a target."
You can hear Alex Jeantou and his friends at the Glen Eden Playhouse on Monday 18 August, Holy Trinity Devonport on Tuesday 19, and St Luke's Remuera on Thursday 21 August.
All In Your Neighbourhood: Tuba Tones concerts begin at 6.30pm.
