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2014 4BR Awards — Newcomer of the Year

There was plenty of new talent on show in 2014 from players, conductors and bands, to composers, instruments and even new ways of presenting brass band contests.

The nominations from the 4BR team for consideration are...

Austrian Nationals

Austrian National Brass Band Championship

When the European Brass Band Championship was held in Linz in 2010 it opened the eyes of many to the vast possibilities the country’s well funded commitment to music making held - especially for brass bands.

Four years later and the inaugural Austrian National Championships took place at a packed out Kulturzentrum Bräuhaus in Eferding in Upper Austria, with six bands in two sections: Quality not quantity for now - but that exciting potential has finally been untapped.



Euro Youth Day

European Youth Day

The future of this event on an annual basis at least, is questionable, but you have to admit, the success of the inaugural contest in Perth was a credit to the competing bands, EBBA and the Scottish Brass Band Association who backed and presented it so well.

With victories for the Swiss and Norwegians over some pretty good domestic challengers it also shone a very clear musical light on just where the driving force for its future success may come from.


Rory Boyle

Rory Boyle

Now then, now then. All that nonsense about ‘Muckle Flugga’ as a worthy European test piece seems like a pretty insignificant storm in a tea cup now.

A muddled commissioning process was perhaps ultimately to blame - although the work did need some tweaking. When it came to the contest stage though, it revealed itself to be a powerful, evocative composition with a deep sense of human passion. Rory Boyle is a composer the brass band world can ill afford to lose contact with.


Urban Play

Urban Play

Buffet’s latest ‘app’ is a clever, well thought out bit of work - and a very helpful high tech tool to help young players develop their playing skills without getting bored. And believe you me - that takes some doing. 

If you want to make a lasting connection with young performers then give them music to play along with that they enjoy and understand. With ‘Urban Play’ it shows that someone at Buffet is down with the kids.


Kings Division

The Band of the King’s Division

To be fair, the top brass with pips on their shoulders at the Corps of Army Music should take their fair share of credit for their decision to create three UK based professional brass bands, but it is still the public performance face of what they have decided on that creates the right impression for potential new recruits.

Capt Justin Matthews and his band at Weeton have worked their socks off this year in doing the PR performance stuff - and have done it very well (as have the Royal Signals Band in the West Midlands and the Prince of Wales’s Band in South Wales). The long term benefits to the civilian brass band movement could well become increasingly significant in years to come.



Regent Hall Concerts - Royal College of Music Sackbut Ensemble

Friday 21 February • Regent Hall (The Salvation Army). 275 Oxford Street. London W1C2DJ


Regent Hall Concerts - The Band of the Welsh Guards

Friday 21 February • Regent Hall (The Salvation Army). 275 Oxford Street. London W1C2DJ


Contest: North West Regional Championships

Sunday 23 February • Winter Gardens Complex, Church Street, Blackpool FY1 1HU


Newstead Brass - Midlands Championships Preview Evening

Sunday 23 February • Summit Centre . Kirkby in Ashfield . Nottinghamshire NG17 7LL


Regent Hall Concerts - Royal Greenwich Brass Band

Friday 28 February • Regent Hall (The Salvation Army). 275 Oxford Street. London W1C2DJ


Reading Spring Gardens Brass Band

February 13 • Reading Band (current joint 1st place in the L&SC 4th section grading tables) needs a TENOR HORN for the regional contest in Stevenage on 15th March! Rehearsals in Woodley (RG5) on Thursday evenings with our MD Stephen Bucknell.


Hathersage Band

February 13 • SECOND BARITONE. Hathersage Brass Band is a thriving non-contesting community band. We enjoy making music and have a comprehensive gig schedule. Are you the right person to fill our only vacancy?


Linthwaite Band

February 10 • Linthwaite are a friendly 4th section band looking forward to the Yorkshire area contest in March, following on from that we will have a vacancy for a 2nd cornet. We also have various contests and engagements coming up through the year to keep us busy.


Phillip Littlemore

GGSM, AoBBA Member
Conductor, Band Trainer, Adjudicator, Arranger, Teacher and Publisher


               

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