A special ‘Yorkshire Prom’ led by Black Dyke will be the highlight of a weekend of brass band festival concerts as part of the build up to the start of the 2014 Tour de France.

Tour de Brass

The concert at York Barbican on Sunday 22nd June, provides the finale to the ‘Tour de Brass’, a series of nine regional concerts in locations that are on, or close to, the two routes that the Grand Départ of the world famous bike race takes when it passes through Yorkshire on 5th and 6th July.

The line-up for the 'Tour de Brass' includes three Yorkshire bands that have qualified for the National Finals, with Elland Silver and Ripon City performing their own concerts, as well as Black Dyke taking to the stage in York alongside the Yorkshire Youth Band under the baton of Dr Nicholas Childs.

Free concerts

The series of free, day time regional concerts takes place over the weekend of the 21st/22nd June and also features concerts by Hebden Bridge, Hade Edge, Knaresborough Silver, Otley, Leyburn and Muker Silver.

Brass

The Black Dyke ‘Yorkshire Prom’ will be compèred by David Hoyle, and will have a Proms-style second half featuring music with a Yorkshire connection, including a welcome reprise of the Black Dyke commission ‘Brass’ — featuring Ian McMillan’s evocative poem set to the music of Philip Wilby.

The programme will also feature a special arrangement of the Yorkshire Festival song, ‘The Big Wide’, by David Lancaster.

We are thrilled to be able to showcase the variety, versatility and talent that marks out our brass bands as being among the best in the businessKate Lock, Director of Brassed On York Ltd

York events

Further free concerts will also be available in York as part of the Brassed On York day at the York Festival of Food and Drink, with performances by the likes of Shepherd Group, and two other National finalists, York Railway Institute and Wetherby Silver Band.

Kate Lock, Director of Brassed On York Ltd stated: "The fact that the two stages of the Grand Départ go through the heartland of brass band country was what inspired us to put on ‘Tour de Brass’."

She added: "We are thrilled to be able to showcase the variety, versatility and talent that marks out our brass bands as being among the best in the business as part of the Yorkshire Festival – and we can’t wait to host the very first Yorkshire Prom with the famous Black Dyke Band!"