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BBC announces Young Brass Award finalists

The 2015 BBC Radio 2 Young Brass Award finalists have been announced.

radio 2 young brass
 

Adam Bokaris, David Gillson, Benjamin Goldscheider and Grant Jameson will compete in the final of the 2015 BBC Radio 2 Young Brass Award at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester next month.

Talented

The talented quartet were announced on a special programme broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on Thursday evening by Frank Renton.

Missing out

With the standard of playing being exceptionally high, it meant that trumpeter, Aaron Akugbo, tenor horn player, Siobhan Bates, Tredegar's baritone player, Jack Lapthorn, narrowly missed out on a finals berth along with Fairey's bass trombone player, Joshua Cirtina.

Each of the semi finalists recorded up to ten minutes of music for the judges, Jamie Prophet & Stephen Roberts to assess in January where they were accompanied by Brighouse & Rastrick under conductor Alan Morrison.

Three of a kind

The final will showcase three different instrumentalists: Benjamin Goldscheider, 17, plays french horn, whilst David Gillson, who has reached the final for the second year in a row, is a cornet student at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester in addition to playing with the Fairey Band.

Flowers', euphonium star, American, Grant Jameson, has also made it to the final for the second successive year, with another euphonium player, Australian, Adam Bokaris, who plays with Drighlington, named as the fourth finalist.

Eclectic mix

There was a variety of repertoire showcased by the contenders, with Benjamin opting for part of Weber's 'Horn Concerto' whilst David Gillson included Peter Meechan's 'Song' from his Concerto, 'Milestone'.

Grant Jameson opted to include Paganini's 'Carnival of Venice' and a composition by his brother, Joshua, with Adam Bokaris choosing more music from Peter Meechan for his challenge, 'Harry's Song' from his 'Origins Concerto'.

In the footsteps

The winner of the award, which is now in its eleventh year, will follow in the footsteps of the likes of Ross Knight, Stephen Sykes, Katrina Marzella, Lewis Musson, Ben Thomson, Matthew White, Josiah Walters and Matilda Lloyd.

The final, to be broadcast live on March 27th, will be judged by a panel of as yet unnamed judges and will be presented by Ken Bruce with Frank Renton conducting Grimethorpe Colliery Band.

Tickets

Tickets for the final are free and available from the RNCM box office or via www.bbc.co.uk/­youngbrassaward

'The 2015 BBC Radio 2 Young Brass Award winner will come from one of three different instrumentalists with three playing in a Championship Section Band'4BR

Listen to semi final

To listen to the eight semi finalists, click on the link below which should be online for around thirty days:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b051r6cc

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Chris Wormald

B.Mus (Hons), LTCL, PGCE
Conductor, adjudicator, arranger


               

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