There was an excellent standard of performance on show from some of North-East Scotland's young brass talent at the Northern Counties Solos contest in Forfar recently.

As well as the NCBBA titles, the event also served as the regional qualifier for the Besson Scottish Solo & Ensemble Finals.

Impressed

Adjudicator Robert Fraser was full of praise of what he heard, stating: "I was surprised by the difficulty of the pieces chosen, but all performers dealt well with the demands of some tricky music, and I was extremely impressed with all of the performances."

The Intermediate (16 and under) section was won by trombonist Alix Bailey's energetic rendition of Gareth Wood's 'Dance Sequence', while young cornet star Gavin Lee took home the Youth (21 and under) title on Henri Busser's 'Andante and Scherzo'.

All six competitors go on to represent the region in the Besson Scottish Solo and Ensembles Championship finals on Saturday 8th February.

Results:

Intermediate Solo: (under 16 years)

1. Alix Bailey (trombone) — Gold Award
2. Elita McFarlane (trombone) — Gold Award
3. Thomas Kobine (Eb horn) — Gold Award

Youth Solo: (under 21 years)

1. Gavin Lee (cornet) — Gold Award
2. Holly Bennett (baritone) — Gold Award
3. Iona McFarlane (cornet) — Gold Award