The 2022 World Music Contest (WMC) in Kerkrade has announced that it hopes to form an international World Youth Brass Band (WYBB) to perform at the event.

The organisers state that they aim to bring together a group of 29 selected brass and percussion musicians between the ages of 18 and 23 in what they call an "intercultural environment"to rehearse and perform together for a week under the direction of conductors Patrick Ottiger and Erik Janssen.

The World Music Contest (WMC) has been held every four years in Kerkrade since 1951, with over 20,000 participating musicians and more than 300,000 visitors enjoying the wide range of musical attractions, concerts and competitions on offer.

Stimulating

Speaking about the initiative, Björn Bus, General Artistic Manager at WMC stated: "The World Youth Brass Band is WMC's way of bringing various musical cultures together in Kerkrade and stimulating their interaction.

It is a great opportunity for talented young brass players and percussionists to perform together at a world-class level for a week and to develop their skills further."

Richness and diversity

He added: "We hope they will gain a sense of the richness and diversity of the brass band cultures around the world. Moreover, during WMC 2022 they will have the opportunity to perform for a WMC audience at various festival locations.

By creating the World Youth Brass Band, we are setting a stage where young people with diverse educational and cultural backgrounds can meet each other. I consider this to be a vital task of an international wind music festival like WMC."

It is a great opportunity for talented young brass players and percussionists to perform together at a world-class level for a week and to develop their skills furtherBjorn Bus

Performances

The World Youth Brass Band will perform during the award ceremony for the Concert Division for Brass Bands in the Roda Hall on Saturday July 9th as well as giving a concert on the BLOW! stage in the market square in Kerkrade and on another location in the Kerkrade region.

The World Youth Brass Band will be based at the festival location of Rolduc Abby in Kerkrade from July 4th to July 10th, 2022.

To apply

Musicians can apply until 1st March via: https://wmc.nl/en/participate/world-youth-brass-band

WMC can only admit a limited number of participants and will select the best musicians based on their CV and video material.

They will subsequently be informed whether they are successful.