The Philip Jones International Brass Ensemble Competition will take place at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire next month.
First held in 2019, it aims to promote the excellence and enterprise of young brass quintets in brass chamber music performance — reflecting the pioneering legacy of the legendary Philip Jones CBE. It will be curated at Bradshaw Hall by the RBC's Head of Brass, Amos Miller.
Grand Final
The Grand Final will take place on Saturday 15th July. The competition format is for an ensemble of two trumpets, horn, trombone and tuba and offers a first prize of £7,500, with additional prizes of £5,000 and £2,500.
2023 also marks the 30th anniversary of the eminent British brass quintet Onyx Brass, of which Philip Jones was a patron and which led to the commission of numerous works for the medium.
Initiated by Ursula Jones OBE and supported by Buffet Crampon and the Royal Philharmonic Society, several of the set repertoire suggestions for the competition come from the Onyx Brass catalogue, with initial entries assessed by members of the group, and their composer-in-association Timothy Jackson.
Masterclass
The Grand Final will be preceded by a free masterclass event on Thursday 13th July (10.30am start) which will feature Pasi Pirinen (Principal Trumpet, Helsinki Philharmonic); Alan Thomas (Onyx Brass, Septura, former principal trumpet BBC Symphony Orchestra); Annamia Larsson (French horn of Stockholm Chamber Brass); Mayumi Shimizu (Solo trombone of SWR Symphony Orchestra) and Jens Bjørn-Larsen (tuba with Hannover Hochschule, Chamber Orchestra of Europe).
Semi-final and final
The semi-final day will take place on Friday 14th July (free entry — 3.00pm to 9.30pm) with the final featuring the top three ensembles taking place the following day (Saturday 15th July — £10 entry: 5.00pm — 9.00pm)
The Grand Final will take place on Saturday 15th July. The competition format is for an ensemble of two trumpets, horn, trombone and tuba and offers a first prize of £7,5004BR
Schedule:
Masterclass (free):
Thursday 13th July
Semi-Final (free):
Friday 14th July
https://www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire/events-calendar/philip-jones-day-2-
Grand Final:
Saturday 15th July
