EBBA has announced the names of the three composers and the works which will compete for the title of 9th European Composer Competition winner.

The selection was made by the EBBA Music Commission for the final at Palanga Concert Hall on Thursday 2nd May. It will be the first major title to be decided at the 2024 European Championships.

Magdalena

Dupertuis Gauthier from Switzerland has written 'Magdalena'. The 26-year-old holds a Master's degree in musicology and philosophy from the University of Fribourg and gained his Diploma of Advanced Studies in orchestral conducting at the Bern University of the Arts.

'Magdalena' is inspired by the painting 'Magdalena Bay', by the French artist Francois-Auguste Biard (1799- 1882), which depicts a magnificent snowy landscape on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen.

However, in the foreground there is a wreckage of a ship with bodies covered in snow and a character in the last throes of life. The composer said: "In this work, I've tried to describe the different elements of the painting, using contrasting sections and dissonances."

Ascension

English composer Jack Ledger-Dowse (left) has written 'Ascension'.

Based in London he is a student at the Royal College of Music studying composition and composition for screen. In 2023 he composed a fanfare for the college's graduation
ceremonies, whilst his choral work 'Ave Maria' was selected by Paul Mealor as part of a visiting masterclass series.

'Ascension' features tense and rumbling fast passages, lyrical and emotive thematic writing and ethereal, spacious moments sprinkled with delicate percussion.

He says it "aims to showcase the just how many different sounds that a band comprised of mostly of a single instrument family can really achieve."

Red Planet

Belgian composer Lennert Van Laenen (right) has written 'Red Planet'.

At the age of six he developed a passion for the marimba with his current teacher Chin
Cheng Lin.

In 2015 he joined Young Brassband Willebroek, eventually joining the senior Willebroek Band. In 2020 his first brass band piece was published, with his most recent, entitled, 'Sparkle' coming runner-up in the 2023 National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain Composer Competition.

'Red Planet' describes an imagined journey to the planet Mars, with the composer saying that, "it represents the emotions of the adventure and the adrenaline involved.

The music portrays the paradoxes of fear, relief and excitement of the astronauts."

The final of the European Composers Competition will be held at Palanga Concert Hall on Thursday 2nd May featuring Cory Band led by Philip Harper who will perform each work4BR

Final and tickets

The final of the European Composers Competition will be held at Palanga Concert Hall on Thursday 2nd May featuring Cory Band led by Philip Harper who will perform each work.

Tickets are available from:

https://tickets.paysera.com/en/event/geras-ebbc-2024-palanga-european-brass-band championships