The Brass Bands Archive based at Heritage Quay, part of the University of Huddersfield, has launched its new 'That's Banding!' exhibition.
It features archive items alongside stories from banders as part of a wider 'Diverse Voices' project. It is hoped that the exhibition will provide an engaging insight for visitors into a movement that "blends tradition with fresh creativity and an expanded image of varied lived experiences."
Diverse stories
Speaking about the exhibition, Brass Band Archivist Kait Buchbaum said: "We wanted to show the public what banding has become, but those diverse stories were not in the archive. We needed to find them."
With funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF), the Heritage team collected modern stories as an oral history through the Diverse Voices project, expanding access to lived experiences.
One voice is that of Neythen Powell-Jones, winner of the Junior Harry Mortimer Award for Most Promising Soloist on the 2025 NYBBGB Children's Band Course. Others include Mark Arnold, a Deaf musician; Katy Ruta, charity founder of Crofton Music Trust; Colin Gibbs, President Emeritus of Tewit Youth Band, and several others.
Shared heritage
Held at Heritage Quay, Huddersfield the exhibition opens with a special Archives Open Day event on Saturday 19th September between 11.00am-3.00pm.
Kait Buchbaum, the exhibition's curator, commented: "Whilst bands and their members may change over time, the strong sense of community, contests, and shared heritage stays the same.
'That's Banding!' celebrates the traditional and the innovators and brings hundreds of years of music-making up to date."
'That's Banding!' celebrates the traditional and the innovators and brings hundreds of years of music-making up to dateCurator, Kait Buchbaum,
Broadening narratives
Dave Smith, Public Engagement Officer at Heritage Quay, added: "We are looking forward to welcoming visitors to the archive to see this pioneering exhibition. When Brass Bands England proposed this project, we were really excited: broadening the narratives we can tell is a big part of what we try to do.
As important for us is that these stories have been documented and will be added to the collection. This means they are safeguarded for future generations to learn from and enjoy."
