The premier senior entertainment Championship, Brass in Concert, is to forge a link with its counterpart for junior bands, the Youth Brass Band Entertainment Festival of Great Britain.

Concert

With effect from this year, the winner of the Youth Entertainment Festival will receive an invitation to perform an hour-long concert at The Sage Gateshead, the day before the main Brass in Concert Championship.

Brass in Concert will additionally give £1,000 to the Youth Entertainment Champion to fund its appearance in the concert, should it choose to accept the performance invitation. Brass in Concert organisers also hope to include extracts from the concert on the official Brass in Concert DVD.

Linking the premier youth and senior brass band entertainment championships is not only a logical development, but an inspired ideaTrevor Caffull

Demand

This year, the concert will take place between 3.30pm – 4.30pm on 15 November, in the Northern Rock Foundation Hall and if, as is anticipated, demand for tickets outstrips supply, the Youth Entertainment Champion will perform a second concert between 5.00pm – 6.00pm.

The concerts will precede the traditional, eve-of-contest World of Brass in Concert at 7.30pm, in the main auditorium at the same venue.

Logical development

Commenting on the development, Trevor Caffull, Managing Director of World of Brass, which acts as principal partner to the Brass in Concert Championship, reflected: "The development was suggested by the Organiser of Youth Brass Band Entertainment Festival of Great Britain, Gary Walczak, and enthusiastically supported by Brass in Concert.

It reinforces the workshops and ‘taster sessions’ held annually, the day before the main Championship, which are supported by the Shaw Trust and designed to encourage young brass players. Linking the premier youth and senior brass band entertainment championships is not only a logical development, but an inspired idea."

Elated

Absolutely elated about winning agreement for the new link between the two entertainment events, Gary Walczak, enthused: “I’m over the moon – it’s a dream come true. This is just fantastic news that represents ‘joined-up’ thinking and shows that the upper echelon of brass banding does really care about youth bands.

We have two fantastic events and I see one as now nurturing the other. I firmly think that support for each of these weekends will grow as a result of this move.”

Good for banding

He added: "The kids from ‘Action Research’ will really look forward to being part of the whole show at Brass in Concert, as well as to performing in venue like The Sage Gateshead.

Creating this opportunity for young people in banding to participate in an event as big as Brass in Concert, as well as to see the top bands playing, is not just good for both events, but for the whole of brass banding."

Roy Newsome presented the first ever invitation to perform at the Brass in Concert festival to the new 2008 Champion of the Youth Brass Band Entertainment Festival of Great Britain on 10 February, in the Wintergardens, Blackpool.