The climax of the RNCM Festival weekend came with Sunday evening’s enjoyable collaboration which allowed BBC Radio 2 to announce its Young Brass Award winner for 2013.
Recorded for later broadcast it was introduced by Frank Renton and Simone Rebello, with the entertainment broken into three distinctive parts.
Minor Vices
The RNCM Brass Band under Russell Gray provided individual and accompaniment contributions, whilst the audience also enjoyed the world première of Stan Nieuwenhuis' ‘Minor Vices’ written for Exit Brass! and the three competitor's vying for the Young Brass Award.
The RNCM Band opened with George Lloyd's march, 'HMS Trinidad', Britten's delightful 'The Spider and the Fly' from the J B Priestley's play, 'Johnson over Jordan' and Heaton's quirky 'The Golden Pen'.
Witty reminder
To close the first half they provided a timely reminder of the witty, clever entertainment compositions of Elgar Howarth’s: 'Berne Patrol', 'American Dream' and 'Hogarth's Hoedown' - all played with just the right dry sense of humour.
BBC Awards
Thomas Fountain of Virtuosi GUS, was the winner in the ‘under 18 category’ of the BBC Awards.
He opted to perform Alexander Goedicke's', 'Concert Etude' and the second and third movements of William Himes' 'Concertino For Flugel Horn' in his bid to capture the overall title by impressing the judging panel of Simon Dobson, Ewan Easton, Richard Evans and Kenneth Crookston.
Thomas's lyrical style didn’t quite carry the same sense of maturity as ‘under 21 winner’, bass trombonist player Josiah Walters.
Laconic
His wonderfully laconic arrangement of ‘James Brown in the Twilight’ totally enthralled the audience and ticked all the boxes the judges were looking for.
It would have been a close call though as Josiah's first piece, 'Song for the Skies', had a few uncomfortable moments.
Memory
‘Youth winner’ Youth Brass 2000 (including Thomas Fountain) performed a programme that showed off their ensemble talents to the full: a choreographed account of the 'Blast' version of 'Bolero' all from memory – and without the need for the MD to take to the stage.
Twelve year old Harry Lear played a starring role on flugel in 'Valero' before their set was wrapped up in fine style with Ivor Bosanko's Festival march, 'Rocky Mountain Centennial'.
Stunned winner
Whilst the judges went off to make their decision, it was left to Exit Brass!, the Festival Artistes in Residence to perform an intriguing set that included the world première of 'Minor Vices', 'Bohemian Rhapsody' and the march, 'Liberty Bell'.
Then, a stunned Josiah Walters found out that he'd been crowned the BBC Radio 2 Young Brass winner for 2013. You suspect there was no happier person in the whole of Manchester.
Malcolm Wood
