Administrative Assistant

We are looking for a talented individual to join our team who is passionate about music and wants to give some of the brightest young brass and percussion musicians in the UK the opportunity to develop their musicianship, play together and inspire others.

As our Administrative Assistant, you will support our CEO and Operations Manager to ensure the NYBBGB residential courses and concerts run smoothly. You will also help the Audience Development Manager to promote the Band’s work and fundraising.

We would love to hear from you if…

• you want gain work experience whilst making a real difference to young people
• you work effectively within a team and enjoy collaborating with others
• you can work independently to complete tasks on time to the standard expected
• you have good written and verbal communication skills and are proficient with key social media platforms

To find out more and apply, please visit our Job Vacancies page.

It is with great sadness that the NYBBGB trustees and staff heard of the passing of Elgar Howarth yesterday, one of the most significant figures to be associated with the 20th century brass band movement. Elgar died on 13th January 2025 aged 89.

Born in 1935, he became a hugely influential figure in British classical music, as a player, a composer and a conductor. He held various prestigious positions and tenures, with his work in contemporary opera in particular earning critical acclaim.

A member of the Philip Jones Brass Ensemble, he later went on to enjoy a celebrated association with Grimethorpe Colliery Band. His influence on the wider brass band movement was profound, with his pivotal compositions for the contest and concert stage reaching out in exciting new directions.

The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain was honoured when Elgar Howarth assumed the position of Artistic Director during the Band’s 50th anniversary year in 2002. During his tenure, he championed the formation of the National Children’s Brass Band of Great Britain in 2004, one of the most significant developments in the entire history of the NYBBGB. Elgar became the NYBBGB’s third President in 2006 until his retirement in 2020.

Elgar will be sadly missed. The trustees and staff at the NYBBGB send our deepest condolences to Elgar’s family and friends.

We are delighted that The Observer’s Fiona Maddocks has selected our performance of Gavin Higgins’ Concerto Grosso with our friends at The National Youth Orchestra to be one of her top 10 best concerts and operas of 2024!

Back in April, the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain was in concert with the National Youth Orchestra under the direction of Jessica Cottis. As part of a Festival of Youth, jointly promoted by the two organisations, we joined on stage to perform Higgin’s Concerto Grosso for brass band and orchestra under the direction of Guest Conductor Tess Jackson.

Higgins’ Concerto Gross is a large-scale piece in five movements that explores brass band history and style, mixing social history with music and politics. Listen to an excerpt here.

Read Fiona Maddocks’ full article in The Observer here.

The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (NYBBGB) has successfully completed its 2024 audition cycle, attracting over 100 talented children and young people from across the UK. Auditions were held between September and November at eight centres nationwide (plus online), showcasing the remarkable musical talent and dedication of the next generation of brass musicians.

Following a highly competitive selection process, 57 young musicians have been offered places in the band. These individuals represent the finest young brass and percussion talent in the country, continuing the NYBBGB’s legacy of nurturing excellence and promoting brass music.

In 2025, the NYBBGB will hold residential courses at Pangbourne College and Oundle School. These intensive courses will culminate in public concerts in Tidworth, (York to be confirmed), Oundle, Birmingham, and London, offering audiences the opportunity to experience the exceptional skill and artistry of the bands.

As part of its commitment to music education and community engagement, the NYBBGB will also embark, through its Ambassador Ensemble, on a special music education tour in Bradford, celebrating the city’s prestigious designation as the UK City of Culture in 2025. The tour will inspire and educate local schoolchildren and young players, focusing on inclusivity and the power of music to unite communities.

However, the NYBBGB must regretfully announce that due to the UK Government’s decision to apply VAT to private school hires, course fees will have to be raised significantly to cover this additional cost. Private schools have provided wonderful facilities to the NYBBGB for many decades, enabling the band to deliver transformative experiences for young musicians. This policy change has placed an unexpected financial burden on the organisation and the families it serves.

The NYBBGB remains committed to making its courses as accessible as possible and will continue to prioritise its bursary scheme to support young musicians from lower-income families. Despite these challenges, the band will maintain its high standards of excellence, inspiring the next generation of brass players and sharing the joy of brass music with audiences across the UK.

🚀 NYBBGB Alumni Careers Talk – Free Online Event! 🚀

🗓 Date: Wednesday, 13th November 2024

🕖 Time: 7pm – 8:15pm

📍 Location: Online via Zoom

Are you aged 18-25 and studying or recently graduated from university? Wondering what your next step is or how to kickstart your career? Join us for a FREE online panel event where NYBBGB alumni will share insights into various career paths—both in and out of music!

Our facilitator:

🎺 Richard Hillson (NYBBGB, cornet 1999-2000)

Meet Our Speakers:

🎓 Kate Chisholm (NYBBGB, flugel horn 1995-2000) – Executive Headteacher at Smart Academy Trust, Newcastle. Kate will share her career journey in education, how music shaped her path, and tips for success in the professional world.

🥁 Ashley Clegg (NYBBGB, percussion 2008-2011) – British Army Musician. Ashley will discuss opportunities as a musician in the British Army and share his experiences.

📊 Alison Bonathan (NYBBGB, cornet, 1998-2000) – Technical Manager at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. Alison will explore careers in accounting and offer advice for navigating the graduate job market.

🎼 Joshua Parkhill (NYBBGB, Assistant Conductor, 2024) – Freelance Musician. Joshua will talk about building a portfolio career in music, focusing on performance and conducting.

💼 Emily Dodsworth (NYBBGB, cornet, 2003-2006) – Employee Experience Manager at Close Brothers. Emily will share her journey in recruitment, what employers look for, and why it’s okay not to have everything figured out yet—opportunities come in many forms!

📧 To book your spot, email [email protected] to receive the Zoom link.

Open to all NYBBGB alumni aged 18-25 and non-alumni are welcome too!

Don’t miss this chance to gain valuable insights and kickstart your career journey!

The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (NYBBGB) has been awarded the Green Hero Award by Brass Bands England at their annual conference, recognising the band’s significant contributions to environmental awareness through their “Fragile Earth Project.” The award highlights NYBBGB’s innovative use of music to engage audiences with pressing environmental issues, notably through a commissioned piece by the esteemed composer Sir Karl Jenkins and a strategic partnership with The Wildlife Trusts.

The Fragile Earth Project has brought together music, education, and environmental advocacy in a unique and impactful way. The centerpiece of the project was the commissioning of an original work by Sir Karl Jenkins, one of the most renowned contemporary composers. His piece, inspired by the beauty and fragility of the natural world, captured the urgency of the environmental crisis and aimed to stir audiences to reflect on their relationship with the Earth. The powerful work was performed by NYBBGB in a series of concerts and school tours across the UK, bringing its message of environmental stewardship to the forefront of the brass music world.

The partnership with The Wildlife Trusts further deepened the project’s impact, offering educational resources and workshops to members. Together, they aimed to inspire young people to become active participants in protecting the environment. The Wildlife Trusts provided insight into critical conservation efforts, such as biodiversity preservation, habitat protection, and sustainable living practices, complementing the musical performances with concrete actions individuals can take.

NYBBGB is committed to reducing its own environmental footprint. The band implemented measures such as encouraging rail travel and car-sharing for their staff and members, reducing single use plastic, and supporting sustainable food sources during their residential courses. These efforts mirrored the project’s core message of living in harmony with the planet and reducing individual and collective environmental impact.

NYBBGB’s CEO, Mark Bromley, expressed pride in the band’s role in raising environmental awareness through music. “This award is a tremendous honour for everyone involved in the Fragile Earth Project. We are thrilled to have worked with Sir Karl Jenkins and The Wildlife Trusts to highlight the importance of protecting our planet. Music has a unique power to connect people, and we hope that this project continues to inspire audiences to take action on climate change.”

The Green Hero Award marks a significant achievement for NYBBGB, underlining their role as not just musical leaders, but as champions of environmental responsibility in the brass band community and beyond.

The NYBBGB has been working on a special project this year in collaboration with The Friends of Bedfordshire Youth Music.

The NYBBGB Ambassador Ensemble will be touring Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes for the week of 8th to 12th July delivering music education concerts in local primary schools. During that same week on Wednesday 10th July, the Ambassador ensemble will also be performing a joint concert with young people from local community bands under the baton of Dr Robert Childs at The Stables Theatre in Wavendon, Milton Keynes.

During their week long stay in the area, the Ambassador Ensemble is expecting to play for over 3,000 school children across ten primary schools. The hope is that the concerts will inspire the primary school children to go on and learn to play an instrument themselves and eventually go on to play in a band.

The concert on 10th July will include children from two youth bands, Bedford Town Band Brass Academy and Amersham Youth Band, as well as a group of advanced young brass musicians drawn from throughout Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes. All of the children taking part in this event will attend a music workshop with Dr Robert Childs, the NYBBGB’s Director of Artistic Planning, and world renowned brass band conductor and euphonium player.

This project has been a significant part of FBYM’s programme this year and we are delighted to have been given the opportunity of working with them to bring this wonderful opportunity to local children.

Tickets are available on line at The Stables Box Office : The Ambassadors or from the box office 01908 280800.

A joint ambition “to increase understanding and widen opportunity” will see The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (NYBBGB) and The National Youth Brass Band of Switzerland (NJBB) spearhead a new reciprocal musical partnership.

Supported by Besson, Horizons will see two players given the opportunity to experience each other’s annual course — starting with two NYBBGB Ambassador Band players heading to Switzerland in July to join their senior band led by conductor Florent Didier.

In August the arrangement will be reversed, with two Swiss players heading to Stonyhurst College in Clitheroe to work under Guest Conductor Prof David King.

The only stipulation being that to apply for the exchange players must be over 18.

Speaking about the ‘Besson Horizons’ programme, Mark Bromley, CEO of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain told 4BR: “It is a shared ambition of our organisations to offer talented youngsters the opportunity to enjoy new experiences — both musical and cultural.

With this incredible support from Besson it is about enhancing what we all hope will be a lifelong passion for music by making connections and friendship that last just as long.”

It is an ambition shared by Monika Bandi Tanner, President of The National Youth Brass of Switzerland.

“We are thrilled to be able to offer incredible experiences for both Swiss and British players — ones that we also believe will ignite a lifelong passion for brass band music making.

We are a community that works best together — inspiring each other, learning from one another by understanding and respecting our cultural differences, but also what we share together in music.”

Supporting this programme allows us not only to help inspire talented young musicians but to also increase understanding and widen opportunity — broadening horizons for youngsters in so many ways through brass banding.

The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain was established in 1952 by Dr Denis Wright, whilst their Swiss counterpart was formed in 1976 by Markus Bach.

Over the years they have offered countless youngsters the opportunity to express their talents under inspirational conductors.

It is believed that the ‘Besson Horizons’ programme is the first official partnership link between the organisations, and builds on the other opportunities youngsters have enjoyed in participating in the European Youth Brass Band.

As Besson spokesperson Euan Meikle explained to 4BR, it is a collaboration that also shares their desire to build lasting links between brass band movements across Europe.

“The future is in the hands of young brass musicians wishing to achieve their potential.

Supporting this programme with the NYBBGB and NJBB allows us not only to help inspire talented young musicians but to also increase understanding and widen opportunity — broadening horizons for youngsters in so many ways through brass banding.”