As the National Youth Brass Bands of Great Britain meet for their summer courses three members of the team are working extra hard.  Brett Baker (trustee), Mark Bromley (Chief Executive Officer) and Richard Milton (Operations Manager) having been collectively running 270 km to raise funds for bursaries.

Brett Baker said

“The NYBBGB Bursary Fund is a cause close to my heart as I was a member of the band myself and it was such an important part of my life as a teenager. It is really important that we provide bursaries for talented young musicians to attend our courses. I was inspired to set myself a running challenge and the 270km is the distance from our summer course this year in Repton to our 2022 summer course in Taunton.”

The team have now raised over £1,600 and will complete their run on the last day of the summer courses – August 7th, which is the date of the Youth Band concert.  If you would like to support them by making a donation, you can visit their fundraising page here – https://www.justgiving.com/team/NYBB-Bursary

Funding Development Manager Louise Shaw said

“We are so pleased with Brett, Mark and Richard supporting the organisation in this way.  The NYBBGB is a charity and we have big ambitions.  We need funding to provide bursaries every year.  We also want to develop our work and support more young brass and percussion musicians become the soloists, teachers, conductors and music leaders of the future.”

Do check out their progress, as Chief Executive Officer, Mark Bromley stated

“It’s been good fun doing this challenge and I have even got a little bit fitter.  I have to admit though that we have all been a little competitive, both in terms of the distance run and the amount raised.”

For more information about making a donation to, or fundraising for, the NYBBGB please do contact Louise Shaw on [email protected] / 01223 737831.

With the heat and excitement of summer looming, The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, the UK’s leading brass bands for children and young people which next year celebrates its 70th anniversary, is looking forward to its 2021 summer season.

The 2021 summer courses for both the Children’s Band and the Youth Band will be the first residential experiences since before the start of the pandemic. Following current COVID guidance the courses will be very similar to previous years (although unfortunately without an OpenDay or Auditions) however there will be one unique change: the end of course concerts will be in the open air.

Royal connections

In residence in Repton, ancient capital of Mercia and the seat of Kings, the Children’s Band and Youth Band courses will contain all the aspects of traditional courses, with exciting repertoire, industry-leading tuition and unique musical opportunities. One of the opportunities available will be the annual Harry Mortimer Solo Competition, and this year’s event will see NYBBGB alumnus Captain Sam Hairsine RM on the adjudication panel. The winner of the competition this year will get the opportunity to perform as a soloist with the Royal Marines Band Service in concert.

“I am so excited to be an adjudicator of the prestigious Harry Mortimer Solo Competition! It will be lovely to be on the ‘other side’ after competing as a member, whilst bolstering the ever developing relationship that the NYBBGB has with the Royal Marines Band Service.”

said Capt. Sam Hairsine RM.

Summer Concerts tickets

As part of the Youth Band and Children’s Band courses there will be exciting outdoor concerts on 30 July and 7 August where the children and young people will perform. You can sign up for a free ticket, bring your picnic blanket, favourite food and drink, to listen to the wonderful music in complete COVID security.

Mark Bromley, NYBBGB CEO said “Following the very successful live days we recently held we are doing all we can to offer our members a safe residential experience. The outdoor picnic concerts led by Phil Harper and Nick Childs will be a bit different from normal but I’m sure both the players and the audience will love them.”

To sign up and reserve a place at the concerts please visit the What’s On pageof our website. Tickets will be free of charge but we will be asking for donations towards our 2022 Bursary Fund which has recently launched on Just Giving.

Watch our Spring Digital Concert and donate

The excitement of our Spring Digital Concert can still be accessed online and streamed here. If you enjoyed this free performance then please consider making a donation, in lieu of a ticket here.

‍Search for the NYBBGB (funded by Arts Council England, the Department for Education and partnered with the Royal Marines Band Service) on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram or visit www.nybbgb.org.uk to keep up-to-date.

The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, the UK’s leading brass bands for children and young people which next year celebrates its 70th anniversary, has just completed its first live events since 2019.

The announcement also marks the launch of the Band’s £10,000 2022 bursary fund appeal.

Eighty young musicians

‍Eighty young musicians came together in three separate musical ensembles at Stoller Hall in Manchester, Malvern College in Worcestershire, and St Martin-in-the-Fields in the heart of London, under the direction of guest conductor Ian Porthouse, Musical Director of Tredegar Band, who is also Director of Brass Band Studies at Birmingham Conservatoire.

The performances, together with material from the virtual Easter course, will now be stitched together in preparation for a forthcoming gala concert, to be streamed on June 18. The streamed gala concert which will feature Gareth Wood’s Brass Triumphant and a number of exciting original works for brass band as well as some classic repertoire will be free-of-charge, instead the Band is asking for donations to their bursary fund appeal.

The appeal is to raise money for bursaries to help talented children and young people, who might not otherwise be able to do so on the grounds of cost, attend NYBBGB Children’s and Youth Band courses.

Magnificent sounds

Owen, percussionist said:

“After such a long time away from playing with ensembles, it was a brilliant experience getting back together with the band. The day was my favourite day of the year so far and I cannot wait for the course in the summer.”

Mark Bromley, CEO of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (NYBBGB), added:

“Not only were the live days a huge success musically they were also a tremendous boost for wellbeing – you could see that clearly in the faces of the players and the staff. The playing was magnificent; it never fails to amaze me how quickly these young people can just nail a piece and then perform it beautifully. To see and hear them perform, tune in to our gala concert which will be streamed on 18th June at 7pm. We are determined no one should miss out on a place in the band because of financial hardship. That’s why, starting now, we want to raise £10,000 towards our 2022 bursary fund, our 70th anniversary year. We are not charging for our concert on June 18th but we would love it if you could make a donation to our bursary fund.”

How you can watch and donate

The online gala concert will be streamed on Facebook and YouTube here. If you enjoyed our free performance then please consider making a donation, in lieu of a ticket here.

Search for the NYBBGB (funded by Arts Council England, the Department for Education and with support from Yamaha) on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram or visit www.nybbgb.org.uk to keep up-to-date. NYBBGB’s Easter course 2021 was sponsored by Yamaha.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! We are delighted to announce that we raised a total of £4,000 in our 2021 Bursary Fund appeal. This was our first ever appeal of its kind. We’d like to thank all our donors, whether you donated on our Just Giving page, are a regular donor or contacted us directly.

We are even more delighted that, thanks to you, we have just been able to give out 8 bursaries to children and young people joining our Children’s Band and Youth Band courses this summer. We have also been very pleased to give out six Leadership Awards. These will support some of our young people develop into the young music leaders of the future.

We really couldn’t have done it without you. Whilst the donations were fabulous, we were also heartened by all the messages of support sent in or written on our Just Giving page, and all the social media likes and shares. It just proves what we already knew – that The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain is a really special organisation!

We are really looking forward to meeting all our young members this summer, and to making real live brass band music.

The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain the UK’s leading brass bands for children and young people, has announced the concert programmes for its two forthcoming live back-to-back courses and concerts.

The Youth Band concert will be held on 7 August at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire a week after the Children’s Band concert which will be held on 30 July at Repton School. This will be the first time that both bands have run physical residential courses and live concerts since 2019.

The Children’s Band course and concert will be led by Professor Nicholas Childs, Musical Director of Black Dyke, with Philip Harper, Musical Director of Cory Band, leading the Youth Band course and concert.

Leading lights

Guest soloist for the Children’s Band will be euphonium virtuoso Gary Curtin whilst guest soloist for the Youth Band will be international trombone soloist, Ian Bousfield. Gary Curtin is solo euphonium of Fodens Band, one of the world’s leading brass bands, whilst Ian Bousfield, is a former member of the London Symphony Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic and an alumnus of the NYBBGB.

Repertoire for the concerts can be found in the Whats On section of the Band’s website nybbgb.org.uk

Mark Bromley, NYBBGB CEO, said:

“We can’t wait for the residential courses and concerts, with a live audience. They will be our first in two years.

The Summer series features a new commission from Fredrick Schjelderup, Clara Price narrating her own poem ‘Where She Sings Freely’ set to music by Lucy Pankhurst, world class conductors and soloists. It’s going to be awesome.”

Tickets for both concerts are expected to go sale in late June. Please check our Whats On page and the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire box office for details.

View the concert programmes here:

The Children’s Band Summer Concert

The Youth Band Summer Concert

The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, the UK’s leading brass bands for children and young people which next year celebrates its 70th anniversary, has just announced their first ever Conductors’ Competition is now open for entries. This, the Band’s inaugural conductors’ competition, supported by the Garfield Weston Foundation, is a major step in creating opportunities for up-and-coming musicians to make an impact on today’s youth music scene.

The competition offers a range of prizes for the winner, including conducting a work in the Band’s 70th Anniversary Celebration Concert and being tutored by Martyn Brabbins.

“The National Youth Brass Band traditionally nurtures young brass and percussion players, preparing them for further education, teaching and music making in the community. Many go on to become professional musicians in top orchestras. However, many diversify and develop into conductors. This new competition will give the winner the opportunity to work with maestro Martyn Brabbins for a full week. His expertise and experience will help nurture their talent and hopefully feed back into the brass band movement benefiting many others along the way.”

Dr. Robert Childs, NYBBGB Director of Artistic Planningand Competition Judge.

Competition Process

The competition will consist of an application stage followed by two further rounds. In order to enter the competition, participants must be aged between 20 and 30 years old on 1st January 2022. Entries will be accepted for the competition by October 1st 2021. To enter, complete a short biography, upload a video submission and provide your contact information to qualify.

Successful entrants will go through an online interview stage before being notified of their acceptance. Finally, from the interview stage six conductors will be selected and will get to work with a band made up of members of the NYBBGB, being assessed by Martyn Brabbins, Dr Robert Childs and Captain Sam Hairsine RM. For the final stage of the competition, three finalists will have their skills judged by these same panelists.

“Discovering new conducting talent, and then nurturing that talent is something I am passionately committed to. First though, one has to give the aspiring conductor a chance to show what he or she has to offer. This new competition will do just that, and by a process of selection and with careful guidance, new talent will be given the chance to flourish.”

Martyn Brabbins, NYBBGB Youth Band Guest Conductor Summer 2022 and Competition Judge.

For more detailed information regarding the competition process, please refer to the NYBBGB Weston Conductors Competition page on the NYBBGB website: https://www.nybbgb.org.uk/cc2022

The Weston Prize for Conducting

The winner of the Weston Prize for Conducting will join maestro Martyn Brabbins and the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain for their Summer Course at Taunton School between 30th July and 6th.

The opportunity includes working as Associate Conductor and rehearsing side-by-side with the Band’s music staff and young people. The winner not only will conduct a work at the NYBBGB’s 70th Anniversary concert on 6th August in London, but also receive £500 to explore their talents alongside and be mentored by Martyn Brabbins.

Entry process

To enter or to find out more please refer to the NYBBGB Weston Conductors’ Competition page on the NYBBGB website: https://www.nybbgb.org.uk/cc2022.

Search for The NYBBGB (funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Education and partnered with the Royal Marines Band Service) on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram or visit www.nybbgb.org.uk to keep up-to-date.

The 80-strong National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (NYBBGB), which next year celebrates its 70th anniversary, has just completed the virtual component of its annual Easter course, run online by its new management team, with Operations Manager Richard Milton, Director of Artistic Planning Dr Robert Childs and CEO Mark Bromley at the helm.

Guest Conductor Ian Porthouse put the young people through a challenging programme of works including Peter Graham’s ‘Triumph of Time’ and Gareth Wood’s ‘Brass Triumphant’. Meanwhile, Guest Cornet Soloist Tom Hutchinson, principal cornet player of Cory Band, ran a masterclass.

Inspiring Highlights

Highlights of the three-day course included workshops with Ian Porthouse, alumnus Captain Samuel Hairsine RN and members of the Royal Marine Bands Service, composer Gavin Higgins (talking about his ballet suite, ‘Dark Arteries’) and Dr Clarence Adoo (trumpeter), who gave an inspiring and thought provoking presentation on his life, to more than 100 delegates. The band’s open day attracted more than 80 visitors, making it the most successful open day since they were first launched.

Helen Williams, flugel tutor, who plays flugel with Cory Band, said: “It was refreshing and extremely heartening to see such a great response to the Easter Course of the NYBBGB. The course combined practical sessions rehearsing repertoire in sectionals and full band with presentations from the Royal Marines and Gavin Higgins. Inspirational seems too weak a description of the session given by Clarence Adoo.

“I was particularly impressed with the last full day of the course on which all members of the band were offered one to one online tuition. I was treated to some fantastic playing from students in the flugel and cornet sections who were preparing for the Katie Ogden Solo Competition. Every timetabled student arrived on time and made the best use of their allocated time. Fabulous!”

Luke Barker, cornet commented:

“The Easter virtual course was a triumph. We were once again treated to amazing masterclasses and workshops, tuition from world class players, and brilliant leadership from Ian Porthouse. It is an incredible opportunity and one of the gems of the banding world, which no one should hesitate becoming a part of.  I can’t wait for the summer course!”

Bethan Spragg, cornet, added:

“What an action packed few days! From virtual sectionals and full band rehearsals to workshops and talks by the Royal Marines, Clarence Adoo and Gavin Higgins, we covered so much in such a short space of time! I feel as if I’ve learnt so much from all our incredible tutors and been inspired by the guest speakers. I thoroughly enjoyed the masterclass and concert by Tom Hutchinson, who gave some great tips on how to progress. I can’t wait for the live regional days to take place in June, what a difference it will be to hear people play rather than watch everyone’s muted box on zoom!”

Expert leadership

Coaching staff were James Fountain (cornet), Mark Wilkinson (cornet), Helen Williams (flugel), Owen Farr (horn), Chris Jeans (trombone), Glyn Williams (baritones and euphonium), Les Neish (utba), Andrea Price (percussion) and John Maines (librarian). The house staff were ably led by Lorraine Childs and Danny Stenhouse.

To complete the course, the band will reconvene on between 2 and 4 June split into three smaller ensembles playing at Chetham’s School of Music (Manchester), Malvern College (Worcestershire) and St Martin-in-the-Fields (London).

There will be an online gala concert on 18 June featuring excerpts from the digital course and a performance of Gareth Wood’s Brass Triumphant.

‍The NYBBGB Easter course 2021 is sponsored by Yamaha.

‍Search for the NYBBGB (funded by Arts Council England, the Department for Education and with support from Yamaha) on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram or visit www.nybbgb.org.uk to keep up-to-date.

We’re delighted to share our 2020 Annual Review with you.

I’m sure 2020 seems quite distant, and hope you are able to feel positive about the future as the country recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic. We have exciting plans, as always! Our Easter course is blended this year, with a few days of online learning which took place last week, and some face-to-face small group meet ups in early June. The concert (comprising work from each part) will be held online on the 18th June at 7pm – I hope you’ll be able to join us.

We will shortly launch a Bursary Scheme to help support talented young persons who might otherwise be excluded from the NYBBGB experience due to cost. Initially this will provide a number of means tested bursaries for the summer residential courses. We hope you can share it on your social media, and would love to hear from you if you know of any sources of funding we could tap into to support these bursaries.

Please do feel free to contact our funding development manager about anything on 01223 737831 or by email at [email protected]

‍

The Ivor Novello Award winning British composer Gavin Higgins, whose iconic Dark Arteries, is to be a cornerstone of the Youth Band’s forthcoming Easter course, is just one of the many leading guests who will be visiting the young musicians.

In a short video released ahead of Easter, guest conductor, Ian Porthouse, one of the UK’s leading brass band conductors, has spoken to Gavin, a Youth Band alumnus, about the origins of Dark Arteries, a work which will be analysed during the online element of the band’s forthcoming course.

Blended educational space

The NYBBGB, the UK’s leading brass bands for young people, is holding its Easter Course online, complemented in June by a series of live performances, the result of the ongoing pandemic.

Ian Porthouse, the band’s guest conductor, said: “Dark Arteries was commissioned by Rambert Dance Company and first performed in May 2015 with my band, the Tredegar Town Band, in which we shared the stage with Rambert dancers. Dark Arteries is a personal and at times highly wrought response to the Miners’ Strike and its aftermath. The youngsters are going to love meeting Gavin.”

He added: “It is in three movements, the first and last are expansive, with widely contrasting sound worlds, from dark, brooding melodies and the haunting sounds of solo flugel-horn to wild syncopations on cornets, suggestive of an imposing, but often bleak mining landscape. In 2016 Higgins re-worked Dark Arteries into a virtuoso concert suite, which captures the essence of the work in three connected movements. It is this version, which the band will work on.”

Inspiring commissions

In addition to Dark Arteries, Gavin has been commissioned by leading orchestras, ensembles and soloists including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, Manchester Camerata, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble 10:10, Rambert, the Carducci Quartet, the Fidelio Trio, the Piatti Quartet, David Cohen and Mark Simpson.

The Youth Band’s Easter Course will be held between 4th and 6th April, and subject to appropriate government guidance, will be followed by live components between 2nd and 4th June which will see the band split into three smaller ensembles playing at Chetham’s School of Music (Manchester), Malvern College (Worcestershire) and St Martin-in-the-Fields (London).

Mark Bromley, CEO of the NYBBGB said “I’m very excited that Gavin is joining the course to talk to members about his inspiration for Dark Arteries. Not only from a musical perspective but from an historical perspective”.

Register for our free online events as part of the Easter Course!

Join the Youth Band Open Day & Masterclass

Join the Masterclass with Dr Clarence Adoo MBE

Search for The NYBBGB (funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Education and partnered with the Royal Marines Band Service) on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram or visit www.nybbgb.org.uk to keep up-to-date.

NYBBGB Easter 2021 is sponsored by Yamaha.

Young brass and percussion players between the age of 13 and 18 are invited to a virtual open day of the 80-strong National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, the UK’s leading brass band for young people.

The free-of-charge open day, which will be held on 6 April, will feature a masterclass with Cory Band principal cornet player, Tom Hutchinson, one of the world’s finest brass players and soloists.

The event will give the young musicians the chance to experience first-hand what it is like to be a member of the band, as well as the chance to ask questions with Richard Milton, the Youth Brass Bands Operations Manager, former Head of Service, Salford Music and Performing Arts Service and Dr Robert Childs, Director of Artistic Planning, Director of Brass Band Studies at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.

Leading voices

Sectional rehearsals will be led by the band’s tutors, drawn largely from leading orchestras and brass bands.

James Fountain, cornets (joint principal trumpet, London Philharmonic Orchestra and trumpet professor at the Royal College of Music); Mark Wilkinson, cornets (principal cornet, Fodens Band); Andrea Price, percussion (Head of Academic Music at Malvern College and previously a Black Dyke Band percussionist), Les Neish, tubas (Tuba tutor, Royal Northern College of Music, RNCM Junior School, Salford University, Birmingham Conservatoire and Huddersfield University, and Eb bass, Brass Band of Battle Creek); Glyn Williams, baritones and euphoniums (solo euphonium, Cory Band), Helen Williams, flugel horns (flugel horn, Cory Band), Owen Farr, tenor horns (tenor horn tutor, Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama solo horn, Brass Band of Battle Creek; and Chris Jeans, trombones (Musical Director, GUS Band)

The session will be held during the Youth Brass Band’s forthcoming Easter Course, which due to the ongoing pandemic, will be a mix of virtual and physical performances and educational opportunities.

The session will be held during the Youth Brass Band’s forthcoming Easter Course, which due to the ongoing pandemic, will be a mix of virtual and physical performances and educational opportunities.

Richard Milton, the Youth Brass Band’s Operations Manager, and who will also be taking part in the Open Day, said: “The Open Day will be a fantastic opportunity for youngsters who want to go on to develop. Not only will they get to listen to masterclass from Tom Hutchinson, arguably one of the world’s finest cornet soloists, but they’ll get to listen in to sectional rehearsals, led by a stellar cast of the best of the best.”

The Youth Band’s Easter Course will take place between 4th and 6th April and following the Government’s latest advice on Covid-19, the three live days will be held during the Spring half-term. The gala concert will be broadcast on Friday 18th June.

‍To book a place on the open day, which will be held between 10am and 1.30pm register below.

REGISTER HERE‍

Search for The NYBBGB (funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Education) on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram or visit www.nybbgb.org.uk to keep up-to-date.

Former professional trumpeter, Dr Clarence Adoo MBE, is to give a masterclass to members of the The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (NYBBGB).

The masterclass will be delivered during the Youth Brass Band’s forthcoming Easter Course, which due to the ongoing pandemic, will be a mix of virtual and physical performances and educational opportunities. The inspirational webinar will also be open to members of the public.

Sign-up to webinar

The Youth Band’s Easter Course will take place between 4th and 6th April and following the Government’s latest advice on Covid-19, the three live days will be held during the Spring half-term. The gala concert will be broadcast on Friday 18th June.

Campaigner for Disability

Clarence, who in 1995 was involved in a tragic car accident which left him paralysed from the neck down, is a campaigner for disabled people in the North East of England. He played a key role in the design for disabled people of the SAGE, Gateshead, and is a special advisor to NYBBGB, with a focus on diversity and disability.

Although Clarence is no longer a full-time musician, he now plays the Headspace, an electronic instrument that was created specially for him.

A committed Christian, Clarence grew up within a Christian foster family in Essex, where he first took an active interest in music. At the age of six, he joined the Young People’s Salvation Army band where he began to learn to play the cornet, and later went on to study trumpet at the Royal College of Music. He then worked as a freelance musician in a range of genres, from pop, jazz (with Courtney Pine and the Jazz Warriors), to classical (including contemporary music with the London Sinfonietta). Then in 1992, Clarence moved to Newcastle to take up a contract with Royal Northern Sinfonia.

A True inspiration

Clarence Adoo is thrilled to have the opportunity to share with members of the National Youth Brass Band, his electronic instrument Headspace. This instrument has provided him with a valuable niche in the music profession which has challenged many barriers, traditions and musicians worldwide in Diversity and Inclusion in the arts, which could affect us all.

Mark Bromley, CEO of the NYBBGB added: “NYBBGB is an organisation that gives young people the opportunity to experience the best of music making and we are working hard to make what we do accessible to more people. Clarence exemplifies what we are about. This presentation to members of the band, promises to be something really special. I’m sure the young people will find Clarence’s talk truly inspirational, and to value music in all its forms.”

Search for The NYBBGB (funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Education) on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram or visit www.nybbgb.org.uk to keep up-to-date.