The 80-strong National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain is to perform a joint virtual performance of Dan Price’s Andromeda with the Royal Marines Band Service.

Musicians from the Royal Marines will record the military band parts in advance and support a series of online sectionals and masterclasses for members of the Youth Band after Christmas, allowing the members to record the music from the comfort of their own homes. The music, which Dan has reworked for military band and brass band specially for the occasion, will be aired online early next year.

The collaboration – a first for both Bands – came about through a conversation between NYBBGB CEO Mark Bromley and NYBBGB alumnus Captain Sam Hairsine RM, a Director of Music in the Royal Marines Band Service, who also volunteers with the UK’s premier youth brass band as a member of its pastoral staff.

Captain Sam Hairsine, said: “The NYBBGB is a brilliant organisation and I’m delighted that we can work together, especially in these challenging times.  It will be a real thrill for our professional musicians to work with and perform alongside these fantastic young people online.  It’s a fantastic project with an amazing band.”

Mark Bromley, NYBBGB CEO, added: “We have learned a lot about how to do music differently in 2020. This virtual collaboration with the Royal Marines Band Service promises to be a truly inspirational experience. A good end to a difficult year.”

Mark Bromley, NYBBGB CEO

Andromeda is dedicated to Elland Youth Band and its conductor, Sam Harrison, a former principal cornet of the NYBB. The band gave the premiere performance as part of its 2019 European Youth Brass Band programme in Montreux, Switzerland.

Search for the Royal Marines Band Service on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @RMBandService or via www.royalnavy.mod.uk/rmbsFurther information about the Arts Council England and the Department for Education funded National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, can be found on Facebook and Twitter @nybbgb or via www.nybbgb.com

Maestro Bramwell Tovey, the Grammy and Juno award-winning artistic director of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (NYBBGB) has stepped down from the post he has held since 2006.

Tovey, Principal Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra and Music Director Emeritus of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, who made his BBC Proms debut with the NYBBGB at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 2012, told the Band that his decision to leave was as a result of the need for more personal time to address the reoccurrence of an ongoing health issue requiring immediate attention. This is not COVID-19 related. Tovey’s resignation followed his resignation from Calgary Opera for the same reason.

Past Chair Dr Robert Childs, who worked closely with Tovey for over a decade, said:

‍“Bramwell is one of the most inspirational musicians I have ever witnessed. His work with the NYBBGB over the past decade will be remembered by members and staff alike. The soloists he has brought to the band have been world class, as were the guest conductors, and his music commissions have added great quality to the brass band repertory. However, the overriding memory I have of his long and distinguished tenure was his humility and ability to communicate on so many levels with the young musicians of the Band. He knew them all by name and made them all feel like professional musicians. Bramwell will be dearly missed by all.”

Mark Bromley, NYBBGB’s Chief Executive Officer added:

“I’d only got to know Bramwell well over the last three months since joining the Band as CEO, but already I know I’m going to miss his wise counsel. He brought so much to his role, inspired so many youngsters and delivered so many special performances. I’m now focussed on ensuring we build on his legacy and that our future artistic direction is something he will be proud of.”

Bramwell is a graduate of the University of London and the Royal Academy of Music, of which he was elected an honorary Fellow (in 2004). He was elected an honorary Fellow of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto (2005).

The National Youth and National Children’s Brass Bands of Great Britain (NYBBGB) has appointed its first ever Funding Development Manager, the last in the series of key management appointments for the organisation.

Louise Shaw, an experienced fundraiser and charity manager who has raised some £20 million for charity, joins from the University of Sheffield, where she worked as its Senior Philanthropy Manager – Foundations from December 2011. The University of Huddersfield graduate, will be responsible for raising vital funds for the organisation.

The new funding role complements the recent appointments of Mark Bromley (CEO),  Richard Milton (Operations Manager) and Ben Stratford (Communications and Marketing Manager.)

Mark Bromley, NYBB CEO, said: “We’re delighted to have appointed Louise to the new role. She will be a key member of the leadership team of the NYBBGB, with the purpose of helping develop and deliver the organisation’s funding development strategy, which in turn will support the organisation in its plans to make the Band more accessible to a broader range of people.”

Louise Shaw added “This is a very exciting opportunity and I really am looking forward to playing my part in the Band’s future. If you would like to support the Band in any way, big or small, please get in touch with me.”

Further information about the Arts Council England and the Department for Education funded National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, can be found on Facebook and Twitter @nybbgb or via www.nybbgb.com

Auditions for the National Youth and National Children’s Brass Bands of Great Britain will be on-line this year.

Young players from across the UK are being encouraged to audition for the National Youth and National Children’s Brass Bands of Great Britain this Autumn. The ongoing issues of COVID that are faced by us all mean that the auditions will not be in their usual format but will be carried out online. Prospective band members will be asked to upload their performances for assessment by Friday 16th October and then contacted for an online interview in the last week of October which will include sight reading and scales as in the normal audition process.

The process for applying is all online also and can be found on the NYBBGB website nybbgb.com  by following the “Join Us” links.

Richard Milton the new NYBBGB Operations Manager explained “As an organisation we are committed to getting young musicians making live music together as soon as possible and ensuring this is done safely is paramount. At this time the aim is still to run the Easter Course postponed from 2020 in 2021 and all the musicians who were expecting to be on that course have been invited back. The auditions this Autumn will be for the Summer Courses planned for July and August 2021.”

Find the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Education on Facebook and Twitter @nybbgb or via www.nybbgb.com

Richard will replace Alun Williams who joined the organisation as interim administrator on a temporary basis last year.

Music educator, teacher and conductor, Alun Williams will stand down from his role as interim administer in late September.

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Richard has worked in music education for more than 30 years, played in brass bands for more than 40 years and was Head of Service for Music and Performing Arts Salford (MAPAS) until retiring that role earlier this month. The Salford University alumni is also regional secretary of the North West Regional Brass Band Championships and still plays with his local band Whitworth Vale & Healey Brass Band.

Mark Bromley, the band’s newly appointed CEO, said: “This is about building an organisation to secure the Band’s future. With more than 30 years’ experience in music education, I’m very pleased to have Richard on board. His experience with youth bands and music education will be invaluable in continuing the great work of Alun, our brilliant outgoing interim administrator.”

“Richard’s role is a key part of the new leadership team and critical to ensuring the Band continues to offer students and audiences one of the best experiences they can get in youth banding, just as it has since it began way back in 1952.”

Richard Milton commented: “I have always been an ardent follower of the NYBBGB and all that it does. I’m really very proud to have been given this opportunity at such an exciting time in the Band’s history.”

Alun Williams added: “It’s been an absolute thrill to have served the organisation the last 12 months and, due to the COVID pandemic which I wasn’t expecting, to have been a part of the development team for the truly inspiring NYBB at Home online initiative, a replacement for the Summer residential course.”

The eminent conductor and euphonium player, Dr Robert Childs, Chair of the National Youth and National Children’s Brass Bands of Great Britain (the Band), stands down after ten years in the voluntary role, following the organisation’s successful National Youth at Home initiative culminating in their Grand Finale virtual concert on 7th August. Robert, who is a former member, tutor, guest soloist and guest conductor of the organisation, will remain as a trustee and board member, alongside his wife, Lorraine Childs.

The newly appointed Chair of the Board of Trustees is former member, tutor, long time Trustee and past Chair, John Gillam.

Meanwhile, in a landmark move by the organisation, Mark Bromley, who has been a trustee since 2015, has been appointed to the newly created post of Chief Executive Officer. Mark, who was Chair of Orchestras Live for ten years, is currently also Vice Chair of St Martin in the Fields Ltd, Vice Chair of the Hinrichsen Foundation and a member of the Supervisory Board of iconic music publishers Edition Peters.

Also joining the team in the new position of Marketing and Communications Manager is Ben Stratford – who so skilfully pulled together the technical aspects of the National Youth at Home Initiative and Grand Finale virtual concert.

Dr Robert Childs, the organisation’s outgoing Chair, said: “The past year has been one of the most difficult years in the history of the Band, for various reasons, but I’m confident that the new managerial structure with Mark Bromley and John Gillam at the helm will herald a new and prosperous future for the Band”.

Incoming Chair, John Gillam, added: “In these most challenging of times the Band is very quickly learning new ways of working. I am extremely impressed we were able to deliver a virtual course this Summer for both the Children’s Band and the Youth Band, largely due to the extraordinary efforts of Alun Williams, our interim administrator, and Robert Childs who skilfully led the team to make this happen. We are a busy Board with lots of exciting opportunities ahead of us and we look forward to further announcements around our structure for the future in due course.”

Mark Bromley the Chief Executive Officer, commented: “The Band has a long proud heritage but has also demonstrated, through its National Youth at Homeinitiative, that it is able to change. My vision is simple, to equip the present generation of young musicians to inspire the next. Our culture will be open and inclusive and give people from all backgrounds experiences that make them advocates for brass music. I am delighted to be working alongside John, Bob and the rest of the team who together have a huge wealth of experience.”

Find the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Education on Facebook and Twitter @nybbgb or via www.nybbgb.com

The National Youth (NYBB) and National Children’s (NCBB) Brass Bands of Great Britain are to feature two brand new works for virtual brass band at their inaugural joint concert on Friday 7th August.

Broadcast live as part of its National Youth at home initiative, the NCBB will include the premiere of Peter Graham’s Strange New Worlds and the NYBB will include the premiere of Bramwell Tovey’s Madrigali, both written for virtual performance.  Professor Nicholas Childs will lead the NCBB and Bramwell Tovey will lead the NYBB.

The NCBB recorded Peter Graham’s Strange New Worlds during its recent virtual course. A five-movement work, which in the words of the composer, “some may interpret … as being one from the ancients while others might identify with the science-fiction of H.G. Wells. Others still will relate to the recent surge of interest in1980s culture and the Netflix series Stranger Things (to which the title of my work pays homage). Nor would it be unreasonable to consider the piece an analogy reflecting events in 2020.

Meanwhile, the NYBB will perform Bramwell Tovey’s Madrigali, which in the words of the composer, “is a set of instrumental madrigals for each section of the band which will use a specially prepared click-track and involve individual and sectional preparation. The full band sections will be edited and pieced together post-course.”

Guest soloist for the NCBB will be Black Dyke Band principal trombone, Brett Baker. Viewers will hear La chica sin nombre (The girl with no name), by Rob Wiffin, completed during lockdown by the former conductor of the RAF Central Band. Spiritual Sometimes I feel like a motherless child, arranged by the soloist during lockdown, “focuses on the higher aspects of the range for the trombone”; and the challenging Autumn Dreams by Leo Zimmerman, a trombone soloist with the J P Sousa Band.

Soloist for the NYBB will be international euphonium soloist, David Childs. Childs will play one of his favourite solos, The Better World by Norman Bearcroft, The Song: I’ll Make Music by Karl Jenkins, and Carnival of Venice by Paganini / Arban, a work he previously played under Bramwell Tovey with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. The Better World, will be performed in tribute to the composer, who passed away recently.

Alun Williams, the Band’s interim administrator, said: “The concert will feature 140 of the UK’s finest young brass and percussion soloists from across the UK, led by two leading conductors, with two of the UK’s best brass soloists, what’s not to like?

Featuring brand-new compositions and arrangements for brass band coupled with the opportunity to hear the winner of the the NYBB’s Mortimer Prize, the broadcast will have something for everyone.”

The virtual concert will begin at 7pm on 7th August via the Band’s YouTube and Facebook sites.

Find the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Education) on Facebook, Twitter @nybbgb or at www.nybbgb.com

Leading figures from the British Army visit National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain’s summer course

Captain Stuart Marsh Adjutant of the Headquarters Household Divisions Band and the Director of Music of the Welsh Guards Band, Major Stewart Halliday, are just two of the many high-profile guests due to call in on the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain’s (NYBBGB) forthcoming virtual Summer course later this month.

Captain Marsh is to give a behind the scenes presentation on this year’s special Queen’s Birthday Tribute, held last month at Windsor Castle in lieu of the cancellation of Trooping of the Colour. Major Halliday will then feature alongside colleagues from the Household Division.

The special presentation – part of the NYBBGB’s National Youth at Home interactive initiative – will focus on key elements including preparing for the day, the choice of music, the challenges of socially distanced marching, and recreating the traditional military drill, the spin-wheel. Captain Marsh will guide the viewers through a mix of recordings, performances, imagery and interviews with key personalities of the musical delivery of the Queen’s Birthday Parade.

Described by BBC royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell as “a birthday parade for changed times”, this year was the first time that the tribute has been staged at Windsor since 1895, when a ceremony was held in honour of Queen Victoria.

Major Stewart Halliday, who took over the King’s Division Brass Band in June 2015, said: “I’m delighted to be given the opportunity to be part of a talk to the youngsters during their annual Summer course. With numerous former members of the NYBBGB going on to become military musicians, I’m hoping the talk will give a real insight into life of a musician in the armed forces. With the traditional trooping of the colour ceremony, which normally features hundreds of servicemen and women and thousands of spectators, being ruled out because of the threat of coronavirus, I’ll be part of a talk youngsters about us having only left 10 days for us to prepare for the new look Trooping of the Colour, and what we did to achieve it.”

The National Youth Brass Band online course will be between 27 and 30 July. This will follow the National Children’s Brass Band online course, which was held between 19 and 21 July. The joint end of course concert for both bands is due to be broadcast on YouTube and Facebook Live at 7pm on 7th August.

Find the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Education) on Facebook and via Twitter @nybbgb or via www.nybbgb.com.

For more information about a musical career in the Army search ‘Army Musician.’

National Youth and National Children’s Brass Bands of Great Britain to hold interactive virtual open day for brass & percussion players aged eight to eighteen

Funded by Arts Council England and the Department for Education, the National Youth (NYBB) and National Children’s (NCBB) Brass Bands of Great Britain (NYBBGB) are to hold an interactive virtual open day for young brass and percussion players on Tuesday 28th July.

The workshop – part of the NYBBGB’s National Youth at Home initiative – will give brass and percussion players, aged eight to 18, the chance to join a sectional and full-band band rehearsal.

Participants will also get the chance to ask questions to the NYBB’s artistic director, principal conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra, Bramwell Tovey, Music Director of the NCBB, Professor Nicholas Childs, Musical Director of Black Dyke Band, senior house tutors of both the NCBB and NYBB as well as members of the band’s leading team of tutors. These include Kate Moore (cornet), Tracey Redfern (cornet), Paul Young (cornet), Siobhan Bates (horns), David Childs (baritones & euphoniums), Carol Jarvis (trombones), Nick Etheridge (tubas), and Mark Landon (percussion.)

Alun Williams, the NYBBGB’s interim administrator, said: “The open day has proven a welcome innovation in recent years to the residential courses, and are always a great opportunity for children and young brass and percussion players to come together and experience a flavour of what to expect in being part of the NYBB or the NCBB. Not only will this be the first-time that the organisation has held its courses virtually, but it will be the first- time that the band’s open day has moved online.”

Alumni of the two bands include Philip Cobb (London Symphony Orchestra), Mark Wilkinson (Fodens Band) and David Childs (euphonium soloist.)

The Open day will be held between 10am and 1pm. To register your interest and be a part of this exciting open day please register on Eventbrite by searching for National Youth at Home Open Day or via https://bit.ly./NYatHomeOpenDay2020.

Find the organisation on Facebook and via Twitter @nybbgb or via www.nybbgb.com.

The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (NYBB) & National Children’s Brass Band of Great Britain (NCBB) unveil plans for their joint innovative Summer National Youth at Home courses & concert

The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (NYBB) and the National Children’s Brass Band of Great Britain (NCBB) – made up of 140 of the UK’s most young talented brass and percussion players – are to perform a joint virtual concert on Friday 7 August.

The concert – the first time the two bands have performed together – will be the culmination of two innovative back-to-back virtual courses, the first time the organisation has replaced its residential courses with online courses since the NYBB was founded in 1952. The NCBB course will be held between 19 and 21 July, and the NYBB course will be between 27 and 30 July.

The NYBB will be led by Artistic Director, the Grammy and Juno award-winning conductor and composer Bramwell Tovey, Principal Conductor of the BBC Concert Orchestra; and the NCBB will be led by Artistic Director Professor Nicholas Childs, Musical Director of the Black Dyke Band. The concert will feature guest soloists, David Childs (euphonium) and Brett Baker (trombone.) The two courses will also premiere two new compositions for virtual brass band, Bramwell Tovey’s Madrigali for Brass Band and Percussion and Peter Graham’s Strange New World.

The technical delivery of the course will be led by NYBB and NCBB alumni Ben Stratford of Mango Design, who was also commissioned to create a new brand identity for the two course under the theme National Youth at Home.

Dr Robert Childs, the Chairman of the NYBB and NCBB, said: “We’re really excited about our forthcoming virtual courses and end of courses joint concert. This will the first time that the two bands have performed together in concert, the first time that we’ve gone online, a necessary move during the current pandemic, and the first time that the two bands have gone under the same banner.”

“Although we will never be able to replace the physical courses we are known for, our two artistic directors, the trustees and I really felt that the young musicians shouldn’t miss out. We are therefore, delighted to have created two courses which will offer something really special for the children and young musicians, something we’d like to think, aren’t offered elsewhere.”

More details of the two courses and the end of courses concert will be announced soon. Find the organisation on Facebook, via Twitter @nybbgb or via www.nybbgb.com

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