The NYBBGB Easter Concert 2026 streams in full on Friday 22nd May 2026
The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain will present its Easter Concert 2026 to a global audience as a YouTube Premiere at 7.30pm on Friday 22nd May 2026.
Watch the full concert for free on our YouTube channel here.
Titled ‘New Horizons’, the concert was performed on 11 April 2026 at The Garden Rooms at Tennants in Leyburn by 90 of the UK’s most talented brass and percussion players aged 13 to 18, brought together through the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain. Under the direction of Guest Conductor Professor Nicholas Childs, and featuring Guest Soloist Mike Cavanagh, the programme embodied its central theme: a journey of discovery, renewal and musical exploration, reflecting both the expanding possibilities of the brass band tradition and the creative development of its young performers.
A major highlight of the evening was the world première of ‘Victoria Wood: A Laugh Less Ordinary’ by Andrea Price, commissioned by The Victoria Wood Foundation. The work marked the 10-year anniversary of the death of the late, great Victoria Wood, and paid tribute to her remarkable talent, music and body of work through a suite that blends humour, warmth and poignancy.
The concert’s wider programme reflected the same spirit of exploration. It opened with Paul Lovatt-Cooper’s ‘Horizons’, a bold and energetic statement that set the tone for an evening of musical discovery. Peter Graham’s ‘Tide, Torque and Turbulence: Concerto for Baritone’, performed by Mike Cavanagh, provided a lyrical and expressive centrepiece, paying tribute to pioneering women through three contrasting movements of narrative depth and technical brilliance. Bruce Broughton’s ‘Heroes’ continued the theme of human achievement, inspired by the Apollo 11 moon landing and combining rhythmic drive with expansive cinematic writing.
Further highlights included Fredrick Schjelderup’s ‘Fantasy of Joy’, an inventive reworking of Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’, and Peter Graham’s ‘Mill Town Revival’, which brought traditional spirituals into a fresh, vibrant brass band context. Solo features from Mike Cavanagh in Thomas Doss’s ‘Pulse’ and Gounod’s ‘Ave Maria’ added moments of contrast, showcasing both rhythmic intensity and lyrical sensitivity. The concert concluded with Edward Gregson’s ‘An Age of Kings’, a large-scale, dramatic work that brought together historical and musical themes in a powerful finale.
‘New Horizons’ ultimately captured the spirit of forward-looking artistry, and the upcoming premiere offers audiences the chance to experience this landmark performance in full.
