Young Composers’ Competition 2024/25 Winners Announced
In our second biannual Young Composers’ Competition, we set out to find six new works for brass band (three winners and three runners-up) from talented young composers aged 30 or under. We are delighted to announce this year’s three winning compositions are Variations on an Enclosure by Will Everitt (20), Betws-y-Coed by Nina Martin (20) and Nocturnal Dances by Samuel Thackray (21).
The NYBBGB received works from twenty-nine aspiring composers from all over the world. Earlier this year, The NYBBGB’s panel of esteemed judges, Maestro Martyn Brabbins, composer Gavin Higgins and The NYBBGB’s Director of Artistic Planning Dr Robert Childs, shortlisted works from ten gifted young composers as their competition finalists.
Martyn Brabbins, Chair of The NYBBGB’s panel of judges and Summer 2025 Youth Band Guest Conductor said, “The young composers gave us real pleasure with their work – such a rich variety of styles, experience and intent. While the jury might have welcomed a few more radical approaches, there’s no doubt the future of brass band music is bright. Congratulations to all and bravo to the prize winners!”
Our three competition winners will each receive a cash prize of £750 and a mentoring session with one of the competition judges. In addition, all three winning pieces will be performed on 9th August 2025 by The NYBBGB at their summer concert which takes place this year in the magnificent Amaryllis Fleming Hall of the Royal College of Music, London under the baton of Maestro Martyn Brabbins. Tickets for this concert are available now here.
Our competition judging panel also recognises three compositions as runner-up winners in this year’s competition: Storms of Light by Camille Chiu (25), Echoes by Lennert Van Laenen (20) and Concert Prelude: Ikigai by Andy Wareham (30).
Finally, two young composers’ works are highly commended by the judges: High Street Life by George Swayne (18) and Marche Triomphale by Easher Austin (14). Each competition runner-up will receive a cash prize of £250 and the opportunity to receive feedback via a one-to-one coaching phone call with a member of the judging panel. And as the youngest ever entrant of the Young Composers’ Competition, Easher’s work will also be performed by The NYBBGB Children’s Band on 1st August 2025 during the Band’s summer concert at Oundel School, Peterborough. Tickets for this concert are available now here.
The NYBBGB’s CEO Mark Bromley was delighted by the quality of compositions submitted to this year’s competition: “We were deeply impressed by the creativity and musical insight shown in all the entries to our Young Composers’ Competition. Warmest congratulations to Will, Nina and Samuel whose winning compositions demonstrated exceptional promise and individuality. Their work signals a bright and inspiring future for brass band music.”
We would like to thank everyone who entered this year’s competition. Huge congratulations to our competition winners, runners-up and highly commended composers! Find out more about all these young composers and their competition entries below.
