Featuring 27 bands, 386 young performers, nine free workshops and four sections, the The National Youth Brass Band Championships of Great Britain’s made a spectacular return this weekend. You can view the photos of the event on the Youth Champs Flickr page.
Taking place over Saturday 26 and Sunday 27 at Corby Business Centre, the Youth Champs, is organised by Brass Bands England.
On Saturday, audiences were welcomed by the day’s compère, TV’s Dave Benson Philips, who entertained and enthused audiences of all ages between each performance. Adjudicators for day one were Alexandra Kenyon and John Barber, who enthusiastically shared feedback on all of the bands, including those in the non-competitive Besson Prodige Debut Section.
Day two adjudication came from Mark Bousie and Stephanie Binns, who were equally encouraging and supportive of all the young talent performing on stage. The day was presented by David Hayward, experienced bander and long-time supporter of the event.
A series of free workshops were delivered throughout the weekend by a range of organisations including the Brass Band Conductors' Association and the British Army Band Tidworth. From conducting “wand workshops” to careers in the arts, audience members and bands were able to learn something new in between performances.
The results
Elementary Section
1st Place: Lions Junior Band
2nd Place: Dobcross Youth Intermediate Band
3rd Place: Firth Park Academy Brass Band
Best soloist: Euphonium - Lions Junior Band
Intermediate Section
1st Place: Elland Silver Training Band
2nd Place: Tewit Youth Intermediate Band
Best Soloist: Ella Simpson, Elland Silver Training Band
Championship Section
1st Place: Youth Brass 2000
2nd Place: Lions Youth Brass
3rd Place: Tewit Youth Senior Band
Best soloist: George Fearnley, Tewit Youth Senior Band
Bands each received a Certificate of Achievement at Gold, Silver, Bronze or Merit level. All winners received a Youth Champs trophy to be retained by the band. First place bands in the Elementary, Intermediate and Challenge sections take with them the BFBB Cup, BBE Chairman's Cup, and BBE President's Cup respectively, to be retained for the year.
First place bands in the Intermediate and Challenge sections are eligible to represent England in the Development and Premier Sections of the 2023 European Youth Brass Band Contest, which will be held in Malmö, Sweden.
Kenny Crookston, CEO of Brass Bands England, commented:
“It was fantastic to see so many bands from all over the country join us this weekend for the return of such an important event for youth banding. All of the bands involved performed brilliantly and I hope the young people enjoyed their performing experience. I’d like to thank everyone who came as an audience member, your support is vital to the ongoing success of the event and I hope we will see you again next year.”
Those who missed out or who want to re-watch the action can do so on brasspass.tv until Saturday 2 April.
For news about next year’s Youth Champs you can register for the Brass Bands England newsletter. Those who enjoyed the day can continue to support BBE's youth work by participating in the Brass Foundations education programme.