FEAST FOR THE EARS AT RNCM FESTIVAL.

Pag e 14 british bandsman RNCM BRASS BAND FEST IVAL It is incredible to think that this year was the 28th time, across three decades, that the Brass Band Festival (which started out at the BBC studios at the other end of Oxford Road in Manchester) took place. If that's not enough for the listener there were recitals, additional concerts and as the festival continues to evolve and develop, this year a proactive link up with Brass Bands England for a debate about the role of women in brass bands. What started out as broadcasts of serious brass band repertoire from the likes of Black Dyke, Foden's and others in the presence of an invited audience for transmission on BBC Radio 3 has now become arguably the most important weekend in the brass band calendar. With Philip Wilby dropping hints that his latest brass band work could be heard very soon, Edward Gregson suggested that bands need to reinvent their audiences going forward whilst later, when discussing music for competitions, the esteemed composer also confessed he was not a fan of writing a piece of music for brass band that "ticked boxes" for what was required for the contest stage. [Extracted from the article]