NYBBGB ‘Splits the Air’ at New Music Biennial
The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain followed its recent Easter Course in Harrogate with an atmospheric and musically mature performance of Martin Green’s ‘Split the Air’ at Coventry Cathedral. The high quality performance was part of the ‘New Music Biennial’, a three-day festival featuring a range of genres from classical and chaamber orchestra to jazz, folk and electronic. Of the twenty new pieces of music heard at this year's festival, ten were brand new works selected from an open call and ten were pre-existing 'New Music Biennnial' works from across the last decade to mark the festival's launch in 2012 including music by Errollyn Wallen, Anna Meredith and Philip Herbert. The performance directed by Dr Robert Childs, the band’s Director of Artistic Planning, will also be featured on the BBC Radio 3 flagship arts programme 'Front Row' this week.
The programme included folk artist and composer Martin Green speaking with presenter Tom Sutcliffe about 'Split the Air', which explores the ambient ability of a brass band to fill the acoustic space with sound. Coventry Cathedral proved the perfect setting for the performance given by a specially selected ensemble of talented young musicians from the NYBBGB organisation. Particularly noteworthy contributions were made by Principal Cornet Lewis Barton and Solo Euphonium, Harry Stubbs.
The event was promoted by the PRS Foundation and Southbank Centre in partnership with Coventry City of Culture and will be performed again at London's Southbank on 2nd July. The entire NYBBGB will now turn its attention to the musical prelude to the European Brass Band Championships in Birmingham this Thursday. Under the baton of Irene Anda the band will join The Bands of HM Royal Marines at Birmingham Town Hall on Thursday April 28th (7.30pm), where they will perform works by Paul Saggers, Denis Wright, William Grant Still and Peter Graham. The featured soloist is Black Dyke Band trombone star Brett Baker who will perform Ray Stedman Allen's, 'The Eternal Quest'.
Tickets are available at: https://bmusic.co.uk/events/ebbc-prelude?fbclid=IwAR3uS-yJR1hEVi1__jcJjaBiN4W9m67vhW5GijE_eC4KWqxcKDnT-TcJyNY
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