Scottish Festival of Brass Condensed
November’s Scottish Festival of Brass has been condensed to a single weekend because of the logistical and financial challenges associated with staging a larger event this year. With the exception of last year, the SFoB traditionally takes place over two weekends – the first for the Band Supplies Challenge contest on Saturday followed a week later by the Scottish Open for championship bands on Saturday and the Youth Festival on Sunday.
The 2021 Scottish Open will take place on Saturday 27 November at the Perth Concert Hall. The Band Supplies Challenge competition for bands in sections 1-4 has been moved to the following day, Sunday 28 November. While there is no specific Youth Festival event, it is hoped to organise a similar occasion at a later date. Nevertheless, youth will still feature prominently over the SFoB weekend. During the morning preceding the Scottish Open there will be a series of workshops and educational sessions aimed at younger brass musicians.
Scottish Brass Band Association president Carrie Boax commented: “We are delighted to now have definite plans for live music making at this year’s Scottish Festival of Brass, especially after we had to cancel the event last year because of the Coronavirus pandemic.
“The reduction of the SFoB to two days instead of three is to allow us to deliver a financially viable event, being mindful of the position bands will find themselves in come November. On the morning of the Scottish Open we also propose putting on various workshops and events tailored to the needs of our young players in what continues to be a challenging time for brass musicians, especially amongst our youth whose tuition and support they take from their peers has been pretty much impossible over the past 15 months.”
More details on the revised SFoB arrangements will be released as plans progress.
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