New Zealand Brass Band Championship July 2019

Feilding from Feilding

May and June, sees Feilding Brass rehearsing solidly for the 2019 New Zealand Brass Band Championships being held in Hamilton this year from the 10th-14th July.

Feilding Brass will be competing in the C Grade section alongside equally capable bands in an event which will see over 25 bands from around NZ playing in grades A-D.

As with any national contest, it consists of Solo and party events starting on Wednesday 10th July, leading up to the band events on the Friday 12th and Saturday 13th July.

On the Friday, bands will play their Sacred Item and Test piece. The test piece for each grade is set by the association so the adjudicator has to listen to many renditions of the same piece to find the one who played the best. Also on this day will be the parade of bands where competing bands will march through the Hamilton streets.

On the Saturday, bands will play their Own Choice piece which each band can choose to best bring out their skills and music-ship.

On the Sunday, there will be a Gala Concert – Featuring Chicago Brass Band, Hamilton City Brass & Guest Soloists Harmen Vanhoorne, Trevor Bremner and Murray Borthwick.

For more information about the contest, times etc, click the link brasschamps2019.nz...

This years Test Piece is called Penlee. It is written about a lifeboat disaster in which 16 people died off the Cornwall Coast in 1981. Click on the link to see Drogheda Brass Band from Ireland playing it onstage.

This year, the adjudicator for the C Grade competition is Graham Hickman, who started his brass band career in Feilding.

As like last year, this years contest is being live streamed by Brassbanned , so you will be able to see all the action if you can’t be there.

As you can imagine our Musical Director and Drum Major are busily getting Feilding Brass into shape with Wednesday and Sunday rehearsals with every player digging deep to get things done. If you hear us around town making noises, its ok. We will be having marching practice at the old WritePrice supermarket carpark, weather permitting.

The band wishes to acknowledge the support we get from family of our players as contest rehearsal takes up a bit of family time, but is much appreciated as we go and represent the Manawatu at a National level.



The countdown continues…..