The University Brass Band Championships of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — or UniBrass for short — is set to take place at Lancaster University next February.

The new contest is specifically aimed for university bands and is being run in association with the British Federation of Brass Bands on Saturday 19th February 2011.

Judges

The performances will be presided over by adjudicators Alan Fernie and Richard Evans, who will listen to programmes of up to 25 minutes in duration.

As well as placings, there will be awards for 'Best March', 'Best Soloist' and for 'Most Entertaining Performance'.

Showcase

The competition aims to promote brass banding across universities and will be a chance for bands to showcase their abilities. It is hoped that the competition will also generate a friendly rivalry between the various university brass bands.

The social side of the competition will also be catered for with bands being offered accommodation and a night out planned once the playing is over4BR

Great success

Max Stannard, President of the University of Lancaster Music Society told 4BR: "We have already had a great response from bands right the way across Britain, and now with the support of the BFBB I am sure the contest will be a great success, and will become an annual event."

The social side of the competition will also be catered for with bands being offered accommodation and a night out planned once the playing is over.

Entry forms

Entries forms for the contest are now available online from the website www.unibrass.webs.com with a deadline for returns set for Monday 13th December.

For more information contact unibrass@hotmail.co.uk