For the first time in its 160 year history, the British Open Championship intends to record the performances of the competitors in its event, which takes place at Symphony Hall in Birmingham on Saturday September 1st.

Audio & visual

A spokesperson told 4BR: "In collaboration with the internet forum Brass Vibe, we will hope to deliver a high quality audio/visual experience of each performance for the enjoyment of brass band lovers throughout the world.

The quality of the production of each performance is our main priority, and as a result the recordings will not be available to viewers until 48 hours after the event."

We believe this is a unique opportunity to help promote the British Open Championship to an even bigger banding audienceBritish Open Championship

Benefit contest

The organisers hope that the commercial partnership will enable the contest to benefit from the innovative approach.

"We believe this is a unique opportunity to help promote the British Open Championship to an even bigger banding audience. It also enables further investment into the long term future of the most prestigious brass band contest on the globe through people purchasing a high quality reminder of the event."

Bands to be contacted

4BR was informed that throughout August the competing bands will be contacted by Paul Andrews on behalf of Brass Vibe.

Paul will be presenting the programme and looking for human interest and musical interest stories to add insight into the journey each band will pursue leading up to the competition.

Agree

"We therefore hope all bands will agree to be filmed in this way – as we believe it brings something a little different to their participation," the spokesperson added.

If any band does not wish to take part in this programme then email responses to brasstoff@btconnect.com by 8th August

Important

The spokesperson concluded: "We know that this is short notice, however it is important for us to publicise this event at the earliest opportunity."