The Flemish Open Brass Band Championship takes place in Mechelen this weekend.
The two day event over Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th April will see 20 bands compete in four sections with free outside concerts also adding to the musical enjoyment.
Kick off
The competing bands in Section B will kick things off on Saturday afternoon at 2.00pm, where reigning VOBK champion Brass Band Bacchus will lock horns with rivals Brassband Scaldis, the German challengers of Cologne Concert Brass and Youth Brass Band NRW and the Dutch band Excelsior Kloetinge.
This will be followed at 6.00pm by the Section A contest, with German contenders 3BA Concert Brass up against Belgian rivals Brass Band Buizingen, Brass Band Heist, Brass Band Leieland, Festival Brass Band and Noord-Limburgse Brass Band.
Sunday
On Sunday morning the contest will start at 10.30am, with the five bands of Section D.
Brass Band St Cecilia Leest, Brass Band Lembeek and United Brass from Belgium will be up against the French challengers Brass Band de Roncq and Brass Band Looft den Heer from the Netherlands.
At 2.30pm, the Belgian duo of De Grensbewoneres Smeermaas and Brassband Euterpe will compete for the honours against their French counterparts of Brass Band Atout Vent in Section C.
The contest format will see each band perform a programme lasting no longer than 30 minutes, which should contain at least a short set work and own choice test piece selection.
The two day event over Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th April will see 20 bands compete in four sections with free outside concerts also adding to the musical enjoyment4BR
Music
The short set piece works are Universal Message (Leslie Condon), Phoenix (Peter Graham), Banks of Doon (traditional arr. Luc Vertommen) and The King of Love my Shepherd is (arr. Mike Kilmartin).
Test pieces that are to be performed include: ‘Symphony in Two Movements’, ‘Tristan Encounters’, ‘Music of the Spheres’, ‘Vivat!’, ‘From Ancient Times’, ‘English Heritage’, Shine as the Light’, ‘Labour and Love’, ‘A London Overture’ and the premiere of one new work by Derek Bourgeois entitled, ‘Ad Astra’.
Tickets
Order your tickets now through www.vobk.org/tickets
