After the disappointment of missing out on their annual visit to Germany in 2013, the UK based scratch brass ensemble Coronation Brass will once again represent Britain at the European Folklore Festival.

Held annually since 1965, the festival is one of the largest of its kind in Europe and takes place in the famous brewery town of Bitburg each July.

Only Brit

Coronation Brass has been the sole British representative since 2002, and is also the only British style brass band that takes part.

New friends

Band Manager, Nick Jones told 4BR: "It's always a great honour to perform at such a prestigious festival, and over the last decade or so we've made many new friends on both sides of the Channel.

The nature of a scratch band means that players come and go and we've been fortunate over the years to attract players from several top bands.

It'll be wonderful to meet up with our German friends again after missing a year and I'm indebted to our strong core of regular tourists."

It'll be wonderful to meet up with our German friends again after missing a year and I'm indebted to our strong core of regular touristsBand Manager, Nick Jones

Fore runner

There has been a British brass band at the European Folklore Festival since the early 1970s when Tim Lord, a music teacher from the Midlands formed English Festival Brass.

The band performed in Bitburg for around 30 years, but when Tim decided to call it a day the younger players formed Coronation Brass to carry on its music making, performing several concerts at the festival and soaking up the unique atmosphere.