The A4 Brass Quartet — the current Royal Northern College of Music 'Ensemble of the Year' — will undertake their first trip to Europe when they perform at the Trakai Fanfare Festival in Lithuania in July.

Rising talents

Made up of four of the banding movement's rising playing talents, Jamie Smith (Hammonds Saltaire), Jonathan Bates (Black Dyke), Michael Cavanagh (Grimethorpe Colliery) and Chris Robertson (Wingates), the quartet will be featured alongside the likes of Steven Mead and the Stockholm Chamber Brass.

The quartet won the coveted RNCM Philip Jones Brass award and also the Chris Rowland RNCM Ensemble of the Year award in their first year together in 20144BR

Waespi work

The quartet won the coveted RNCM Philip Jones Brass award and also the Chris Rowland RNCM Ensemble of the Year award in their first year together in 2014.

During their visit to the festival, A4 will perform two concerts, featuring a host of original compositions, as well as the premiere of a new work written for them by renowned Swiss composer Oliver Waespi.