It has been announced that the 2017 UniBrass Championships are to be held at Harrogate's International Conference Centre (above).

The event has grown rapidly in popularity over the last few years and with ongoing refurbishment work still being undertaken at the University of York, the decision was made to seek an alternative, temporary venue.

The seventh running of the championships will take place on February 18th.

The International Conference Centre hosted the National Championships of Great Britain between 2004 and 2010 and is able to provide a venue well used to catering for brass banding needs.

Alternative venue

A UniBrass spokesperson told 4BR: "Rather than compromise the contest we opted to seek an alternative local venue.

We're delighted the International Conference Centre offers the capacity to stage the entire contest day — contest, social, gala concert and education workshops — ensuring UniBrass remains a unified and inclusive event."

Success

They added: "UniBrass has proved a phenomenal success since it began in 2011, and is now highly regarded in the brass band community for its positive influence.

It's essential that the contest continues to expand, allowing more players and more higher education establishments to become involved."

Two contests

With the 2016 championships attracting 19 bands and over 700 participants, there will be a new change for 2017 with the introduction of two sections of competition.

The spokesperson explained: "The UniBrass Trophy Contest will take place in the main auditorium with a brand new UniBrass Shield in another hall in the complex.

The Shield will allow bands to compete against those they are closely matched to, and ensures every competitor has a chance of coming away with a prize. Spectators at the Shield will be treated to a more relaxed, cabaret-style seating layout, offering a unique experience that displays UniBrass' inclusive nature in a whole new light."

Weighted qualification

4BR understands that the initial placing of established UniBrass bands between the sections will be decided through a weighted average system of the last two years results, with a weighted league system to be established for future years.

Bands competing at UniBrass for the first time (or returning after an absence of two years or more) will be placed on performance merit at the discretion of the UniBrass organising committee.

At the end of what promises to be yet another colourful and exciting day all the competitors will come together in the main auditorium for the announcement of the results.

With the 2016 championships attracting 19 bands and over 700 participants, there will be a new change for 2017 with the introduction of two sections of competition4BR

More support

All spectator tickets will be valid for both sections, with movement between the two encouraged throughout the day. It is hoped that UniBrass 2017 will see more players, more prizes and more music making than ever before, with tickets going on sale soon.

How to register

Registration for UniBrass 2017 will open on November 10th, 100 days before the contest.

If any bands would like registration information, please e-mail contest@unibrass.co.uk or contact at contact@unibrass.co.uk, or send a message on Facebook or Twitter.