*
banner

2016 4BR Awards: The Nominations

The long lists of 4BR annual award nominations that will be considered by a panel of 11 judges have been released.

4br aWARDS
  The long list of nominations for the annual 4BR Awards have been revealed — with the decisions now in the hands of 11 experts...

The 'long list' of 2016 nominations for the various categories of the annual 4BR Awards have been released.

11 expert judges will now cast their eyes over them to come up with their various personal choices, with the winners revealed on Christmas morning.

Band of the Year:

Black Dyke
Brighouse & Rastrick
Cory
Eikanger Bjorsvik
Fairey
Fountain City
Paris Brass Band
Stavanger
Valaisia
Wellington Brass Band

The 10 bands have been chosen not just for their contest achievements during the past year, but also for their artistic ones — from concert performances and tours to recordings and projects.


Conductor of the Year:

David Bremner
Nicholas Childs
Garry Cutt
Arsene Duc
James Gourlay
Philip Harper
Erik Janssen
Chris Jeans
David King
Joe Parisi

The 10 conductors have been chosen not just for their impressive contest records during the past year, but also for their inspirational leadership qualities and progressive artistic outlooks.


Player of the Year:

David Childs (freelance euphonium)
Tom Hutchinson (Cornet — Cory)
Dominic Longhurst (Cornet — Brighouse & Rastrick)
Peter Moore (freelance trombone)
Marielle Rey (Soprano cornet — Valaisia Brass Band)
Daniel Thomas (Euphonium — Black Dyke)
Philip Johnstone (Tuba — Woolston Brass)
Robbert Voss (Euphonium — Brass Band Schoonhoven)
Helen Williams (Flugel — Cory)
Glyn Williams (Euphonium — Cory)

These are 10 players who made the most significant impact on audiences with their performances, both on and off the contest stages during the past year.


Test Piece of the Year:

As a glow… (Ludovic Neurohr): (Second Section: Swiss National Championship)
Ballet for Band (Joseph Horovitz): (First Section: National Championship of Great Britain)
Essay (Edward Gregson): (First Section: Regional Championships of Great Britain)
Fraternity (Thierry Deleruyelle): (European Championship)
Journey of the Lone Wolf (Simon Dobson): (National Championship of Great Britain)
Raveling Unraveling (Philip Sparke): (European/Belgian Championship)
Searching for Light (Stig Nordhagen): (Norwegian National Championship)
The Graces of Love (Oliver Waespi): (Third Section: Swiss National Championship)
The Mansions of Glory (Jonathan Bates): (National Youth Championships of Great Britain)
The Triumph of Time (Peter Graham): (British Open/Dutch National Championship)

The 10 test pieces that made the greatest musical impact on critics, players, conductors and audiences alike.


Lower Section Band of the Year:

Brass Band Sachsen (Germany)
De Spijkerpakkenband (Netherlands)
European Youth Band
Fountain City Youth Band (USA)
Morawa District High School Brass Band (Australia)
St Dennis (England)
Tertnes Skoles Musikkorps (Norway)
Wardle Junior Blast (England)
Youth Brass 2000 (England)
Young Brass Band Willebroek (Belgium)

As with the Band of the Year category, these are the 10 bands have been chosen not just for their contest achievements during the past year, but also for their artistic ones — from concert performances and tours to recordings, projects, and even simply being an inspiration to others.


Contest Performance of the Year:

Brass Band Buizingen (Belgian National Championship — 'Raveling, Unraveling')
Brass Band Schoonhoven (Dutch National Championship — 'The Triumph of Time')
Cory (European Championship — 'Fraternity')
Cory (British Open — 'The Triumph of Time')
Cory (Brass in Concert)
Eikanger Bjorsvik (Norwegian National Championship — 'Searching for Light')
St Dennis (West of England Regional Championship — 'Essay')
Tredegar (Welsh Regional Championship — 'Cambridge Variations')
Valaisia (Swiss National Championship — 'Goldberg 2012')
Valaisia (European Championship Own Choice — 'Trance')

The 10 'stand out' contest performances of the year — the ones that set the bench mark.


Newcomer of the Year:

A4 Brass Quartet
Black Dyke Heritage Project
Brass Band Podcast
Childs Play Project
David Childs (Editor of Brass Band World magazine)
Italian National Championships
Shri Sriram and Hammonds Saltaire: 'Just a Vibration' Project
Super Slow Way: A Rhapsody to the Leeds & Liverpool Canal Project
Thierry Deleruyelle
Tubular Brass Project

10 people, bands, innovations or projects that made the most impact in terms of popularity, as well as critically and artistically during the past year.


CD of the Year:

Arabian Nights (Black Dyke)
Black Dyke Gold: Volume 5 (Black Dyke)
Celebration — An 80th Birthday Tribute to Howard Snell (Desford & Foden's)
Elemental (Cory)
European Brass Band Championships 2016 (Various)
Of Gods and Kings (Foden's)
Music for Brass Septet: Volume 4 (Septura Brass Septet)
Quintessence (Fairey)
Raveling, Unraveling (Cory)
War Memorials (Cory & Tredegar)

The 10 CDs which have made the most impact not just on the brass band world with its overall quality, musical outlook and artistic importance.


Solo CD of the Year:

Affinity (Les Neish)
Colours: The French Tenor Horn (Anthony Galinier)
Dreamtimes (Steven Mead)
Fantasy (Philip Cobb)
Forte (Derick Kane)
Homeland (Matthew Van Emmerick)
Lyrical Virtuoso (Steven Mead)
Myths & Legends (Brett Baker)
Now & Then (Brett Baker)
Romance (Bastien Baumet)

The 10 solo CDs which have made the most impact not just on the brass band world with its overall quality, musical outlook and artistic importance.

Become a supporter and help make our future secure.

4barsrest continues to be a proudly independent voice. There are no paywalls to overcome to be able to enjoy what we do to keep our journalism at the heart of the brass banding world. Support us with a one-off donation or subscribe from just £2.50 per month.

Support us    


Friary

Result: 2025 Wessex BBA Contest

December 2 • Friary made it a double to celebrate in Wessex.


Willebroek

Results: 2025 Belgian National Championships

December 2 • Brassband Willebroek claims a hat-trick of National titles with Festival Brass heading to Linz with them next year.


milnrow

Result: 2025 Scottish Open

November 30 • Milnrow retains their cross border title in Perth.


swiss

Results: 2025 Swiss National Championships

November 30 • Valaisia Brass Band are champions again as BML Talents, Brass Band Kirchenmusik Fluhli, MG Konkordia Aedermannsdorf, MG Ufhusen and Hinterlander Jugend Brass Band claim the National titles in Lucerne.


Garforth Brass - Strawberry Fields Primary School

Friday 5 December • Garforth Methodist Church,. Church Lane,. Garforth,. Leeds LS25 1NW


The Hepworth Band - Christmas Brass & Voices

Saturday 6 December • Thornhill Parish Church, Dewsbury WF12 0JZ


Petworth Town Band - Petworth Town Band Christmas Event

Saturday 6 December • Petworth Town Centre GU28 OAD


Haverhill Silver Band - Family Christmas Concert

Sunday 7 December • Castle Manor Academy, Haverhill CB9 9JE


Petworth Town Band - PetworthTown Band Christmas Concert

Saturday 13 December • St Mary’s Church Petworth GU28 OAD


Chinnor Silver

December 1 • Having secured promotion to the 1st section from January our Christmas wish is for a Bb BASS and PERCUSSION players to join us.. Rehearsals are on a Wednesday in our own bandroom.. Good but realistic book of concerts and contests planned.


Croy Silver Band

December 1 • Croy Silver Band currently has contest vacancies on Cornet and Percussion, but is always happy to accommodate enthusiastic new players in any section of the band.


Wotton-under-Edge Silver Band

December 1 • Are you looking for a band to compete with at the 2nd Section 2026 Regional Championships? If so, we currently have spaces for- SOLO CORNET - EUPHONIUM - Eb BASS - PERCUSSION. We're a progressive band with exciting engagements planned for 2026.


Andreas Kratz

Mus.B (hons)
Conductor, Adjudicator, Teacher


               

 © 2025 4barsrest.com Ltd