4BR will be heading to Lithuania next weekend to experience the music making on offer at the 18th Lithuanian Wind & Brass Band Championship to be held at Palanga's new Concert Hall (above).

Concert hall

The event which takes place between the 6th — 8th April has moved to the venue after being hosted in the city of Panevezys for the past 17 years.

It is being organised by the Lithuanian Brass Band Association, funded by the Lithuanian Culture Council alongside its partners Palanga City Municipality and Panevezys Region Municipality.

Bands from both Lithuania and Latvia will compete in various sections, whilst the Gala Concert will feature Filton Concert Band, the current Welsh Open champion under the baton of MD Tom Davoren. He has written the test-pieces for each of the competitions. The featured soloist will be Black Dyke trombone star Brett Baker.

The championships will also feature instrument exhibits, masterclasses and seminars, as well as a number of guest concerts throughout the Baltic coastal resort.

Welcome

Remigijus Vilys, the founder of the championships told 4BR: "We are very happy that in 2018, the centenary of Lithuania's independence, we can hold this event at such a prestigious new venue and welcome more competitors.

Our welcome guests from the UK will enhance the musical entertainment we have to offer and we hope will show that Palanga is a wonderful city to visit and experience, fostering further development of our ambition to become one of Europe's leading wind and brass band venues."

we hope will show that Palanga is a wonderful city to visit and experience, fostering further development of our ambition to become one of Europe's leading wind and brass band venuesRemigijus Vilys

Experience

In response, Tom Davoren told 4BR that he is thrilled that Filton Band will be able to experience an emerging brass band culture first hand.

"We are delighted to be supporting the championships and really looking forward to performing in the concert hall alongside Brett.

It will also mark the international launch of our collaborative recording project, 'Made in the West Country', featuring music by composers including Derek Bourgeois, Bill Geldard, Eric Ball, Gordon Langford, all of which links back to the West of England region."