Celebrating 100 years since the first BBC Radio Broadcast, the North Yorkshire Youth Music Action Zone (NYMAZ) and Brass Bands England (BBE) has partnered to host a series of young composer workshops.

NYMAZ is a youth music development charity which champions the transformative potential of music for children and young people in North Yorkshire and beyond.

Free concert

The project has been focused on radio inspired compositional themes and will culminate in a free concert at Selby Abbey on Wednesday 16th November (7.30pm) where the works will be performed by an ensemble of Brighouse & Rastrick Band and Hepworth Band players.

The project has been supported by the North Yorkshire Music Education Hub, with weekly composition workshops led by the respected performer, composer and educator Andrea Price.

Andrea is Head of Lower School at Chetham's School of Music and the Musical Director of Wingates Band.

Encouraging opportunities

Talking about the initiative, BBE's Education & Development Manager Sarah Baumann said: "BBE and NYMAZ have been working in partnership since 2019, creating opportunities for brass players in the North Yorkshire region.

Encouraging opportunities for women in banding in the area has been a high priority, and 'Yorkshire Calling' has been no different. Our efforts have resulted in majority women-identifying young composers in the group, an all-female brass ensemble performing the final work and the sessions led by Andrea."

Bethan Plant, Georgina Woodard, Ellena Newton and Toni Durrant have joined the budding composers in a session in advance of the final performance to workshop their pieces.

It's fantastic that this project is enabling brass music to reach a wider audience and is attracting new composing talent to the mediumAndrea Price

Privilege

Andrea commented: "It has been a privilege to work with such talented young composers; their ideas have been diverse and creative. It's fantastic that this project is enabling brass music to reach a wider audience and is attracting new composing talent to the medium."

The free concert performance will take place at Selby Abbey (YO84PU) on Wednesday 16th November (7.30pm).