The first National titles of 2023 will be decided at the end of this month when the French National Championships take place in Saint Etienne on the weekend of the 28th & 29th January.

15 bands have entered the five divisions of the 18th Championship event, with the Saturday evening Gala Concert being provided by World Champions Brass Band Willebroek from Belgium.

Defending champion

Defending champion Hauts de France face former winners Paris Brass Band and Aeolus Brass Band in the elite Division Honneur section, with the winner representing the nation at the 2024 European Championships.

The set-work for the Division Honneur is Philip Sparke's 'Music for Battle Creek', with other section works announced as 'Keystone' (Thierry Deleruyelle), 'Legacy' (Tom Davoren), 'Lake of the Moon' (Kevin Houben) and 'Vengeance' (Jared McCunnie). Bands in each section will also perform an own-choice test-piece.

The adjudication jury will be led by Dr Roger Webster who will be joined by conductors Blaise Heritier and Bert van Thienen.

Competing bands

Division Honneur:

Hauts de France Brass Band
Paris Brass Band
Aeolus Brass Band

Division 1:

Exo Brass
Cotes & Cuivres

Division 2:

Brass Band de l'Oise
Brass Band des Gones
Brass Band des Savoie
Brass Band Accords

Division 3:

Brass Band Lorient Bretagne SUD
Brass Band Gouttes de cuivre
Brass Band Loire Forez
Brass Band de Charente
Brass Band Musicalis Algrange
Brass Band du Dauphine