Following the success of hosting the 2023 European Championships in Malmo earlier this year, the Swedish National Championships will take place in Varnamo this weekend (10th/11th November).
The Championships are being live broadcast this year and will be rounded off by a Gala Concert performance by Brighouse & Rastrick Band conducted by Prof Garry Cutt.
Four sections
There are four sections of competition with Friday evening featuring the bands in the Minibrass Division (6.45pm local time) followed by the set-test performance of the Elite Division contenders (8.00pm) who will play Philip Harper's 'St James's — A New Beginning'.
Before the competitive action starts Eowyn Brass Band, Sweden's only all-female brass band will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a short concert led by conductor Maria Molund.
Saturday sees Division 2 bands at 8.30am ('Argos' by Stepan Hodel), followed by Division 1 ('Northern Landscapes' by Peter Graham) and the Festival Class, before the Elite bands perform their own-choice selections at 3.30pm.
There is also a lunch time concert (11.30am) provided by the Swedish Central Band conducted by Fredrik Rastrom.
More information: https://www.brassinfocus.se/
Competing Bands:
Elite Division:
Betlehemskyrkans Musikkar
Gota Brass Band
Lunds Brassband
Sola Brass
Windcorp Brass Band
First Division:
Asenhoga Brassband
Immanuel Brass Stockholm
Malmo Brass Band
Smyrna Brass
Torsby Brass
Second Division:
Bors Brassband
Habo Brassband
Halmstad Brass
Helsingborgs Brassband
Limhamns Brassband
MiniBrass Division:
Asenhoga Youth Brass Band
Goteborg Youth Brass Band
Habo Small Band JR