VLAMO, the Flemish Association of Bands and Musicians which includes more than 1000 affiliated amateur, wind, marching, pipe symphonic and brass bands amongst others has announced the winners of its 2023 Composition Contest for Fanfare Bands.
This year's competition concentrated on fanfare band repertoire suitable for bands in its 1 to 6 Grades.
A Dragon's Tale
A jury consisting of Jan Van der Roost, Tom De Haes and Jacob de Haan adjudicated the entries, with the overall winner (Grade 2 level) entitled, 'A Dragon's Tale' by Belgian composer Filip Ceunen, who received 2500 euro.
Born in Hasselt, he studied at the Lemmensinstituut in Leuven as well as the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. He gained a Master in Arts (composition) with prizes won for solfege, harmony, counterpoint, fugue and composition.
There were honourable mentions for compositions 'Belgica' by Wouter Vercruysse and 'A Soldier's Letter' by Yves Wuyts
New works
The competition alternates between new works for wind band and fanfare band, with the aim to encourage and inspire composers to create a piece of music tailored to the intended orchestral form.