The 49th Swiss National Championships take place at the KKL Hall in Lucerne this weekend (Saturday 23rd & Sunday 24th November)

62 bands will compete in six sections with 13 different competitors from 2023.

Defending champion

The 2024 European Champion Brass Band Treize Etoiles will defend its domestic title in the 10 band Excellence Division field. The bands will perform the set-work, 'The Lost Circle' by Jan van der Roost on the Saturday with their own-choice the following day.

All other sections are set-work only, with works by Philip Wilby ('Red Priest'); John Golland ('Sounds'); Dorothy Gates ('Hope'); Fredrick Schjelderup ('Festive Fireworks') and Malcolm Arnold ('Little Suite No. 1').

The adjudication panels are made up of Philippe Bach; James Gourlay; Tom Hutchinson; Bart Picqueur; Ian Porthouse; Thomas Trachsel; Luc Vertommen; Sheona Wade; Oliver Waespi.

Schedule

Saturday sees the Fourth Division (starting at 9.45am local time) followed by the Elite Division and the set-work of the Excellence Division in the main Salle Balance. The smaller Luzerner Saal hosts the Second Division (9.00am) followed by the Third Division.

The results of the Fourth, Third, Second and Elite Division will be announced around 10.30pm.

Sunday opens with the own-choice selections of the Excellence Division at 11.30am in the Salle Blanche with the First Division bands performing in the Luzerner Saal (10.00am)

Excellence Division:

Set Work: The Lost Circle (Jan van der Roost)

Brass Band Berner Oberland (Veronique Gyger)
Brass Band Fribourg A (Florent Didier)
Brass Band Treize Etoiles (Frederic Theodoloz)
Brass Band Burgermusik Luzern (Michael Bach)
Ensemble de Cuivres Jurassien A (Thomas Wyss)
Ensemble de Cuivres Melodia A (Vincent Baroni)
Ensemble de Cuivres Valaisan (Jean-Francois Bobillier)
Liberty Brass Band (Stefan Roth)
Oberaargauer Brass Band (Herve Grelat)
Valaisia Brass Band (Arsene Duc)

Own Choice selections:

A Gabrieli Fantasy (Bert Appermont)
Dark Road (Thomas Doss)
Eclipse (Maurice Donnet-Monay)
Fraternity (Thierry Deleruyelle)
Jesus in Tibet (Simon Dobson)
Magnetism (Gilles Rocha)
Other Lives (Oliver Waespi)
Sand and Stars (Thierry Deleruyelle)
This World (Thomas Doss)
Un Untold Story (Louis Kroni)

Elite Division:

Set Work: Red Priest (Philip Wilby)

BML Talents (Patrick Ottiger)
Brass Band Cazis (Robin Bartholini)
Brass Band Eglisau (Andreas Buri)
Brass Band Emmental (Jan Muller)
Brass Band Harmonie Neuenkirch (Manuel Imhof)
Brass Band Kirchenmusik Fluhli (Peter Stadelmann)
Brass Band Rickenbach (Florian Lang)
Ensemble de cuivres Euphonia (Glenn Van Looy)
Graubunden Brass (Gian Stecher)
Regional Brass Band Bern (Manuel Renggli)

First Division:

Set Work: Sounds (John Golland)

AEW Concert Brass Fricktal (Florentin Setz)
Brass Band Breitenbach (Reto Naf)
Brass Band Feldmusik Knutwil (Enrico Calzaferri)
Brass Band Fribourg B (Aurelien Darbellay)
Brass Band Imperial Lenzburg A (Philipp Werlen)
Brass Band Lotschental (Yvan Lagger)
Brass Band MG Reiden (Roland Froscher)
Brass Band RosAlp (David Bonvin)
Brass Band Thurgau (Daniel Gubler)
Brass Band Treize Etoiles B (Lionel Fumeaux)
Ensemble de Cuivres AMBITUS (Damien Lagger)
mgrr Brass Band (Roman Caprez)
Universal Brass Band Wil (Gian Stecher)

Second Division:

Set Work: Hope (Dorothy Gates)

Brass Band Abinchova (Armin Bachmann)
Brass Band Berner Oberland Junior (Joram Bots)
Brass Band Feldmusik Escholzmatt (Boris Oppliger)
Brass Band Harmonie Rickenbach (Luca Frischknecht)
Brass Band Imperial Lenzburg B (Daniel Schrenk)
Brass Band Junior Valaisan (Fabien Beney)
Brass Band Nordwestschweiz (Reto Naf)
Brass Band Zell (Beat Ochs)
Constellation Brass Band B (Olivier Vergeres)
Ensemble de Cuivres Melodia B (Bastien Albiez)
Feldmusik Buttisholtz (Dani Battig)
Liberty Brass Band Junior (Stefan Roth)
Musik Frohsinn Oberburg (Jan Muller)
Musikverein Kunten (Stefan Marki)
Oberwalliser Brass Band (Tobias Salzgeber)
Societe de musique Brass Band de Lignieres (Cyril Perrenoud)

Third Division:

Set Work: Festive Fireworks (Fredrick Schjelderup)

Brass Band Musikgesellschaft Geiss (Roland Wyrsch)
Brass Band Gurbetal (Joram Bots)
Brass Band Munsingen (Chritoph Hertig)
Brass Band Solothurn (Andreas Ziegelback)
Brass Band Zurich (Werner Kubli)
Ensemble de Cuivres Jurassien B (Florian Lab)
Musikgesellschaft Aesch-Mosen (Michael Barnet)
Musikgesellschaft Brass Band Rehetobel (Benjamin Markl)
Musikgesellschaft Durrenasch (Matic Tomazic)

Fourth Division:

Set Work: Little Suite for Brass Band No. 1 (Malcolm Arnold)

Entlebucher Jugend Brass Band (Noah Gutheinz)
Hinterlander Jugend Brass Band (Luca Frischknecht)
Jugend Brass Band Michelsamt (Joel Spitaleri)
Jugend Brass Band Oberer Sempachersee (Mattia Klaus)