The organisers of the 2025 New Zealand National Championships have announced the test-pieces that will used at their event in Christchurch in July.

The Festival of Brass, which will also incorporate the keenly fought over Solo Championship competitions will be held at Christchurch's Town Hall Complex from Wednesday 2nd to Sunday 6th July.

The chief adjudicators are Frederic Theodoloz, the Musical Director of the current European and British Open Champion, Brass Band Treize-Etoiles. The Assistant Chief Adjudicator is SSGT Nick Johnson, Bandmaster of the New Zealand Army Band.

Test pieces

The A Grade Championship Section bands will be faced with 'A Tale as yet Untold' by Philip Sparke, most recently used as the set-test at the 2024 European Championships in Palanga.

In addition, the bands must also perform a sacred work plus their own-choice test-piece in their bid to claim the NZ Gold Cup Trophy. The defending champion is Wellington Brass who will be seeking a seventh consecutive title success.

The contest format is the same for the B, C and D Grade bands, with the Youth Grade bands having to play an own-choice programme.

Golland, Bond and Evans

The B Grade contenders will be faced with John Golland's evocative 'Sounds', itself used at the European Championships in 1993, whilst the C Grade contenders will have to perform 'The Lost Village of Imber' by Christopher Bond, which was the Third Section National Final set-work in the UK in 2023.

The D Grade bands will perform 'Be Still' by David Evans arranged by Stephen Tighe.

Set Works:

A Grade: A Tale As Yet Untold (Philip Sparke)
B Grade: Sounds (John Golland)
C Grade: The Lost Village of Imber (Christopher Bond)
D Grade: Be Still (David J Evans arr. Stephen Tighe)
Youth Grade: Own choice