With countdown clock started for the 2025 European Brass Band Championships in Stavanger, today (30th April) marks the 30th anniversary of the formation of the European Brass Band Association (EBBA), the body that now runs the festival event.
The formation meeting took place in Luxembourg City, where the 18th European Championships were being hosted at its Municipal Theatre. The city was the 1995 Culture City of Europe and the participants were greeted by a welcome in the official programme from Jacques Santer, the President of the European Commission.
The event marked the last time that it came under the direct auspices of Boosey & Hawkes.
Signatories
The founding signatories to the formation statues of EBBA were James Abbott (Scotland), Arne Amland (Norway), Jappie Dijkstra (Netherlands), Alan Gibbs (Wales), Fred Harles (Luxembourg), Herbert Møller (Denmark), Bo Winborg (Sweden), Robert Schotte (Belgium), Robert Morgan (England) and its first President Markus S. Bach (Switzerland).
Others significantly involved in the setting up of the organisation were Tom Brevik (Norway) and Hansjörg Stalder (Switzerland).
Changes
The formation of EBBA was first discussed in 1980 when a European Advisory Council was formed with the aim to bring together different European countries into a single representative body.
In subsequent years EBBA has undertaken wide-ranging changes, adding extra competitions as well as initiatives such as the European Youth Brass Band and European Youth Championships. The event is now also live-broadcast across the world.
Historic
Looking back on the historic banding moment, current EBBA President Ulf Rosenberg told 4BR: "An important fundamental objective was to be able to hold the event in different countries. That has been achieved with Lithuania becoming the 14th different host nation in 2024.
By doing this the event has been able to work as a locomotive pulling the movement forward, as well a being a flagship to showcase the excellence of the brass band movement throughout Europe."
The European Championships is now widely acknowledged as the most prestigious band contest in the world — and it is thanks to those people who 30 years ago took the decision to fulfil a huge ambitionEBBA
Tribute
He added: "When the festival is held in a different country every year, it brings challenges. EBBA strives to pass on knowledge from year to year to the hosting organisations to maintain the levels of professionalism and excellence that the event has become renowned for.
On this special date, I would like to pay tribute to those who led the way for EBBA and for those who have followed in their footsteps with their countless hours of dedication and commitment to the promotion of European banding.
The European Championships is now widely acknowledged as the most prestigious band contest in the world — and it is thanks to those people who 30 years ago took the decision to fulfil a huge ambition."
