The 99th West of England Bandsmens' Festival will be held in Cornwall this weekend (Saturday 21st June) where there is sure to be a fine day of brass band music making on show accompanied by the prospect of wonderful weather at Molinnis Park in Bugle.
Start
The march to the event will start at 10.30am (Deportment Judge: Jonathan Lush-Camps) with the contest day kicking off at 11:30am (Adjudicator: Melvin White).
Championship Section:
Test Piece: A Tale As Yet Untold (Philip Sparke)
Hymn: In Perfect Peace (Kenneth Downie)
Camborne Town (Gareth Churcher)
A W Parker (Drybrook) (Joshua Ruck)
First Section:
Test Piece: Land of the Long White Cloud (Philip Sparke)
March: Knight Templar (George Allan)
Bodmin Town (Gwilym Davies)
Forest of Dean (Martyn Patterson)
Roche Brass (Matt Green)
St Austell Town (Steve Sykes)
Second Section:
Test Piece: Sword, Jewel and Mirror (Philip Harper)
March: Star Lake (Eric Ball)
Mount Charles (Jeremy Taylor)
Shrewton Silver (Scott Stewart)
Third Section:
Own Choice Test Piece
Bideford Town (Mark Durham)
Jubilee Brass (Clifford Sadler)
Fourth Section:
Own Choice Test Piece
Illogan Sparnon Silver (Shaun Marsden)
Pendennis Brass (Harry Weir)
Youth Section:
Own Choice Programme
St Austell Youth (Anna Minear)
St Dennis Youth (Darren Hawken)
Training Section:
Own Choice Programme
Carharrack & St Day Silver (Suzanne Thomson)
Plymouth City Brass Training (Gary Thompson)
Festive Showcase Section:
Kernow Drum & Brass (TBC)
Plymouth City Brass Academy (Paul Norley)
St Breward Silver (Tom Howard)
St Newlyn East (Barry Skinner)
100th Festival
The organisers have also announced details of the music that will be performed at the 100th Anniversary Festival in 2026.
The contest will take place on Saturday 20th June with the Chief Adjudicator confirmed as Dr Stephen Cobb It will close with a special massed band performance.
The organisers have also announced details of the music that will be performed at the 100th Anniversary Festival in 20264BR
Cornish flavour
There will be a particular Cornish flavour to the music with two new commissions to be heard.
The Championship Section bands aiming to life the famous Royal Trophy will have to perform the test-piece, 'English Heritage' by George Lloyd, as well a new march composition from the pen of composer Paul Saggers.
Christopher Bond has been asked to provide a new test-piece for the First Section to be played alongside 'Love Divine' by Iain McKnight, whilst Simon Dobson's evocative 'Penlee' will test the Second Section contenders alongside the march 'Cornish Cavalier' by WE Moyle.
Daniel Hall's inventive 'Smoke Sketches' and Malcolm Arnold's timeless 'Little Suite for Brass Band No 1' will challenge the Third and Four Section bands respectively, whilst the Youth Section competitors will perform an own-choice programme that must include the work 'Treskerby' by Monty Pearce. The Training Section bands must also perform an own-choice programme.
Royal Trophy close
The event will come to a close with the massed bands playing the march 'Royal Trophy' by William Rimmer and Goff Richards' arrangement of the hymn tune 'Crimond'.
To find out more go to: https://www.buglebandcontest.co.uk/100th-contest-in-2026/
