The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain will end their Summer Course with a sold-out concert at the Royal College of Music in London on Saturday 9th August.

As part of the organisation's long-term policy of encouraging young composers to write for the medium, a trio of world premieres will be heard from the winners of its 2025 Young Composer Competition.

Variations on an Enclosure

The third of these is 'Variations on an Enclosure' written by 21-year-old Guildhall School of Music undergraduate Will Everitt.

Will is a former member of the National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain, having grown up in London playing cornet and trumpet, but not being an actual member of a contesting band.

Instead, he was surrounded by jazz and classical idioms for most of his early musical life, with the NYBBGB acting as a springboard into the brass band world.

Audition entry

He told 4BR: "I grew up playing for my local youth band with no real connection to mainstream banding until I was fortunate enough to audition for the National Youth Band.

From then on it has become such an important part of my musical life and I went on to enjoy playing with East London Brass.

I've always been interested in composition, so being able to write for the medium has been a passionate ambition. It's a bit of a dream come true that my first work is to be performed by the NYBBGB. It's a bit of a personal thank-you."

Positive ethos

He added: "I've always admired the wide-ranging capabilities of the band and the positive ethos it has in encouraging all aspects of people's musical talent.

That really inspired me, and becoming more familiar with the compositional challenges of writing for the medium has been engrossing.

I've studied scores and works and been bowled over by composers such as Gavin Higgins and what he does, so I've had a growing motivation that I was able to draw on to express myself."

Jazz idioms

Now preparing for his third year of composition study at the Guildhall of Music under Dr Sylvia Lim and Laurence Crane, he admits that he has become increasingly interested in the crossover between jazz and brass band idioms — something he explores with 'Variations on an Enclosure'.

"I initially had a couple of ideas which were sketches, but these provided the foundation for the fusion.

As the name suggests the music develops from a simple four-note cell 'enclosure' which are used in jazz melody and improvisation. From it I explore a wider palette of expression by balancing the lyricism that is so idiomatic to brass band writing, with a more jazz-orientated harmonic language."

It sounds a bit complex, but I think brings something a little different and fresh to the music and the challenge to the performersWill Everitt

Fresh

He added: "It sounds a bit complex, but I think brings something a little different and fresh to the music and the challenge to the performers.

I wanted to balance the inherent expressive capabilities of a brass band with the more jazz-orientated harmonic language that I use, such as polychords and chromatic modes. I've really enjoyed the wider palette of expression that combines these with the lyricism that's so idiomatic to brass band writing."

More to come

With his third year of studies to come Will is going to be busy — although he hopes to write more works for the brass band medium.

"I'm currently working on a string quartet as well as a big band piece with a solo trumpet lead, but I hope to explore more brass band ideas.

The NYBBGB Competition has provided me with a wonderful opportunity, and it would be exciting to be able to write a major work in the future."

Find out more

To find out more about Will go to:
Instagram: will._.everitt
Soundcloud: https://m.soundcloud.com/will_everitt