The trio of set-works to be used for the 2026 British Open Spring Festival, and the judges who will adjudicate them, have been confirmed.

The announcement made by the Mortimer family, stated that both the choice of music and judges reflected the ongoing commitment to sustaining the development of the event as it enters a new era based in Birmingham.

The works come from the pens of Stephen Roberts, Joseph Horovitz and Robert Farnon, and will be adjudicated by Anne Crookston, David Hirst, Alan Morrison, Lauren Petritz-Watts, Andrea Price and Stephen Roberts.

New era

Speaking about the event, which takes place over the weekend of the 2nd & 3rd May at Town Hall Birmingham and the Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space at Symphony Hall, the Mortimer family said: "2026 heralds a new era for the 104th Spring Festival — one that also reinforces our commitment to securing and developing the event's future and its link directly to the British Open.

We are delighted at the choices made by our Artistic Director Dr Robert Childs, which balance ambition to artistic excellence for the competitors, allied to the appreciation of the needs and expectations of our audiences.

We offer everyone a warm musical welcome to the competitions at their new venues."

Test pieces and judges

Grand Shield: Star Crossed Lovers (Stephen Roberts)

The Grand Shield contenders will perform 'Star Crossed Lovers' by Stephen Roberts, the work used to popular acclaim at the 2025 British Open Championship.

The work takes its title from the prologue to Shakespeare's play 'Romeo and Juliet', written around 1591. It is a metaphor for the higher power of fate that controls human destiny and from which Shakespeare created the tragic irony by telling the audience what will happen to the characters before they know it themselves.

The music is based on Sergei Prokofiev's score for the ballet 'Romeo and Juliet', first composed in 1935, but revised for its Soviet premiere at the Kirov Theatre in Leningrad in 1940.

It will be adjudicated by Stephen Roberts and Anne Crookston who judged the work at the 2025 British Open Championship.

Senior Cup: Ballet for Band (Joseph Horovitz)

In another link to the world of ballet, the Senior Cup competitors will have to bring to life the imaginary plot and characters created by composer Joseph Horovitz in his work, 'Ballet for Band'.

Originally commissioned for the 1983 National Championships of Great Britain, Horovitz stated: "The characters and plot were quite clear in my mind before composing it, but I prefer the audience to exercise its own imagination rather than to be influenced by mine.

The work is in three linked sections, the central one being the most lyrical. All themes are directly or more subtly derived from the opening fanfare motive, which is heard at the end."

One of Horovitz's most popular compositions, it has been used extensively around the banding world, including the Championship Section of the Regional Championships of Great Britain (1988), the Grand Shield (1989) and Senior Trophy (2007).

It will be adjudicated by David Hirst and Lauren Petritz-Watts.

Senior Trophy: Un Vie de Matelot (Robert Farnon)

The Senior Cup bands will also face a work originally commissioned for the Royal Albert Hall National Final.

Robert Farnon's 'Un Vie de Matelot ('A Sailor's Life') was written for the 1975 event and has been used both as a set-work and own-choice selection at Championship Section competitions since, including the Grand Shield (1988), Regional Championships (1995), the Senior Trophy (2002) and the Butlins Mineworkers Championship (2012).

Farnon was a French-Canadian greatly interested in the folk songs of the country — especially those originating from the people, customs and characteristics of Quebec. This inspired him to create the original thematic material on which the work is based, first heard by the soprano cornet, and followed by a series of linked and developed variations.

It will be adjudicated by Alan Morrison and Andrea Price.