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2025 4BR CD of the Year

There were impressive recordings from impressive bands — but one stood out from the rest in 2025.

4BR aWARDS
  Black Dyke Band's musical trip to the Eternal City was the clear CD of the Year winner

Winner: Respighi (Black Dyke Band)

2. Festivities — Cornerstones Vol. 3 (Cory Band)
3. Storm (Hauts de France)

The Yorkshire champion continues to produce CDs of the highest artistic quality under the baton of Director of Music Prof Nicholas J Childs — with 'Respighi' claiming their tenth 4BR CD of the Year award.

The Doyen release was a long term project that was cultivated into a stunning release featuring performances of 'Roman Festivals', 'Fountains of Rome' and 'Pines of Rome', and gained an imposing 9 first choice preference votes from the panel.

The latest release in Cory's long term 'Cornerstones' project of recordings was a deserved runner-up as Philip Harper's band continues to breath new life into classic banding repertoire, whilst the engaging 'Strom' release from French Champion, Hauts-de-France was third.

Panel:

The Awards Panel consisted of: Iwan Fox (4BR Editor); Chris Thomas (4BR & BBW); Malcolm Wood (4BR & BBW); Josie Sleigh (musician); Gordon Simpson (brass band statistician); Sarah Groarke-Booth (conductor/adjudicator); Michael Franz (Editor Brass Band News Switzerland); Liv Appleton (Content Creator/itsnotatrumpet.com); Camila Soderstrom Tveit (musician/adjudicator); Alexander Zwann (conductor/journalist); Tim Mutum (brass band historian); Henk Van Loon (Editor Emotions on Stage); Philippa Edwards AOM (conductor/performing arts producer); Stein Skorpholm (broadcaster/musician).

Past Winners:


2024: Bliss: Works for Brass (Black Dyke Band)
2023: Force of Nature (Black Dyke Band)
2022: Vaughan Williams on Brass (Tredegar Band)
2021: Festmusik — A Legacy (Onyx Brass)
2020: Gregson: Music of the Angels (London Brass)
2019: The Music of Bliss & Howells (Brighouse & Rastrick Band)
2018: Metropolis (Black Dyke Band)
2017: Dances & Arias (Black Dyke Band)
2016: War Memorials (Cory Band & Tredegar Band)
2015: Dark Arteries (Tredegar Band)
2014: Gaia Symphony (Eikanger Bjorsvik Musikklag)
2013: When Worlds Collide: The Music of Nigel Clarke (Brass Band Buizingen)
2012: Masquerade (Foden's Band)
2011: Only for You: The Music of Paul Lovatt-Cooper (Black Dyke Band)
2010: Romeo & Juliet (Eikanger Bjorsvik Musikklag)
2009: Maestro (Foden's Band)
2008: New Music for Brass Band (Foden's Band)
2007: Vienna Nights (Black Dyke Band)
2006: Heaton: Volume 4 (Black Dyke Band)
2005: Tales and Stories (Eikanger Bjorsvik Musikklag)
2004: Music of the Spheres (Yorkshire Building Society Band)
2003: Bourgeois in Brass (Yorkshire Building Society Band)
2002: The Heaton Collection (Black Dyke Band and the ISB)
2001: Butterworth (Black Dyke Band)

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May 7 • B Flat Bass : fresh off the back of our promotion to the Grand Shield, ELB are on the look out for a bflat bass player to complement our existing section. The band is ambitious and has an exciting second half of the year ahead.


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May 7 • We currently have the following vacancies.. 3rd Cornet and Bb Bass.. Friendly 3rd Section NW band based just outside of Blackpool. We have some great concerts coming up as well as marches, galas and charity events. With the odd contest thrown in too


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May 7 • MD VACANCY . We are a 3rd section NW band based just outside of Blackpool. Monday and Thursday rehearsals. Good mix of concerts and contests. Library full of music with funds available for new music. .


Alwyn Green

LRAM, LTCL
Conductor, composer, arranger, adjudicator, teacher and soloist


               

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