Welcome to the Monday 4BR interview — part of a regular new series where we not only link up with established personalities and performers to find out more about what they are doing, but also those hoping to make their mark on the banding movement in 2026.
On 17th January four young conductors will look to win the bi-annual National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain Conductors Prize. The free event which takes place at Tidworth Garrison Theatre (SP9 7EP) on Saturday 17th January.
Ammal Bhatia
Each finalist will rehearse one of four iconic brass band works: Resurgam (Eric Ball); Music for a Festival (Philip Sparke); Shine as the Light (Peter Graham) and Dimensions (Peter Graham)
We will be interviewing all four finalists to find out more about them — linking up today with 26-year-old Ammal Bhatia, a Leverhulme Scholar completing his Master's in Conducting at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, who talks about his musical background and journey to the final.
To listen:
https://soundcloud.com/iwanfox/4br-monday-interview-with-ammal-bhatia
