The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire will host a packed day of elite level brass band performer today (Sunday 7th June).

Presented by Frank Renton, the Elgar International Festival of Brass will feature a quartet of leading bands — including current European Champion Flowers and reigning World Champion, Brass Band Willebroek, as well as multiple major championship winners, Black Dyke Band and Foden's.

Recital

All this and euphonium virtuoso, David Childs will give both a recital and a masterclass, whilst the day will kick off at 10.30am with a concert programme by the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Brass Band.

The music will include major test-pieces from featured composer Philip Sparke ('Partita'; 'Evolution — Five States of Change'; 'Variations on an Enigma'; 'Music of the Spheres' and 'Tallis Variations'), as well as the opportunity to hear the recently premiered 'Orbital' by Richard Blackford.

Euro and World works

Major works heard at the 2026 European Championship — 'West Wind — Metamorphosis for Brass Band' and 'Orpheus & Eurydice' will also be featured, as will Jan De Haan's 'Mirage', the set-work for the forthcoming World Music Contest in Kerkrade.

In addition there is a welcome revival of John Golland's 'Sounds', Malcolm Arnold's 'Four Cornish Dances' and Martin Ellerby's 'Elgar Variations', as well as works by Liz Lane, Lucy Pankhurst, Kelly-Marie Murphy and Lode Violet.

He will be one of the featured soloists, alongside fellow principal cornet, Tom Hutchinson, Paul Richards, Daniel Thomas and John Barber.

The day starts promptly at 10.30am. Parking is available on site.

Tickets:

https://www.bcu.ac.uk/conservatoire/events-calendar/07-06-2026-elgar-international-festival-of-brass

Royal Birmingham Conservatoire Brass Band

Conductor: Ian Porthouse
Start: 10.30am

A Spark Forgotten (Tamsin Crook)
Concertino for Xylophone (Toshiro Mayuzumi)
Soloist: Owen Yarrow
Ar Lan y Mor (Gavin Higgins)
Partita (Philip Sparke)

Brass Band Willebroek

Conductor: Frans Violet
Start: Noon

Song t(w)o the North (Lode Violet)
Fantasia on a Flemish Sea Song (Simon Van Hoecke)
Soloist: Lode Violet
Mirage (Jan De Haan)
Evolution — Five States of Change (Philip Sparke)
Orpheus & Eurydice (Stijn Aertgeerts)

Black Dyke Band

Conductor: Prof Nicholas Childs
Start: 2.00pm

Concert Prelude (Philip Sparke)
Elgar Variations (Martin Ellerby)
Cornet Concerto (Derek Bourgeois)
Soloist: Tom Hutchinson
Four Cornish Dances (Malcolm Arnold arr. Farr)
Variations on an Enigma (Philip Sparke)

David Childs

Recital
Start: 4.00pm

Zigeunerweisen (Pablo Sarasate)
Hiraeth (Cait Nishimura)
Force of Nature (Peter Graham)
Due Tramonti (Ludovico Einaudi)
Endearing Young Charms (Simone Mantia)

Flowers Band

Conductor: Paul Holland
Start: 5.30pm

Winds That Blow Against a Star (Kelly-Marie Murphy)
Poor Paris, Love was your Achilles (Paul Saggers)
Soloist: Paul Richards
West Wind — Metamorphoses for Brass Band (Oliver Waespi)
Ar Lan y Mor (Gavin Higgins)
Electric (Lucy Pankhurst)
Soloist: Daniel Thomas
Pall Mall (Jonathan Bates)
Music of the Spheres (Philip Sparke)

Foden's Band

Conductor: Michael Fowles
Start: 7.30pm

Tallis Variations (Philip Sparke)
Concertino for Trombone (Lars-Erik Larsson)
Soloist: John Barber
Sounds (Golland)
Antiphonary (Liz Lane)
Orbital (Richard Blackford)