European Championships to be screened live on the Internet

British Bandsman is to collaborate with Yamaha Music UK Ltd. to bring live Internet coverage of this year’s European Brass Band Championships via the BB website, presented by the international percussion star, Simone Rebello

British Bandsman is to collaborate with Yamaha Music UK Ltd. to bring live Internet coverage of this year’s European Brass Band Championships via the BB website, presented by the international percussion star, Simone Rebello. The event, which will be held at the Brucknerhaus in Linz on 30 April and 1 May, is already sold out, so potential visitors to the Upper Austrian city will be able to avoid any disappointment of missing one of the highlights of the contesting calendar by signing up for BB’s live coverage at www.britishbandsman.com

Announcing news of this groundbreaking project, BB Editor, Kenneth Crookston, commented: “Through our sponsorship of the European Brass Band Championships and our association with World of Brass, which will provide the high-quality live pictures over the weekend, we have seen this project as an important part of British Bandsman’s continuing development for a number of years. However, we are especially grateful this year for the involvement of Yamaha UK Ltd., which has provided us with the services of Simone Rebello, who will have the marathon task of linking the performances over the two days of the event, as well as those of Professor David King, Sheona White and Russell Gray, who will also present short masterclasses over the course of the weekend for our worldwide audience.”

Kenneth Crookston added: “With the chance to see live action of international banding’s most important event, which this year will feature Cory, Black Dyke, Eikanger-Bjørsvik and other champion bands from around the Continent, including the remarkable home favourite, Brass Band Oberösterreich, we hope that lovers of brass band music around the globe will join us from the fabulous Brucknerhaus for what promises to be one of the most exciting brass band events in many years.”

The announcement comes as Yamaha reveals its Neo range of brass band instruments, the first of which will be on display at this week’s Frankfurt Music Fair, and speaking to BB on behalf of Yamaha UK, Marketing of Promotions Manager - Band and Orchestral Division, Ian Frankland, commented: “We are very excited to be working on the European Championships live streaming project. This innovative plan will open the event to a whole new audience who are unable to attend or cannot afford the expensive trip to Austria. Now the excitement of the event can be enjoyed from the comfort of your own home, while Simone Rebello’s fantastic presenting skills will add a completely different dimension to the streaming, which will be broadcast more as a TV programme rather than just watching a static webcam pointing at the stage. This is truly bringing brass banding into the 21st century, so we are proud to associate the event with our new Neo range of brass band instruments, the first of which is of course the new Neo Tenor Horn developed with Sheona White. This will be followed by a complete range of Neo brass band instruments developed with leading artists such as Katrina Marzella, Simon Gresswell, Billy Millar and Steve Walsh, to name but a few. In this context, the word neo means a modern form of something traditional, and we have taken the very essence of the traditional brass band sound and developed 21st century instruments manufactured using the most innovative design and techniques. Therefore the support of the European Championships live streaming project seemed like a very logical choice.”

Simone Rebello added: “I am delighted to be part of this very exciting venture, bringing high quality music-making and all the excitement of this major contest to brass band supporters and enthusiasts right around the world.” Commenting to BB, Ulf Rosenberg, President of the European Brass Band Association (EBBA), further added: “I am very enthusiastic about British Bandsman and Yamaha’s plans for livestreaming the event from Linz. This is very good for the event and, in a situation in which the competition is already successfully sold out, it is great that the entire worldwide audience will have the opportunity to follow the European Championships on the Internet.”

Meanwhile, the EBBA has announced that the test-pieces for the 2011 European Championships in Montreux, Switzerland, will be composed by Oliver Waespi (Championship Section) and Stephan Hodel (‘B’ Section). Further details will be announced in due course.

A single day’s coverage is available for £5.00, with the entire event, including the Gala Concert and Results Ceremony, at the discounted price of £8.00. Please see advertisement on the back page of this issue or log onto www.britishbandsman.com for further details.