Rochdale Borough Youth Brass Band wins awards at Youth Entertainment Championships

Rochdale Borough Youth Brass Band

Rochdale Borough Youth Brass Band was awarded fifth place at the 2017 Action Medical Research Youth Entertainment Championships at Blackpool’s Winter Gardens on Sunday (12 February).

The band also came away with awards for Best Stage Deportment, which the band last won in 2007, fourth place for the Entertainment award and cornet player Rachael Ayers won The Paddy Briggs Shield for Best Soprano.

Rochdale Borough Youth brass band was one of the smallest and youngest bands at the championships, with 32 players ranging between 11 and 18 years of age.

The band entertained audiences with an American Civil War theme, with narrations provided by Andy Kelly. The 20-minute set told the story of a soldier during the War Between the States in the 1860s, with the band dressed as both the Union and Confederates.

Musical Director, Ben Dixon, said: “They’ve worked exceptionally hard to get such fantastic results, which is a huge achievement. There’s six months of preparation for these championships, which were very much worth it.

“I can’t say how proud of them I am; I see just how hard they work on a daily basis. The band will go from strength to strength and continue to grow together over the next few years.

“They have an exciting future ahead.”

The band has a busy schedule ahead, performing at the Rochdale Music Festival and Music For Youth, both at Rochdale Town Hall in early March before competing at the National Youth Brass Band Championships of Great Britain in April.

Rochdale Borough Youth hope to attend the Birmingham Symphony Hall again this year following Music For Youth and aiming to win first place at the National Championships, having been placed second last year.