The Brass Band Conference is an annual event and awards ceremony providing an unmissable opportunity for brass banders from across the country to learn, share and network.
The Brass Band Conference 2025 will take place on Saturday 27 September at Redhills, the Durham Miners’ Association Hall in Durham city centre. Demonstrating BBE’s dedication to the future of the brass banding sector, the 2025 theme will be ‘The Next Generation.’
The 2024 Conference saw nearly 150 delegates engage with topics that covered the subject of Creative Communities. They keynote speech, delivered by musician, composer and producer Shri Sriram discussed tradition, genre exploration and engaging with community. Watch a short snippet of the keynote below.
"I really enjoyed them [the sessions] so much. Well considered and thought-provoking. Shri's keynote was outstanding" - feedback from a 2024 Conference delegate
The Brass Band Conference 2025: The Next Generation
This year’s conference will be held at Redhills, Durham on Saturday 27 September 2025 on the theme of The Next Generation.
The approximate timings for the day will be 9.30 - 17.00.
Call for contributors
Brass Bands England is now inviting relevant proposals from the brass banding community and beyond that seek to share best practice in this area. Our aim is to curate a diverse, inspiring programme full of relevant insights that opens up discussion, challenges thinking and encourages critical reflection. The programme will seek to include a mix of talks from thought leaders; practical workshops; discussion and creative elements.
Submitting a proposal
Conference proposals will be accepted until Friday 7 March 2025 via the 2025 Conference proposals form.
Conference presenters will receive:
- Free attendance to the conference day
- Promotion of work presented at the conference
- Reasonable travel expenses
- Speakers fees will be available for independent / freelance presenters
Full details can be found in the Call for Contributors news article.
"I thought it was excellent. Really thought-provoking topics that opened up lots of questions to consider going forward" - feedback from a 2024 Brass Band Conference delegate
Brass Bands England Awards 2025
Brass Bands England is proud to recognise individuals and organisations that have made an exceptional contribution to brass banding. Be it through inspiring young people, tireless dedication, leading imaginative creative projects and collaborations, or bringing about positive social change. There is plenty to be celebrated!
The six categories that will be open to nominations are as follows:
-
Band Project of the Year
-
Brass Band Conductor, supported by the Brass Band Conductors’ Association
-
Green Hero
-
(NEW) Rising Star
-
Services to Youth
-
Young Bandsperson
More information on the individual awards can be found on the Awards page.
How can I make a nomination?
Nominations can be made online via the online form until midnight on Friday 4 April.
Venue and Travel
Address: The Miners Hall, Flass St, Durham, DH1 4BE
Transport: The venue is only a 7-minute walk from Durham train station. We encourage everyone to use public transport to reach us where possible.
If you have any access needs that we need to be aware of for us to support the event, including any dietary requirements, please email conference@bbe.org.uk prior to the event.
Sponsorship and Advertising Opportunities
Find out more about Sponsorship and advertising Opportunities at this years' Brass Band Conference.
Anyone interested in finding out more can email the BBE events team on conference@bbe.org.uk
Are you a BBE Member? You can access video resources from the 2024 Brass Band Conference: Creative Communities, including the full keynote speech, in the Member Resources section of the website. Use the Brass Band Conference tag to find all the related content.
Any questions? Just email our events team on conference@bbe.org.uk