The Music Comission of the European Brass Band Association have announced the three composers whose new works for brass band will receive their premiere performances at the final of the 8th European Composers Competition, which will be held in the Town Hall, Birmingham on Friday 28 April.
The three finalists are:
- Thibaut Bruniaux (France) Insecurity
- Théo Rossier (Switzerland) Stendhal’s Syndrome
- Andy Wareham (England) Machiavelli - Ruminations on 'The Prince'
EBBA Music Commission Chairman, Paul Hindmarsh commented: "We were delighted to receive thirteen entries from around Europe. [...] It was a very close decision between the works at the top of our rankings, but we are in no doubt of the quality of our three finalists, Andy, Thibaut and Théo submitted substantial pieces that will be both challenging and rewarding for Grimethorpe Colliery Band to prepare and for the audience to experience."
More about the three finalists:
Thibaut Bruniaux is a French composer, arranger and conductor. He was born in Valenciennes where he started to learn music. He then studied music analysis, composition and piano at the Paris and Lyon National Conservatories of Music, and the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. He has been teaching composition at the Lille Conservatory of Music since 2012. He created the Hainaut Brass Band in 2014 and he has been its conductor since. He is also led to conduct various bands in France and Belgium. His musical compositions and arrangements are mainly for brass band and concert band, published by Lake Music Publications (Netherlands). He created two original pieces chosen as test piece for the French National – Babylon (2018) and Machu Picchu (2022).
Théo Rossier began composing at the age of 14. He started to learn harmony and music theory on his own before attending the Lausanne Conservatory where he obtained his music theory certificate in 2020. For the past three years, he has also been taking courses in conducting and he conducts a wind band. He has written for chamber ensemble, wind band, orchestra and brass band. In 2019, his piece Celui qui chuchotait dans les ténèbres (‘The one who whispered in the darkness’) has been selected to be recorded by the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne in the framework of their call for projects.
Andy Wareham is a composer, conductor and brass tutor from Southampton, England. His musical journey began at the age of six under the tuition of Lesley Milam. His music has been featured on BBC television and radio as well as at major music festivals including the Brass in Concert Championships and the RNCM Brass Band Festival. He has won a number of awards for his music including the Cory Band Composition Competition 2017, A4 Brass Quartet’s Composition Competition 2019 and The British Trombone Society Composers’ Competition 2020. Andy was 'Young Composer in Residence' with Black Dyke Band between 2018 and 2021. After graduating from Cardiff University, Andy went on to study for his Masters at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama [RWCMD]. He was the first RWCMD brass band conducting student, working under the guidance of Dr Robert Childs. He graduated in July 2018, directing the band at his own graduation ceremony.
The three works will be performed by the world famous Grimethorpe Colliery Band conducted by David Thornton. The evening will also feature a concert set from Grimethorpe, including Legacy, a euphonium trio by Lucy Pankhurst, performed by Dan Thomas, Glenn Van Looy and David Thornton.