After the announcement of the Brass Bands England 2022 Award winners at last month’s Brass Band Conference in Sale, the BBE team spoke to the inspiring individuals behind this year’s awards to find out more about their work in banding as well as their plans for the future.
Know someone who you'd like to nominate? Nominations for the 2023 Awards will open in February. Register for your nominations reminder email.
Jane Nichols and Maggie Betts
Brass Bands England Social Impact Award
Maggie and Jane won this year's award for their recent and long-standing work on "Boobs & Brass", an all ladies band motivating women players and raising money for cancer research.
Maggie told us:
Having played the cornet from the age of ten, brass banding has been my main hobby for 58 years and I have loved every minute of it. During lockdown I decided that my playing days were over - but - with some persuasion from my husband and a few friends, I am now a playing member of my local town’s fourth section band. As co-founder of Boobs & Brass 16 years ago, I still wanted to continue organising this unique set up, but of course, COVID prevented any activity for over two years.
However, the midlands group performed a recent concert which resulted in a donation of £4,000 to Breast Cancer Now and our ‘up north’ group have managed three rehearsals in the past few months. We are working hard to secure some concerts for 2023 for both these groups.
To be nominated for the BBE Social Impact award was amazing but to actually receive this accolade was quite overwhelming. Personally, I had never given a great deal of thought to what impact Boobs & Brass had on the community or to various individuals. To me, it has always been about getting these girls together - something different to their normal banding, making music, enjoying the adventures, and - the icing on the cake - raising some money for charity and hopefully helping someone less fortunate than myself, whilst bringing something to our wonderful brass band community.
I sat and seriously thought about this, spoke to some of the girls and received some truly amazing feedback. One of these ladies, who has been very poorly and not played for some time until I asked her to come to one of our recent rehearsals, wrote:
"I think you underestimate the impact you have had, not only on cancer research but on the network of players up and down the country. At the last rehearsal, people found it quite empowering. I`ve found an odd solace in coming back. It’s a powerful impact".
Wow! that really hit home and made me feel so grateful to everyone involved. For as long as I am able and as long as these wonderful ladies keep turning up, I shall continue seeking new opportunities for Boobs & Brass and sincerely thank everyone for their continued support.
Lee Rigg
Brass Bands England Services to Youth
Lee won this year's Services to Youth award for his work giving hundreds of children and young people the opportunity to play in a brass band. Lee is the Music Director of Wardle Academy Youth Band, recognised as one of the top Youth Bands in the UK. He has led Wardle to numerous titles, including the European Championships three years in a row.
Lee told us: “I consider myself very lucky to work in such a great team of music teachers at Wardle Academy all of whom work tirelessly to promote music with young people in our area. I am very happy to accept this award on behalf of the whole music department at Wardle Academy.”
Image: Jack Capstaff, Music Director for Derwent Brass, with Awards presenter Ian Bousfield
Derwent Brass
Brass Bands England Innovation Award
Derwent won this year’s Innovation Award for continually pushing the boundaries of what a brass band can do. The award was accepted on behalf of the band by the Music Director, Jack Capstaff. Jack has been a primary driving force in the band's forward-thinking work over recent years.
A representative from the band told us: “Derwent Brass has always strived for musical and artistic excellence in unique and sometimes unconventional ways and receiving the BBE Innovation Award for 2022 is a high watermark in the band’s history, of which we are very proud.
To us, the award signifies wider recognition of many years of effort and artistic direction under the batons of Keith Leonard until 2018, and for the past four years with Jack Capstaff at the helm. This approach has separated Derwent Brass from the stereotypical brass band and positioned them as a leading voice in pushing the artistic boundaries of the medium. To quote the band’s Mission Statement on Music & Repertoire: “To be open to new challenges, willing to push the boundaries of performance and be at the forefront of new commissions from a collection of composers”.
Over previous years the band has commissioned new and exciting works from leading contemporary composers, including our contemporary music associate, Paul McGhee whose Episodes, Occurrences and Interludes was commissioned for the band’s 20th anniversary and critically acclaimed, as well as composer in association Matt Eden, with whom Jack Capstaff has worked on feature length multi-media projects, as well as Matt’s own phenomenal stand-alone music.
As well as new and innovative repertoire, Derwent Brass positions itself to collaborate outside of the brass band medium with regular collaboration and fusion with different genres of ensemble, guest artists, augmentation of the traditional ensemble, and multi-media concerts and projects. We do all this not only to push ourselves and challenge ourselves artistically, but to engage new and diverse audiences, and to work to ensure the relevance of brass bands and western classical music going forwards in an ever increasingly competitive creative landscape, with more entertainment streams than ever vying for audience attention.”
With all this in mind, the band would like to announce the inaugural Derwent Brass Composition Competition, coming in 2023, which will award composers willing to push the boundaries of what is considered possible for brass band. Recordings will be produced for all finalists, and a substantive cash prize will be available for the winner. Further details will be announced in the new year.
Femmes Fortissimo
Brass Bands England Band Project of the Year Award
Femmes Fortissimo won the new Band Project of the Year award for their collaborative project with Tracey McGuire, As well as being one of the organisers for Femmes Fortissimo, Tracey also plays euphonium with Shepherd Group Concert Brass Band and the York Concert Band.
The band felt strongly that they wanted to put a focus on preventing violence against women and girls. A new piece, ‘A New Anthem’ by Tracey McGuire, was composed in response to the murder of Sarah Everard who was kidnapped, raped and killed by a serving police officer in Clapham, London, when she was walking home. The piece was performed at a sell-out concert as part of the York International Women’s Week 2022 programme and raised £600 for the York based charity Survive. Sarah grew up in York and the concert was attended by a group of students from Fulford School in York, which was Sarah’s old school.
Tracey told us: “I was absolutely delighted, especially since I wasn't expecting to win this award. It is always good to get recognition, especially for something as important as this.”
The next annual Femmes Fortissimo concert will take place in York on 22nd April 2023.
James “Jim” Shepherd
Brass Bands England Lifetime Achievement Award
Elite cornet player, conductor and educator, Jim was honoured for a lifetime’s dedication to brass bands with this year’s Brass Bands England Lifetime Achievement Award
A brass teacher in Yorkshire for many years, Jim has formed and conducted numerous youth bands, guiding young people to achieve a sense of personal worth through music, many becoming teachers themselves.
The ability to inspire not just the young, but all generations, really sets Jim apart from the rest in the field of music education. In 1971 Jim received the Insignia of Honour at the National Finals in the Royal Albert Hall for his services to brass bands. As a player, he is generally acknowledged as having been one of the finest cornet players of a generation, displaying prodigious talent and ability.
James told us: “It’s a huge honour to receive the award from Brass Bands England, in recognition of my lifetime achievements in brass bands. I feel very fortunate to have worked with many wonderful people over the years, both in a teaching and playing capacity....thank you to my good friend Colin Aspinall for the nomination.
I would like to dedicate the award to my late wife, Anne, for her unwavering support over the years. It was an added pleasure to receive the award from Ian Bousfield, and to hear his inspirational headline speech. Many thanks to Brass Bands England for the award, and congratulations to all the other worthy winners on the day. It’s gratifying to see that the future of banding is in good hands."
You can pose your questions to Jim in a virtual evening hosted by the Brass Band Conductor's Association on Wednesday 7 December at 7pm.
Andrew Straiton
Outstanding Contribution
Andy is Chair of the UniBrass Foundation, organisers of the University Brass Band Championships of Great Britain. Over this period, Andrew Straiton has committed countless hours to the advancement of brass bands at university level, overseen the growth of the Foundation, and ensured their projects' national reach and impact.
Watch out for future UniBrass Band Camps, workshops, and don’t miss the UniBrass 2023 contest in Warwick on the 11 February 2023.
Leon Gill
Outstanding Contribution (18 and under)
Leon has provided 13 years of service (most of his life so far) to Lions Youth Brass, making him their longest serving member. Joining aged six, with the benefit of excellent tuition, commitment and dedication he moved up through all tiers of the organisation and are now an outstanding bass trombone player, regularly performing solos to exceptionally high standards. He is also a band representative, acting as a point of contact for band members with concerns or ideas, and then liaising with their committee. He contacted band members during lockdown to check in on their welfare and mental health and also helped organise the band’s tour to North Wales this year. His main priority has been ensuring the players have the best possible experience in the band.
Find out more and nominate
Watch the full Awards ceremony on the Brass Bands England YouTube channel or register to be notified once nominations open for the next round of Awards.