UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 21 FEBRUARY
RBC’s Brass Band won first prize at Unibrass 2024 on Saturday (17 February), which took place at Warwick Arts Centre on the University of Warwick campus.
The prize was awarded following an outstanding performance of Daniel Hall's 'Humanity', which has given the band a hat-trick of wins at Unibrass – only the second time this has happened in the history of the contest.
Conducted by MMus conducting students Alan Gifford and Josh Geddes, the winning performance featured many soloists including students Anabel Voigt on tenor horn, Emma Taylor on vibraphone and Adam Scaife on cornet together with Matt Lockyer and Isaac Bousfield on Trombone.
The band had an early start as it was drawn to play second out of 12 bands. After a long day of listening, the adjudicators awarded the band first prize. It was also awarded Best Percussion Section, and Alan and Josh walked away with a joint prize for the Best Student Conductors.
Head of Brass Band Studies Ian Porthouse commented: “We are so proud of the band's achievements performing such a challenging and innovative suite of music. The piece itself was a UK premiere, only having been performed once previously at the 2023 Siddis Brass Championships in Stavanger, Norway, by the Stavanger Brass Band.
“Not only was our band professional in its preparation and performance, but the players were also exemplary ambassadors for Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Thanks must also go to tenor horn student and band manager Ellie Bagshaw for her organisation and efficient management of the project.”