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National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain Launches Young Composer Competition

NYBBGB Launch Second Young Composer Competition

Aspiring brass band composers, listen up - it's your time to shine.

The National Youth Brass Band of Great Britain (NYBBGB) has announced the launch of its second Young Composer Competition, providing an exciting opportunity for aspiring composers aged 30 and under. Following the success of the 2023 inaugural competition, NYBBGB is inviting young composers to submit an original brass band composition lasting between 3 and 6 minutes.

Why Enter the NYBBGB Young Composer Competition?

There is no doubt that the brass band movement needs young talent in order for it to survive. As much as we respect the musical heritage of our community, we need fresh, new, innovative music created by the younger generation that will engage and inspire fellow young musicians (and older ones too!). Think of where you could go. Your piece on the stands of potentially hundreds of brass banders in the future. It could be your test pieces inspiring players and being a breath of fresh air in the coming years. The excitement of future brass banders when your music is placed on their stands. That idea, melody, unfinished manuscript could not only achieve amazing things for you as a musician and composer in this competition, but could be the start of a career that benefits the banding movement as a whole. We need new music. We need you.

All it takes is an opportunity.

And this is yours.

How the NYBBGB Young Composer Competition Works

The NYBBGB will choose 6 new works, comprising of 3 winners and 6 runners up. The winning pieces will be rehearsed and performed by the NYBBGB during their courses and concerts in 2025. The three winning composers will also bag £750 each and a mentoring opportunity to further develop their skills. The runners up will receive a cash prize of £250 each and feedback on their piece via a one-to-one coaching phone call with a member of the coaching panel. If there is opportunity to do so, the NYBBGB may perform one or more of the runner-up pieces too.

NYBBGB Young Composer Competition Rules

The rules for this year's competition are as follows:

Entries must be submitted by 31st September 2024
You must be aged 30 or under on 1st January 2025
The work must be new, unpublished and not have been publicly performed
You must scan and upload an image of your passport or UK driving licence information for verification purposes
You must submit a short biography outlining your experience and ambition, including your recent place(s) of study and or the name of your teacher(s), as well as a concise list of any recent and forthcoming commissions
You must submit a Sibelius or audio file and a score of your piece